Four Methods To Control Panic Attacks And Calm The Mind
Tricks I’ve learned to keep them at bay — with the help of my therapy dog
My first experience occurred just months after my son died in a vehicle accident. I had been lying in bed with my then-husband watching Netflix after a fairly normal and uneventful day. While watching the movie, a certain action scene triggered my contemplation into what a person experiences when they die. My mind then continued its descent into darkness as I began to think of my son, and ultimately…my own death.
I lost complete control of my thoughts as my heart started to beat fast and heavily in my chest. I got out of bed and stood up, staring at my husband.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Although I heard him, I was unable to answer. I had a horrible sense of dread and felt as though I was being pulled down a dark hole — into myself — as tunnels vision set in. I felt like I was about to lose consciousness.
“I’m dying,” I replied. “Call 911.”
Panic attacks differ from anxiety in that they are acute bouts of intense fear causing physical and psychological symptoms, and for a short period, you are unable to function normally. An article in Psychology Today states:
“The level of fear experienced is unrealistic and out of proportion to the events or circumstances that trigger the panic attack.”
I have to admit, I was a non-believer for most of my life. I had heard of others having them, but I would dismiss those who suffered from panic attacks as being overly dramatic attention-seekers with very little mental fortitude.
Until it happened to me.
That experience was an eye-opener. I hadn’t been watching anything traumatic when the attack occurred; I was actually quite content and calm at that moment. It hit me like a freight train without warning, and I was surprised at how quickly it took control of my body.
I’ve had only a few attacks since then in the last four years, and they’ve never been as bad as that first. I’ve learned to recognize the symptoms and apply certain techniques to calm my mind before they get too far out of my control.
Distractions
The best way to stop a panic attack is through distraction. During that first attack when I told my husband to call 911, he didn’t. As I struggled to maintain consciousness through my tunnel vision, I was confused as to why he wasn’t picking up his phone to save my life. Instead, he handed me Braxton — our schnauzer-terrier mix.
My first thought was maybe his own panic in the situation was causing him to act irrationally. Why else would he be handing me a dog while I’m dying?
Almost immediately, as Braxton began to sniff my nose and I instinctively began to pet him, I was pulled back into the present. My tunnel vision was released and my mind started to calm.
Ever since that first episode, Braxton has befittingly been known as Dr. B — my therapy dog.
Temma Ehrenfeld offers advice on how to calm a panic attack stemming from your thoughts rather than external stimuli — which are most of mine. Focus outwards and look for four things you can see, three things you can touch, two you can smell, and one you can taste.
Taking slow, deep breaths works as both a distraction and in preventing the rapid breathing that can result in hyperventilation. The suggested method is breathing in for a count of five, holding for five, and exhaling for five.
I’ve used these methods of distraction multiple times and it has managed to nip my attacks in the bud.
Reduce Caffeine
I take a lot of trips back and forth between my current residence in South Florida and my family in Georgia. The long 10-hour drives require quite a bit of caffeine to make in one day. Since coffee makes me pee, thereby increasing the need for more stops, I typically grab two 5-hours energy shots for the road.
During my drive just last month, I had to pull over onto the side of the road twice. The second time resulted in an ambulance ride to the hospital. My heart had been racing and I was having some shortness of breath. Then the dizziness set in. Having been a CT tech (cat scan), I was concerned about the possibility of a pulmonary embolism from my travels. The hospital staff ran blood tests and took x-rays, and found…nothing.
When the doctor came in and gave me the results, we were both a bit dumbfounded.
“How much caffeine did you have today?” he asked.
The mutual A-ha moment happened as I verbally recalled my morning. I had a hard time staying awake this trip so, after realizing that the first 5-hour shot wasn’t working after three hours, I stopped for coffee. When the coffee didn’t help, thirty minutes later, I took the other shot. I had taken TWO 5-hours energy shots and a cup of coffee within 6 hours.
I’m still waiting on that bill to see how much my caffeine overload is going to cost me.
Nonetheless, no more 5-hour shots for me, and only two caffeine beverages per day.
Make Lists
I can’t stress this one enough. I’m amazed at the number of people I know who just refuse to organize their mental to-do lists onto paper. With four to six kids (depending on whether or not I was in between marriages and step-children), I learned very quickly that the only way I was going to keep up with all activities, events, birthday parties, and holiday planning, was to write down the jumbled mess of thoughts residing in my mind.
I believe creatives need it the most. We find inspiration at every corner, and our minds simply cannot contain all the ideas that infiltrate our subconscious and push their way into the empty spaces of our already cluttered mind. If we cannot release some of this information and energy onto paper and make room for more, we are sure to short-circuit.
According to Carrie Barron, MD, making lists allows us to organize our thoughts and contain a sense of inner chaos. This can allow us to feel our loads are more manageable, and our minds much calmer.
Plan When To Worry
This one sounds a bit counterintuitive and goes against most of what I’ve written about spontaneity, but it has been the biggest help in my journey to living in the moment. It allows you to schedule free time for your mind to actually enjoy life.
As my kids grew up and needed me less, I had less need to plan. After losing my son four years ago, my perspective shifted and I wanted to focus more on enjoying life and less on trying to control it. My mental organization muscles grew weak.
In July, I went up to Georgia for my youngest daughter’s nineteenth birthday and to help her move into her new apartment. I had also planned on getting my house ready to put on the market. All of these things needed to take place within a two-week period. I was faced with the task of throwing together a last-minute birthday gathering, unloading the moving truck and taking her furniture-shopping, and cleaning out my bedroom closet.
As I sat in my room thinking of all the things that needed to be done in such a short period of time, I began to feel the onset of a panic attack. Minutes later, after I gained control of my mental faculties, I grabbed a pen and paper and opened my calendar app on my phone. I then decided that during this two-week period I would only focus on my daughter, and would simply put off thinking about the house until I returned the following month.
By scheduling when to focus on the next task, I was able to breathe and enjoy the rest of the trip.
The Takeaway
We don’t need to be prisoners to the anxiety that plagues our overactive minds and busy lives if we learn to manage our thoughts. Remembering these tips when anxiety begins to overwhelm you could mean the difference between productivity and panic:
- When you feel like you’re losing control, find a distraction. Fur-babies are the best.
- Reduce caffeine intake.
- Make lists to organize your thoughts.
- Schedule when to think about a task.
As creatives, our minds are constantly on hyperdrive. We need to learn ways to control and organize our thoughts and ideas differently than a neurotypical person. During the past couple of years, I’ve learned to navigate the waters of anxiety and it has allowed my mind to make room for the moments in life that I otherwise wouldn’t notice due to my busy brain.
It has taken some practice to instinctively remember how to react when anxiety begins to overwhelm me, but I’m well on my way.
I think Dr. B would approve.