Simple Tricks to Reduce Anxiety and Panic Attacks: Mental Health

Anxiety is a feeling where you start questioning your value, your pride, and everything around you. It seems like you are falling into a dark pit and there is no escape. Thinking about the future is not the cause of anxiety, trying to control it is what causes anxiety. We are so much pressurized under our own expectations that we often forget what life means. One small incident happens and we start putting ourselves in unreal situations. Scroll down to discover simple tricks to reduce anxiety and panic attacks. 

There are two levels on which anxiety and panic attacks work. One is the psychological level and the other one is the physical level. There are certain chemicals in the body like serotonin and leptin that are necessary to make you feel happy and at ease. The medications prescribed by the doctors work on the physical level. They increase the release of happy hormones in the body and block the release of stress hormones like cortisol. But, the side-effects of medications are that you get addicted to them and then a day comes when a particular amount of dose does not affect your body and you need to increase the dose. 

Must Read: LEARNING THE ART OF LETTING GO: WAY TO MENTAL PEACE

Fuel for the Body to Deal with Anxiety and Panic Attacks

If you take the right kind of fuel for the body, you do not need any medicines. These are natural medicines with no side-effects. 

• Earth: Eat more and more fruits and leafy vegetables. Keep a track of the kind of food you are eating. 
• Water: Stay away from carbonated drinks and increase your water intake. Drink fresh fruit juices daily
• Sunlight: Sunlight and darkness have a great impact on mood. When you feel the sunshine, serotonin is released in the brain, which boosts the mood of a person and helps him/her to feel calm and focused. 
• Space: Give yourself a vacation. Just relax and let the thoughts flow. If you can’t go somewhere, try to walk for some time in an open space, maybe a terrace or garden. It’s fuel for the body. Do this daily and see how it affects your mood levels. 

List of Simple Tricks to Reduce Anxiety and Panic Attacks

1. Apply the Five Year Theory:

Have you ever questioned yourself what anxiety actually means? It is a feeling when your thoughts are beyond your control. You start imagining situations that are just an illusion, things that will never happen in reality. One of the best tricks to reduce anxiety is asking yourself a simple question i.e. ‘WILL THIS MATTER TO ME IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?’ Repeat to yourself this question and if the answer is NO, then you will be back in the present moment. 

2. 2:1 Breathing Technique

Whenever you feel anxious or stressed, just remember relaxation is only a few breaths away. It ranks the list of simple tricks to reduce anxiety and panic attacks.

• Inhale through the nose
• Exhale through the nose
• Breathe in and breathe out to the count of 4
• Repeat this three times 

Once you consciously establish your breathing pattern, you can change it to prolong exhalation. Through this technique, the parasympathetic nervous system is activated.

• Now breath in at the count of 4 and exhale at the count of 8
• Do this three times

3. Burn it Off:

This is one of the most simple tricks to reduce anxiety and panic attacks. Whenever you feel like your thoughts are choking up your brain, take a paper and pen down your feelings or thoughts that are disturbing you. Write anything you want, be it good or bad, just go with the flow. Once all your negative emotions are on paper, take a matchstick and burn it off. Focus on the burning paper and feel as if all the problems of your life are burning down to ashes. No worries, no fears, feel as if you are free from your negative thoughts and emotions.

4. Follow the 3 by 3 Rule:

Whenever you are feeling anxious and you feel your brain is just uncontrollably running at a speed of 100, just follow this simple trick. It will help you to be back in the present moment by centering your mind. All you need to do is:

• Name three things that are in front of you
• Focus on any three sounds you hear
• Start moving any three parts of your body, maybe fingers, wrist or arm

5. Is it Heart Attack or Just a Panic Attack: Think Twice

Having a panic attack is similar to a heart attack. You start feeling that everything is coming to an end. You are not able to breathe or do anything else. It’s a feeling when everything is just running and you are restless trying to stop something. In such a situation, remind yourself that it is simply a sympathetic nervous system response and everything will be just fine with time. Feel your symptoms and acknowledge so that you can let it go easily. Trying to quiet your thoughts and being aware of the situation is the best way to gain control over your panic attacks.

6. Stand Up Straight Immediately

Whenever you are feeling anxious, stand up straight, pull your shoulders backward, keep your feet wide apart, open your chest in your forward direction. Breathe deeply and count your breaths. This posture helps your body regain its composure and you get control over your mind. If you are in a situation where you cannot stand up, open up your chest, and pull your shoulders backward. What matters is to stop hunching and breathe deeply. 

Final Thoughts

Anxiety is just like sitting on a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but doesn’t take you anywhere. Anxiety is a feeling when you stay awake, just stare a particular thing, and there is an infinite number of questions that keep on crossing the mind. There is an endless debate going with the mind to know the answers to the questions. It’s time to stop running behind things and put yourself at ease. Hope, these simple tricks to reduce anxiety and panic attacks help you to come out of a dark hole i.e. anxiety.