This post is going to seem like a stark contrast from my normal happy and excited travel posts, but in between trip series I had a few other things I wanted to talk about – and this is one of them. And I’m just as excited to write this post as I have been my travel posts, honestly. And on a stressful day like the day after the election…it seems like appropriate timing.
It’s been about 3 months since I first shared some of the details about the personal challenges I’ve faced with mental health. I want to keep talking about mental health on my blog because it’s obviously very relevant to my life, and I think it’s important to keep that conversation going. And Lady Gaga’s recent op-ed about mental health inspired me to keep talking about it, so we’re talking about it. And today I have a very specific topic I wanted to talk about – anxiety & panic attacks.
If you’ve never had a panic attack, they may not seem like a big deal. If you have, you probably know that they’re very scary, and it can take a long time to feel “normal” again. The best way I’ve seen someone describe a panic attack is comparing it to that scary feeling where you accidentally lean back in a chair too far, and your heart beats fast and you lose your breath for a second, but then you realize it’s fine and go back to normal. Having a panic attack is that scary feeling, but it happens out of nowhere, for no reason, and doesn’t stop for 10 minutes straight. And then you end up getting anxious about the next time it could happen, which just makes everything worse.
Attacks can be brought on for a variety of reasons, but the really scary thing is that they can also appear seemingly for no reason at all, just out of nowhere. When it happens to me, I usually take about a half hour to fully calm down, maybe longer if it was particularly bad.
I wanted to write this post to share some of the ways that I deal with panic attacks. I also asked a few of my friends who deal with them what kinds of things they do to help get through it. It seems we have some similar coping mechanisms and I wanted to make myself a little list, and maybe get some feedback from others who might read this as well!
Deep Breathing
This seems so obvious, but the most straightforward and simple way to get myself to calm down is to focus on my breathing. My therapist explained that when we’re anxious we tend to take more shallow breaths from the chest, and to calm down it helps to take deeper breaths from the stomach. When I’m trying to calm myself I also find it helpful to count my breaths out loud to myself, starting by counting to 5, then 10, and so on. By the time I have counted to 20 I usually am breathing more normally. This also helps when I’m not in the midst of an attack – just feeling everyday anxiety – and need to calm myself down a little bit.
Cool Off
Whenever I get anxious, I start to feel really warm, and that only gets worse during an attack. Once it’s over and I’ve gotten my breathing closer to normal, I usually try to do a sheet mask. It’s so cooling and soothing when my face is all hot and full of panicky tears – it seriously helps me so much. I really like cooling or hydrating masks especially. Here are a few of my favs: Benton Snail Bee Masks // Sephora Lotus Mask // Boscia Hydrating Mask
I also actually just bought this super cute glitter eye mask that you can put in the fridge for that same cooling effect. It was a post-election night stress purchase…very timely I guess!
Some more cooling off tips from my friends – one said she likes to lay down on the cold tile floor of her kitchen or bathroom to help cool off. Another said she tries to take a shower if possible once it’s all over. Showering helps in a similar way to my sheet mask method – it just makes you feel so refreshed and just much better after the ordeal.
Stay Hydrated (and feed yourself!)
When I have a panic attack it usually involves a lot of crying, so it helps to rehydrate by drinking water. My therapist suggested this as another coping mechanism for everyday anxieties and I find it helps a lot, especially on bad days. One of the first things I do once I’ve calmed down is drink a full glass of water. One of my friends also pointed out that she feels her attacks are worse when she hasn’t eaten a lot that day, so she tries to eat a meal afterward to get some strength back. It can be difficult to eat right after it happens but it really does help.
Listen to Soothing Music
When I’m recovering from a panic attack, something that helps bring me “back to reality” is to listen to some simple, calming music. The best things are quiet, with simple rhythms and even spoken word is sometimes nice. My friend suggested “Three Worlds: Music from Woolf Works” and it really checks all the boxes. I found it really soothing the last time I needed it.
Remember – it will be over soon!
More important than all of these strategies is to just try and remind yourself that it will be over soon. It’s really scary and not fun at all, but for me at least – the actual attack part of it doesn’t last very long. I’ve read that it helps to stay in the same place until the attack is finished, to prevent bringing in any more stressors, which I find to be true. If possible for me it also helps to have someone with me rather than separate myself by going to a different room or something. Even if it’s just Teddy with me, he usually will sit by me and let me pet his fluffy fur until I feel better. I swear he knows when something isn’t right with his mom!
There’s obviously no foolproof way to stop an attack from happening, but those are a few of the strategies I’ve found that help me to calm down during and after one occurs. Thankfully they don’t happen super frequently for me, but they do show up often enough that I kind of know what to expect at this point. Some other resources I found helpful or interesting: Overcoming Panic Attacks // 11 Ways to Stop a Panic Attack
If you’ve ever had a panic attack, what are some of the things you do for yourself during and after? I think most people probably have the same or similar strategies but it’s always interesting to hear how people cope differently. I hope that you found this post helpful or at least interesting, whether you deal with similar issues or not. Like I said in the beginning of this post, I see mental health as something really important to be open about and I like to be able to do that on my blog 😊 Thank you as always for reading and continuing to read my posts, even if they’re not always the happy travel content that I usually have! 💗
xo,
