Anxiety Attack Damage Control...

A Daily Regimen to help you manage, when anxiety attacks.

A Brief Anxiety Story
 
  Last Sunday night, I got into the car and turned the key.  The engine cranked, but wouldn’t get ignition.  Instantly, I felt that all-too-familiar feeling of anxiety rush through my pectorals, up into my shoulders, and down my upper-arms.  My abdomen got tight, and I felt a pit in my Solar-Plexus.
Turn the key a second time, and this time, press the gas-pedal all the way to the floor.  Engine cranks.  No ignition.  A third time.  No go.  And each failed attempt only increases the feelings of anxiety in the body.

  Now, I have two cars for just such an occasion.  I took my immediate belongings out of the broken-down car, got into my back-up car and continued on my journey.  At the time, I was listening to an audio-book in the car, on Mindfulness, of all things.  After five minutes of driving, I realized that I hadn’t heard a single word that had been said.

  I dearly wanted to listen to the audio book.  I desperately wanted to be mindful, present, feeling okay, feeling at ease in that present moment.  But the truth was, I wasn’t feeling any of that.  The truth was, I was thinking about my car.  And car problems cost money, so I was thinking about how car repairs would affect my bank account balance.  I turned off the audio-book and continued to my destination, in that all-too-familiar, escalating, anxiety-driven haze.

  The following morning, I woke as I frequently do.  When my comfort zone has been affected by something outside of my control, when something or someone I love and am emotionally attached to is threatened, I feel fear.  Anxiety.  Tension.  Dread.  Overwhelm.
 
  If you’re a linear-thinker like me, you enjoy lists.  Lists take the uncertainly of life’s circumstances and makes them more manageable.  If you’re also like me, when you find yourself in an Anxiety State, it becomes difficult to think clearly.  Even the simplest tasks can seem overwhelming.
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  Waking up in an immediate and intrusive Anxiety State on Monday morning, in that moment what I wanted was a list.  I wanted a check-list to go down, one by one, to get me through this situation that had triggered an unmanageable state of anxiety.  I’ve had a number of daily self-care rituals over the years, but ironically, I never wrote them down, even though that’s exactly what I needed in that moment.  What better time to craft one?
 
 
  What follows is a Beginner’s Guide to Coping with an Anxiety State.  My intention is to keep things in very simple, bite sized pieces.  In later Blog Posts, I’ll discuss preventative measures, and therapeutic interventions.  The intention to this Blog Post is Immediate Damage Control.
 
 
What is Anxiety?
 
  Here’s a simple description of the anxiety reaction:  Anxiety is what you feel when the Survival Mechanism of “Fight, flight or freeze” is activated, whether there’s a legitimate threat or not.  It’s an entirely healthy, natural survival mechanism, devoted to the safety & protection of the organism.  The feeling of Anxiety is involuntary and it is compulsory; it is an unconscious reaction to a perceived threat.  Anxiety becomes a problem when the reaction is out of proportion to the perceived threat.
 
 
  What follows is the Daily Regimen List.  Start with the first task.  Do the best you can with it.  Then move on to the next one.  Remember: You don’t need to do anything perfectly.  Do what you can.  Let go of what you can’t.  Move on to the next one.
 
 
Beginning your day
 

• Get out of Bed.
  • Seems simple, right?  Your Anxiety State & the circumstances of your life probably will not change for the better by staying in bed.
  • Get up.  Check in with yourself.  Activate the Analytical Part of your Mind by asking yourself, “On a scale of 1 – 10, what is my Anxiety Level?”  Make a note of it.  Let it go.  Move on.

 

• Go to the bathroom.
  • Simple & basic.  Leave your bedroom.  Go to the bathroom.  Do your business.
  • Check in with yourself again.  On a scale of 1 – 10, what is your Anxiety Level.  Is it higher or lower since you used the toilet?  Make a note of it.

 

• Make the bed (If you were the last one sleeping in it.)
  • Neuro-Linguistic Programming (N.L.P.) teaches us to model the beliefs, values, attitudes, thoughts, and feelings of where we want to be.
  • Anxiety is a chaotic state.  Begin modeling a state of order by making your bed.
  • Check in with yourself again.  On a scale of 1 – 10, what is your Anxiety Level.  Is it higher or lower since you made the bed?  Make a note of it.

 

• Read a page from a Daily Meditation Book, or some other source of insight and inspiration.
  • When in an Anxiety State, your thoughts & feelings become a feedback loop.  Thoughts trigger emotions that reinforce the thoughts and on and on.  Reading something simple, and uplifting or inspirational breaks the loop, allowing different thoughts and feelings to emerge.  You are now moving into a more resourceful state.
  • Check in with yourself again.  On a scale of 1 – 10, what is your Anxiety Level.  Is it higher or lower since you read?  Make a note of it.

 

• Practice Meditation or Mindfulness
  • This needn’t take more than a few minutes.
  • Without looking at or moving them, how do you know your hands are there?  Bring the focus of your attention into your hands & fingers.  The feeling awareness of your body is called, “Somatic Mindfulness.”
  • Run the focus of your awareness through your hands and fingers, up through your arms and shoulders.  Bring your awareness to your feet & toes.  Run your awareness through your legs, up into your hips, to your waist.  Become aware of your abdomen & chest.  Notice the rising & falling of your breathing.  Become aware of and breath into your whole body.  Hold your attention there for as long as you can.
  • If after a time your mind wanders, this is normal.  Let it go.  Move on to the next one.  You can come back to this exercise later, and you will become more proficient as time goes on.
  • Check in with yourself again.  On a scale of 1 – 10, what is your Anxiety Level.  Is it higher or lower since you read?  Make a note of it.

 

• Reflect on your previous day’s "Gratitude List."
  • Don’t have a Gratitude List from yesterday?  That’s okay.  List 3 things you are grateful for right now.  Keep it simple, but be authentic.
  • Why is gratitude important?  We’re working your way out of an Anxiety State, into more resourceful states.  Gratitude is more resourceful than Anxiety.
  • Check in with yourself again.  On a scale of 1 – 10, what is your Anxiety Level.  Is it higher or lower since you reviewed your Gratitude List?  Make a note of it.

 

• Reflect on your previous day’s "To-Done List."
  • What’s a “To-Done List”?  It’s a list of your accomplishments from the day before.  List at least 3 things you did yesterday.  They could be as simple as “Took out the trash.”  “Made that phone call.”  “Bought groceries.”
  • Again, we’re working your way out of an Anxiety State, into more resourceful states.  Feeling any level of accomplishment is more resourceful than Anxiety.
  • Check in with yourself again.  On a scale of 1 – 10, what is your Anxiety Level.  Is it higher or lower since you reviewed your To-Done List?  Make a note of it.

 

• Examine your "To-Do List."
  • I like to call it an “Options List.”  These are things that I could do today, if need be.  They can be big things or little things.  The important thing is to make a list.
  • Writing things down inherently causes a Dissociative State.  By writing down the tasks that lay before us, we are literally beginning to disassociate out of a Problem State, making us more available to go into resource states.
  • At this point, you don’t need to DO anything on your To-Do List.
  • Check in with yourself again.  On a scale of 1 – 10, what is your Anxiety Level.  Is it higher or lower since you reviewed your To-Do List?  Make a note of it.

 

• Call someone.
  • Call a safe family member, friend, or support person and tell them what is happening to you.
  • Be specific.  “This is what is happening to me...”  “This is what I’m feeling about what’s happening to me...”
  • Tell them what you need from them.  Be specific.  “I don’t need you to ‘fix’ me or my problems; I just need to know that I’m not alone.”  Or, “Remind me that I’m going to be ‘okay,’ because I’m having trouble finding that for myself right now.”
  • An Anxiety State is a closed loop.  Talking to someone else helps break us out of the loop to see things from a different perspective.
  • Your safe person can help you move from an Anxiety State into more resourceful states.
  • Check in with yourself again.  On a scale of 1 – 10, what is your Anxiety Level.  Is it higher or lower since you called a support person?  Make a note of it.

 

• Eat food.
  • Another simple, but important factor.
  • In an Anxiety State, loss of appetite is normal.  Feelings of hunger can become nothing more than background noise. 
  • Eating a meal is important.  Low blood-sugar can exacerbate feelings of Anxiety.  Eat something.
  • Check in with yourself again.  On a scale of 1 – 10, what is your Anxiety Level.  Is it higher or lower since you ate food?  Make a note of it.

 

• Drink Water
  • If your body is 80% water, then hydration improves ALL biological function.
  • Check in with yourself again.  On a scale of 1 – 10, what is your Anxiety Level.  Is it higher or lower since you drank water?  Make a note of it.

 

• Take Supplements
  • Vitamin B6 & Iron have proven effective in reducing symptoms in those who suffer from Anxiety and Panic Attacks.
  • St. John’s Wort has also proven effective in helping those who experience Mood Disorders.
  • Check in with yourself again.  On a scale of 1 – 10, what is your Anxiety Level.  Is it higher or lower since you took supplements?  Make a note of it.

 

• Exercise
  • Even a simple 10-minute walk has proven effective in reducing a person’s Anxiety State.
  • Leave your house.  Set a timer.  Walk for 5 minutes.  Turn around.  Come back to your starting point.  Tomorrow, set a timer for 6 minutes.
  • After you’re done, add “Went for a walk.” To your “To-Done List.”
  • (Always consult with your Physician before beginning any exercise program.)
  • Check in with yourself again.  On a scale of 1 – 10, what is your Anxiety Level.  Is it higher or lower since you exercised?  Make a note of it.

 

• Hygiene
  • These are very basic items, but are effective in helping you move into more resourceful states.  Do you feel more capable before, or after you’ve taken a shower or bath?
    • Floss
    • Brush
    • Shave your face (if appropriate)
    • Shower
  • Check in with yourself again.  On a scale of 1 – 10, what is your Anxiety Level.  Is it higher or lower since you attended to your hygiene needs?  Make a note of it.

 

• Clean something.
  • Take ownership of your physical space.  Look around.  See one thing that needs to be cleaned.  It could be a sink, a countertop, or a stack of dishes.
  • Choose one thing in your physical space that needs to be tidied, and do that.
  • Once completed, add it to your “To-Done List.”
  • Check in with yourself again.  On a scale of 1 – 10, what is your Anxiety Level.  Is it higher or lower since you cleaned something?  Make a note of it.

• Take Action
  • Now that you’ve done all the self-care prep-work, look at your To-Do List.  Select 1 thing that you are willing to do, right now.  And go do that.
  • Commit to take action on one thing, and that one thing only.  Don’t go back to your To-Do List until you’ve addressed this one thing.
  • After you’ve attended to that one thing, add it to your "To-Done List."  It will come in handy tomorrow.
  • Assess the results of your action.  Has it brought you closer to your goal, or more of the same?
  • Throughout the day, do what you are willing to, from your "To-Do List."  It may seem small, but it is something.  Do what you are willing to do, then do what you CAN do.  And if you can’t, that’s okay.  At the end of the day, no matter what you have or have not accomplished, you have done enough.
  • At the end of my day, I verbally tell myself that, “I have done enough for one day.”

 

• Review your day
  • As your day comes to a close, reflect on what you HAVE achieved.  Notice when your Anxiety Level rose or fell (on a scale of 1 – 10).  Become aware of which activities helped you feel more capable and resourceful, and which ones didn’t.
  • Identify 3 things that you can authentically feel grateful for, and add them to your Gratitude List.  That will come in handy as you do this exercise again tomorrow.
  • This is a Daily Regimen, intended to help you move out of Anxiety States and into states that are more capable & resourceful.  In Therapeutic circles, this is called “Agency.”
  • None of this is a ‘cure’ for Anxiety, but rather adjusting your trajectory, to move you out of an undesired state, into more resourceful, desired states.

 
This is what I do every day, whether I'm in an Anxiety State, or not.  If what you’ve read helps you in any way, please “Like,” “Favorite,” “Follow,” and “Subscribe.”

I'd love to hear from you.  What do you do daily, to help move you out of Undesired States, and into Resource States?

If you remember nothing else from this Post, remember this:

Self-Care is ALWAYS Priority #1.
 
~ Daniel W. Finney, CHt