When you have an anxiety attack...
 

What tips or techniques do you use to calm yourself down?

I like to either get my mind completely off of what is causing it or I tell myself, "Jason SHUT THE FUCK UP"


You?

I start cleaning like a mad women.. but anything physical will do. Release that energy!

I take slow deep breaths and think happy thoughts.

I cleaned the kitchen for my wife today when it happened. Kinda helped....

smoke a joint or something lol

Is anxiety just a form of energy you need to release? Sometimes thoughts and shit trigger my anxiety and what not...

This is all a new realm to me...

Your technique is rather common - getting angry at "yourself", trying to convince your mind the whole thing is bullshit (which it in its essence is). I have had most luck with:

1. Breathing more controlled (you try to avoid your heartbeat rushing)
2. Do something that needs alot of attention/concentation - playing counterstrike or whatever:)
3. Take a walk
4. Flush your head with ice cold water :)

i don't have them. nothing is worth gettin worked up over buddy. :)

you wanna talk? i'll nurtur you like a yearling.

:)

no seriously. melatonin and chamomile tea.

don't plan on doing anything its like natural zanax.

Why do so many webmasters have them??? There is a message!

In front of a monitor to long? Not enough exercise? Drugs? Too much alcohol? Mentally unstable to begin with?

it always helps me.. a clean house is a clean mind. Dare hubby to try to interupt my cleaning when I am like this he gets a vacuum stuck up his ass :1orglaugh

Many times I don't know what the reason is. Yes, I've brought this up to my doctor.

i take my anger out on GFY idiots.

Start with season 1 of the Sopranos ;)

It's not caused by anger for me. Worth considering? :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

I kick puppies and kittens.

On a serious note I drink a lot of water, control my breathing, and tell myself it should be over soon. (max time for a full blown attack is less then 30 minutes. After 30 minutes your body gets to tired to stay in that state).

get laid.

I don't get them, but I had a girl friend that used to freak out like a crack ho when she had them.. Wasn't a pretty picture..

xanax, valium

I think I have those all the time. I hear people saying they're having them, but really have no clue what they are talking about. How do you know when you're having one. I get all irritable & freaked out all the time. :1orglaugh
Is that what I am having? Anxiety. :1orglaugh Shit, & all this time I thought I was just going fucking crazy.

I've had them since before I was a webmaster, unfortunately.

I usually like to get to a quiet place by myself and try to relax. I don't want to be around anyone when I am having a panic attack.

once having an attack there is no way to completly stop it you can feel one coming and you can do things to prevent it to happen, but in the heat of the moment were stress hits you all at once thats it, nothing you can do till your body gets all out

http://www.benzo.org.uk/images/xax.jpg
hotlink

http://home.nyc.rr.com/xtc/occash.gif


emonk, your sig is crazy!! :upsidedow :1orglaugh :)

Start taking deep breaths and start counting always seems to work for me

I throw on a level-1 nicotine patch,
and everything else around me just calms down.

Except the heart rate. But that's just from the nicotine.

Or the leftovers of everything that's still around me.

I'm not quite sure yet, but that patch keeps me from going postal when the urge hits.

;)

Pop one of my Toprol's

paxil go see a doctor

klonopin.
works like a charm!

duke

If you're getting them regularly try a natural remedy such as st. johns wort... it eases anxiety/panic attacks...

get a gin + tonic stat.

I dont know about anyone else... but I think alot of webmasters out there, suffer from "adult webmaster anxiety syndrome"

Its caused from lack of sleep, lack of body movement, stress from shit not going right when you want it to, lack of sunlight, 2257, aciacia, anti porn activists... and if you like to drink and drug on top of all that, multiply it all by 100.

try breathing less than more. you are most likely hyperventilating. hold your breath and dont breath deeply and it will pass.

Any techniques you use short of drugs take tons of discipline. You have to know and realize that you will be ok and things aren't as bad as they seem at the time. It's a hard thing to accept while you are being completely irrational in your fears or general anxiety.

Work to consciously slow my breathing down and mentally stop myself from doing or thinking about what is making me anxious.

Weird that so many webmasters have anxiety and/or depression

steal candy from children
works every time

When you start sweating and your heart is pounding out of your chest and you think you are dying..........you are having a panic attack.

When it hits you around 3 a.m., and it's too late to call a friend or your doctor, then you pray and hope you survive. See your doctor immediately. Most doctors don't want to give you pills. But taking a xanax or ativan when you feel an attack coming will mentally calm you down and physically kick in and allow your body to go back to *normal*...whatever that is in about 15 minutes.

I'll lie down listen to music and take a nap.

You pussy!! If you are having a *panic attack*, there is no way you are going to calm down enough to sleep. We can sure tell you don't have the problem. It is no laughing matter. Different solutions work for different people. Watch the movie, "Something's Gotta Give" with Jack Nicolsen. He has a heart attack and then he has some panic attacks and he thinks he is having another heart attack. It is scary.

Xanax is the best solution I have found for acute attack management - that is unless you want to spend months/years in cognitive behavioral therapy which isn?t a bad option if you have good health care.

Other things that help are knowing the following:

It is impossible to faint if you are laying flat on the ground or with your legs elevated above your head. So if you feel like you are going to pass out (common panic symptom) lay down and elevate your legs.

There are Millions of people around the world who suffer from the same thing. You can find a whole lot of them online any hour of the day and just connecting with others helps a lot.

It WILL pass. I know in the heat of the massive surge of panic that doesn?t seem the case, however knowing that will help. Also if you need a "safe way out" keep a cell phone in your hand. If you DO need it - know that it is there and the medics are only a call away.

Cold water works miracles. I don?t know why or how, but cold water on the head or face, or even slamming an ice cold glass of water seems to distract your body from whatever physical symptoms you are focusing on to another area of focus.

Breathing exercises are helpful, as many people mentioned, however without proper training often they aren?t very useful. Best advice with breathing (if you feel you are choking) is to try to slow everything down and focus only on the breathing alone. If you feel your throat is closing drink some ice cold water and you will realize that your throat is just fine - if it can swallow it can breathe. NOTE: Often many of the feelings are caused by a REAL affect of panic which is hyperventilation. Realize however that this is NOT fatal, and if you lie down flat and put your feet up there is no way it can harm you.

Time is also on your side. Panic attacks are awful however they will pass and if you can find a way to simply distract yourself... TV, GFY, Cleaning, fleshlight (Thanks Juicy). Basically anything that can shift your focus away from the panic - even slightly can assist until the feelings subside.

Finally and IMO most importantly talk to someone you trust during the attack. Describe your symptoms (that helps diffuse their power) and keep them on the phone or in you presence for as long as you are suffering the effects. This helps tremendously as if you are really going to die, they will be there to assist but most realistically they will help distract you, calm you and diffuse the power of the attack until it passes.

Also it sounds like you are beating yourself up about the condition - that is almost as useful as yelling at your body because you have cancer. Anxiety disorder is a BIOLOGICAL condition. There is nothing you did to cause it and nothing you can do to cure it. That said understand that it?s NOT fatal nor is it untreatable. Contact a good healthcare provider well versed in the disorder and begin a feasible pathway to coping. You will never be rid of it - however you can and will be able to live with it.

Sorry for the ramble. I have dealt with this shit for years so I wanted to pass on what I have learned. :2 cents:

Good Luck!