I would just like to share my preferred method of how to overcome an anxiety attack. Firstly, I am not going to reinvent the wheel, I am going to give you my best recommendation of how to best overcome an anxiety attack, which I have used on many occasions and I have advised many of my clients to use.
In order to overcome a problem, you have to understand what the problem is (anxiety is only a label. You need to identify how you define it, because it is different for everyone). As previously stated in my blogs, anxiety is fear of the future. However, an anxiety attack is an overwhelming and sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or obvious cause.
We know that an anxiety attack cannot kill you and we understand that there is no physical aggressor. So what should we focus on? Well, it is simple; focus all of your attention on your mind. You know what trauma you have experienced and you know what is most probably causing these attacks.
So… what else do we know?
1) Something is scary
2) You feel vulnerable
3) You’re having a panic attack
4) A panic attack cannot kill you
5) There is no-one actually going to hurt you
6) You are still in control
What do we do?
It is easy but so hard to do (yeah that’s an oxymoron). Well, you know when an attack is coming and you know when it is subsiding. Correct?
Take control, you cannot overcome the attack so ride it out (surf the wave, dude) it sounds difficult or even impossible, but hear me out. It can be easy to take control. When you feel one coming go and grab your phone (or note pad and pen) note the date, time and your thought process up to the attack (this may seem unrelated but you might be surprised), write down your heart rate, and try and identify the highest peak, and see how long it lasts until it has subsided, once it has subsided write the time again.
Once you start to anticipate the attack you can start to take control, physically by monitoring and recording it. However, cognitively go on the attack, think of how it is nothing more than an inconvenience to you right now and once it has gone you will be able to go on about your day.
By doing this method you will literally start to master your mind and at the very least it gives you a distraction from the anxiety attack.
Just stay calm and carry on (I make no apology for the puns).