How To Calm An Anxiety Attack? The Best Self-Help Remedies

Getting an anxiety attack in the middle of any activity is very problematic. People having anxiety disorders are the regular victims of this. Though this is not deadly still affects daily life a lot. So it needs to be controlled. Untreated anxiety attacks can affect the heart also. So here, we will discuss how to calm an anxiety attack. We will also discuss its prevention. But before going to this part, we need to know a bit about it.

Anxiety attacks are sudden feelings of intense anxiety including immense unnatural fear. There is no specific place or situation prone to an anxiety attack. It is not necessary that an anxiety attack will happen in adverse situations. This can happen while you are in a restaurant or in a picnic. This can happen in any happy as well as sad situations.

Factors Promoting Anxiety Attack

There are definitely some reasons behind anxiety. Childhood traumas play a great role in anxiety. People with stress due to illness, other health issues, and some personality types can also develop anxiety. Having a family history of anxiety can also be a cause of it. Alcohol or drug abuse can be a reason. Sometimes, ongoing physical and mental tortures can cause anxiety attacks.
Some research suggests that gender also plays a role in anxiety. Women are more likely to get anxiety attacks than men.

What Does An Anxiety Attack Feel Like?

Identifying the problem often solves half of it. So before trying remedies for anxiety attacks, let us know what it seems like. There is no previous sign of an anxiety attack. But you may face some indications while going through it. There are some symptoms of an anxiety attack.

Anxiety Attack Symptoms:

• A sudden overwhelming panic feeling
• Losing self-control or going crazy
• Heart palpitations and chest pain
• Feels like you may pass out now
• Trouble in breathing
• A choking sensation
• Hyperventilation or rapid deep breathing
• Hot flashes or chills
• Trembling
• Nausea or stomach cramps
• Feeling detached from everything

Anxiety Attack Duration

Often, anxiety attacks last for 5 minutes to half an hour. But in some rare cases, it may last for 2 hours. The peak moment of an attack is within the first 10 minutes. The number of attacks decides how severe the anxiety issue is. Some people experience it once or twice a month while some people have it several times a week.

How To Calm An Anxiety Attack Naturally?

There is no absolute cure for anxiety attacks. But it can be managed by following some activities during the attack. While having an anxiety attack;

Breathe

• Breathe slowly, calmly, and deeply.
• Breathe in with your nose
• And breathe out through your mouth
• Close your eyes and focus on breathing

Write Down
When having anxiety attacks, write down the symptoms. This will help to prepare your mind to accept the situation. Through this, you can expect what will happen and it will make you less anxious.

Talk Loudly To Yourself
While having an attack, talk to yourself loudly. Remind yourself that anxiety attacks do end. It can not harm you, cannot make you faint even.

Relax Your Body
Various parts of the body often clench up during an anxiety attack. Try to tighten them and then try to relax. If not those parts try to do this with other body parts such as toes or shoulder.

Stay In The Present Moment
Do not go away from the stressful moment. Stay there until the anxiety calms down. It will help you to figure out the returning way from it.

There are some other ways to deal with an anxiety attack. Those are;

Self-Help Remedies

Some self-help remedies work best to treat an anxiety attack. These are not easy to do at first. But practicing regularly will help you to apply it in a perfect way. Some remedies are;

The 3 3 3 Rule

This is a best practice to deal with anxiety. At first, you have to look around yourself. Try to see objects or things around you. Choose any three of them and remember the details about them. Secondly, try to hear the sounds around you. Then choose three sounds and think thoroughly about them. At last, try to touch things in your surrounding. Choose 3 different things and try to touch them using three different parts.

The 3 3 3 rule for anxiety helps to activate the sense organs. This helps the mind to concentrate on the present situation.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Coping Technique

Apply this technique with slow and deep breathing for the best results.
How to do it:
Five – look around yourself. Name five things you can see.
Four – Try to touch 4 things around you through your hand. Name them
Three – Listen quietly to your surroundings. Try to identify three sounds and name them.
Two – Smell two things near you. Try to identify them by naming them.
One – Notice, if you can taste inside your mouth, then name it.

This technique works like the 3 3 3 rule.

Think About Something Funny

Visualizing exercise helps a lot to tackle the attacks. This is also a part of the exercise. When you get sudden anxious thoughts try to remember some funny moments. Visualize some humorous moments that happened before. It will be more effective if you can laugh by remembering those scenarios.

Distract Yourself

When other techniques can not help try to get out of the place. Go to another place. Get some temporary distractions for yourself. Forget about the half-done work you are doing before. Try to work with whatever is present there in the new place. This will help you to get rid of the ongoing anxiety.

Take A Cold Shower

In case of extreme anxious issues, get some cold water and pour some ice cubes into it. Then dunk your face for 30 minutes in it. Or you can take a cold water shower or go for a swim. This will control your heart rate and make your body calm. If you do not want to do this you can dunk your hand or feet instead of your face. Or else, you can hold a piece of ice until it melts in your hand.

Anxiety Attack Medication

If you are not able to control your anxiety by yourself then you can consider consulting a doctor. There are some medications that help a lot with anxiety attacks. These medicines belong to the benzodiazepine drug class. Medicines like Xanax and Klonopin are FDA-approved medicines for this. They work in the brain and in the Central Nervous System. They slow down the brain and the CNS which helps to calm the body. This reduces anxiety.

Tips For Prevention

Anxiety attacks are not predictable. Someone can not figure out when it is going to happen. So there is no significant way to prevent anxiety attacks mainly. But there are ways to reduce anxiety which is effective to get rid of the attacks.
You need to practice some habits daily to control anxiety. Those are;

• Meditation: Meditating daily helps in clearing the mind. It enhances concentration on the present situation.
• Yoga Practice: Yoga is the old and most relevant prevention method. It acts both physically and mentally to construct mindfulness.
• Exercise: Physical exercise leads to endorphin secretion. This helps to relax the mind and reduces anxiety.
• Getting proper rest: Sleeping and anxiety has some concrete connection. So getting enough sleep and rest can keep away anxiety.
• Visualization exercises: This means visualizing yourself in calming or happy or relaxing situations. You need to do it while you are in a mentally chaotic environment. This practice helps to reduce anxious feelings.
• Hydration: Lack of water increases stress in the body and can cause anxiety. Staying hydrated helps to prevent anxiety.
• Healthy eating: Food enriched with minerals and nutrients helps to keep away anxiety.
• Relaxation technique: Taking a break from work or scheduled tasks and relaxing for a period also helps to deal with anxiety.
• Supplements: Magnesium, Zinc, Calcium, B vitamins, vitamin C, and Omega-3 fatty acid supplements are known to reduce the risk of anxiety.

Wish you good luck and healthy life free from anxiety attacks. I Hope these techniques and prevention tips will help you to calm your sudden anxiety attacks. Thank you for joining us. Stay connected with Careskit to solve your other health issues. You can comment below about your view.