“Worry”. The word itself is worrisome for some.
We often tell our loved ones – not to worry. But to eliminate the same is difficult or rather impossible task for most of us. According to one recent study, people spend about 5 years of their life worrying. In scientific term, to get worried or anxious is a natural human emotion. It is a way of brain to prepare us for potential dangers and to protect us from unknown risk. Ultimately this reduces mental stress. Through anxiety brain makes a quick decision in the times of crisis.
Looking at this, being anxious seems to be normal and beneficial emotion. But what if, one is constantly worried or anxious? What if every situation or social/work settings seem threatening? It will interfere in daily life. If this condition deteriorates further, it can lead to anxiety or panic attacks.
Anxiety and panic attacks are type of conditions in which excessive worry affects the body. Feeling nervous, tensed or restless, excessive sweating, difficulty in breathing, shortness of breath or breathing rapidly, increased heart rate, tightness in chest, feeling tired/worn out, dizziness or blackout etc are few symptoms of anxiety or panic attacks.
Let’s talk what can be done during anxiety/panic attacks:
- During anxiety/panic attacks, one is unable to think straight. It becomes difficult to stop bombarding of fearful thoughts and during this time, it is utmost important to divert brain from such thoughts. To distract mind, do activities that involve hand or body movements such as taking a walk in the garden, bathing, drawing/coloring, knitting etc. Writing down fears on the paper and tearing it apart also helps in reducing fearful thoughts. Drinking chamomile tea helps in calming down mind. There’s some evidence that chamomile tea might reduce anxiety.
- Breathing exercises are helpful to reduce increased heart rate. Try to breathe slowly and deeply for 10 minutes. If mind is unable to focus on breathing exercises, try musical instruments played from mouth eg. flute, mouth organ etc. or even a simple trick like blowing a balloon helps as it forces you to breathe in normal way which ultimately reduces anxiety.
- Visualization technique: Imagine your fear as an ice cube. Imagine you are holding it in your hand and it is slowly melting away reducing your fear. Such visualization gives our subconscious mind a strong message that stress/fear is melting away which ultimately reduces anxiety. According to Neil Shah of the Stress Management Society in UK, “our subconscious mind is very literal, so this sends a powerful message to it that you are dumping your stress.”
- Consume food rich in Vitamin-B and Omega-3. Walnuts, fish, flaxseeds, brown rice, barley, sprouts, lentils, beans, sunflower seeds, almond, green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits (orange, lemon), banana, avocado etc. are rich sources of Vitamin-B and Omega-3.
- Essential oils especially with citrus aromas: breathing aromas by diffusing essential oil can help in reducing stress. In a study at James Cancer Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, US, researchers diffused essential oils in the central nurses station and reported significant improvement in stress, fatigue and burnout issues, particularly when spritzed with grapefruit. Lemon balm, orange, lavender, jasmine, rose, chamomile, peppermint etc can be used as well.
It is most important to get it checked and take proper medication by an expert doctor if one is struggling from anxiety or panic attacks frequently.