What are some calming techniques for anxiety and panic attacks?

Question

I have panic attacks and i couldn't find any calming methods do you'll know any

Answer 1

breathe in through your nose hold a few seconds and release through your mouth

Answer 2

http://incestabuse.about.com/cs/healing/a/panicattack.htm
Practice this technique before you have another panic attack.
•Find an object within your reach. It can be anything from a quilt on your bed to your cat sitting in the sunshine to a picture hanging on the wall.
•Take hold of the object and look at it closely.
•Now describe the object, out loud, in tiny detail, to an imaginary person who can't see it.
Since your imaginary audience can't see the object you're describing, you can't just say, "It's mostly blue." You have to say, "It's a square with a deep blue stripe across the top that covers about one-tenth of the square. The blue is a dark, rich, thick color that feels like a really hot summer day. Tiny white and yellow flowers are scattered evenly across the blue fabric.
The paler blue pieces of fabric have a coarse texture and a faint checked pattern."
Notice the detail in the description. You have to describe proportion, color, contrast, pattern, and texture. These tasks require concentration; you have to engage several different parts of your mind to be able to observe, measure, translate, compare and explain. Essentially, you are converting a visual image (the quilt) to an audio image (describing it in words to someone who can't see). It's very difficult to do these things and have a panic attack at the same time! By pulling many parts of your mind into the task, you regain control. Keep describing the object until you feel that you are firmly back in control and the panic is thoroughly banished.
Think about which of your five senses is most acute. If visual imaging is not your strong point, practice concentrating on any of your five senses and converting it to another sense through words.
Have you ever tried to describe an aroma to someone with no sense of smell? A smell is very complex and subtle. Translating a smell into words is difficult. You can describe textures ("The strong spices in the gravy make it a rough smell, like coarse sandpaper"), colors ("The gravy is thick and rich, almost a deep brown"), even sounds ("The gravy's smell is deep, round and soft, like a french horn in an orchestra.").
Using this technique takes practice. You'll need to call upon all your strength the first few times you translate external cues. It may help to have someone coach you through the description, prompting you with questions. ("OK, the gravy smells brown. What else?" Or: "The gravy is bubbling in the pan. What do the popping bubbles sound like?")
Sometimes you don't have the luxury of having a friend nearby to coach you. If you can't muster the strength to concentrate on an object, don't give up and decide that this trick won't work for you. The longer the panic attack lasts, the more unpleasant it becomes. Try the trick again. If you can't do it, practice some deep breathing techniques and try it again in a minute or so.
As you get better with time and practice, you will notice an unexpected bonus. Your ability to control your panic attacks will give you a boost in confidence. The panic attacks were a major force in your life. But now you have them under control and your life has improved. You can conquer other problems too.

Good to know: http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-4-62-658-3701-1,00.html

Good to know: http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-1-65-14-3406-1,00.html

Nice to know: http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-1-65-14-6631-1,00.html

I have an older article from Prevention on stopping panic attacks that gave several breathing exercises . . . you figure out how I can get it to you and I will share.

Answer 3

Try taking deep breathes from the belly area. Place your hands on your lower belly area (around the belly button) and concentrate on filling the lungs so deeply with air that the belly pushes out. Hold fro 2 -4 counts and slowly exhale. Do this several times. If you can sit or stand in quiet, dark spot while doing this it might be easier. Maybe turn on some soft calming music. When you feel like you have slowed your breathe, sit quietly for a few minutes and then make some warm tea and sit and quietly sip it.

If you can find a warm water pool nearby see if they have anyone who teaches Yoga or Ai Chi in the water. If not, see if you can find someone who teaches Yoga or Tai Chi on land. These type of classes teach one how to calm the body and mind.

Good luck.....namaste' (which means: let the light in me honor the light in you)

Answer 4

I used to have panic attacks all the time. I never found anything to make them stop completely until I started taking the medication Paxil. You may want to look into getting on anti-depressants.
If that's not the route for you, try deep breathing and visual exercises. One thing that used to help me a little would be to breath in for 5 seconds, hold my breath for 5 seconds, and breath out through my mouth for 5 seconds. I learned this technique in a yoga class, it was what would we do before each class to get us relaxed and centered and ready for yoga.

Answer 5

anxiety and panic attacks are underlying symptoms of depression. I suffered needlessly for years until I started on Paxil and it really changed by life.I was scared of large crowds,had attacks when driving,feelings of detachment from body and impending doom.If you don't want to take medication you can go to a specialist and try cognitive therapy.Xanax also helps with anxiety and panic attacks,however,tranquilizers can be addicting.

Answer 6

For me, it helps to find some part of my body that doesn`t feel so panicked. My feet/footsoles usually works. Then I focus on them and gradually finds other parts that are calmer. Takes some training. The first times, this was all I could do. Now I can use that grounding to explore the panic without escalating it. And it usually stop fairly quick. Actually, lately I`ve been able to stop it before I panic `cause I recognize it before it "blows".

Answer 7

An ex-boyfriend of mine used to have terrible ones and the only thing that worked for him was biofeedback and he used this square that looked like it was made out of a square of what the old "mood" rings, which change colors according to your skin temperature to show your "mood". When he felt an attack coming on, he would pull out the square, do breathing techniques and try to get the square to go to a blue color.

Below is a link which explains more about the whole concept.

Good luck!

Answer 8

I find that focusing on my breathing helps - when I'm panicking, I know I'm taking more shallow breaths, so I try to breath more slowly and deeper. I also try to think myself out of the situation of the moment, to focus on something happy or that I like to do - when I've felt good.

Answer 9

>> Whiskey
>> Head in the oven
>> Plastic bag filled with gold metallic paint
>> Bottle of model plane glue
>> Handful of pills from the Mexicans around the corner