How to cope with
panic and anxiety
Panic is an attack of severe fear, anxiety and a feeling of internal tension. Panic paralyzes a person or, on the contrary, pushes him to reckless actions. During panic, opposite reactions are observed: some people want to run, others - on the contrary, to cower in a corner. It is important to remember that it is in this state that the enemy wants to see us, because in it we are most vulnerable, so it is imperative to take measures to restore a normal mental state.
Key symptoms of panic:
heartbeat, rapid pulse, sweating
chills, tremors
feeling of lack of air, shortness of breath
pain or discomfort in the left side of the chest
nausea, pain or “knot” in the stomach, dizziness
feeling of alienation, unreality of the world
fear of committing an uncontrollable act
acute fear of imminent death
feeling of numbness or tingling in the limbs
insomnia
Methods of dealing with panic:
use sedative breathing techniques, such as “3-7-8”: 3 seconds to inhale, 7 to hold the air and 8 seconds to exhale
lie down and put your hands on your stomach, and take deep breaths and short exhalations, control your breathing
use square breathing (find something square in the room (or imagine it). Fix your gaze on one of the corners and take a deep breath, hold your breath for 5 seconds and move your gaze to the other corner while exhaling, so move around the square; repeat several times, this will allow you to even out your breathing and master anxiety if you feel that it is increasing
“ground yourself”; stand or sit on the floor, feel how you touch the surface, feel the weight of your own body and breathe slowly
return to the feeling of the body; feel what and how you are sitting on, how your feet feel, concentrate on some sound, on a smell; if you are driving, concentrate on what your hands are holding
do self-massage; touch your body, pat your legs, massage your ears, nose, palms; revive your stiff body
strain; take a position that is not comfortable for you and try to strain all the muscles of the body as much as possible, stay in this position as long as possible
give vent to emotions; cry, sing
use pungent smells – alcohol, citrus fruits, etc.
wash your face with cold water
direct panic into safe actions;
if you want to run – run on the spot, if you want to crawl into a corner – crawl into a corner
do not drink alcohol
take herbal sedatives (valerian, motherwort);
do not use prescription drugs without consulting a doctor!
if it is someone else, not you – wrap the person with a warm blanket, give them a warm drink, remind them of basic things: who they are, what they are doing here, who is with them, what their name is.