Things that help you avoid or ease your pa... - Anxiety Support

Anxiety Support

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Things that help you avoid or ease your panic.

28 Replies

I thought I would start a thread for people to post what they feel helps them when anxiety strikes.

I will go first with my ( helpers )

Water, being hydrated helps me, two pints a day.

Magnesium, keeps me calm and stops me getting depressed.

YouTube; relaxation / meditation or hypnosis videos.

Multi vitamins, one a day.

At times when I am having a panic attack,

Distraction, even just walking around the room.

Breathing slowly.

Counting to 100 when in a panic attack.

I don't take meds but if you do then that's ok as long as they help.

Feel free to add your helpers etc

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28 Replies
BonnieSue profile image
BonnieSue

Ok, I'm going to jump in with suggestions from lots of people on this site. I hope you don't mind but consider it a compliment if I've put your suggestion in this list:

Some natural remedies and non-drug sources of information are books, videos, and workbooks suggested by other people on this site:

1---"I've found David D. Burns' "Feeling Good" and "When Panic Attacks" to be very helpful."

2---"I am working through the anxiety workbook by Dr David Carbonell and it has helped immensely!!! "

3---TRE (Trauma releasing exercises) is something you can learn in a class but you don't have to talk about your problems and once you have learned the technique you can use it at home.

4---"A good book that I came across recently is "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, 6th Edition" by Edmund J. Bourne, PhD. You might find this book to be of some help to you, although communicating your thoughts and feelings in a group setting is enormously helpful as well. "

5---For anxiety: Claire Weekes audio books on iTunes.

6---Another really good CD and book is the Linden method.

7---Videos on YouTube by THAT ANXIETY GUY helps with anxiety re: depersonalization/ de-realization states.

8---"Go on the psychology today site and look for a therapist that specializes in anxiety."

9---“Have you ever listened to Louise Hay on YouTube? Some of the talks help motivate you and hopefully you will feel a positive energy.”

10---“I called one of these online therapist sites. The therapist was really good. It was prestoexperts dot com. Her name was Lori Burke. Definitely a professional and she got me through this awful depression/anxiety morning.” (There is a charge for this service)

11---For meditation look at:

Tara Brach and Chopra Center

12---theworrygames.com/anxiety-f...

13---The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook

Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance

By: Matthew McKay PhD, Jeffrey Wood PsyD, Jeffrey Brantley MD

A Clear and Effective Approach to Learning DBT Skills

First developed for treating borderline personality disorder, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has proven effective as treatment for a range of other mental health problems, especially for those characterized by overwhelming emotions. Research shows that DBT can improve your ability to handle distress without losing control and acting destructively. In order to make use of these techniques, you need to build skills in four key areas-distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Source: NewHarbingerPublications

Caution for non-Buddhists: Zen Buddhism inspired aspects of DBT, along with behavioral science and dialectical philosophy. Source: GoodTherapy.com.

mysmugcat profile image
mysmugcat in reply to BonnieSue

Wow ty

How long after you started taking the magnesium did you start to notice it helping? I've recently added omega 3 & magnesium to hopefully help anxiety/depression

in reply to

Hi,

I've taken magnesium glycinate for 1 year now. Started at 25mg because it completely floored me, I've never felt so relaxed.

I gradually increased it by 10mg a week till I now take 200mg a day. It's expensive that's why I don't take more.

Results I've felt, less tired, less anxious, less depressed, more hungry, more thirsty and way more sex drive....Lol

I too take omega 3 though it doesn't help half as much as the magnesium !!.

in reply to

Wow! I hop it has the same effect on me. I take magnesium oxide though

in reply to

That won't help you, oxide is the cheapest and the least absorbed by the body.

You need 100 percent chilated magnesium, Albion if you can. It has the highest absorption rate and you will feel the difference, it's just expensive.

in reply to

Yeah it's pretty cheap lol where did you pick yours up?

in reply to

This is what I take but I am in the UK, not sure where you are based

amazon.com/Doctors-Best-Abs...

HopingCat profile image
HopingCat in reply to

What brand do you use? I want to buy some to see if it helps with derealization. I'm desperate

in reply to HopingCat

The one in the link in the above post. Iherb sell it much cheaper.

HopingCat profile image
HopingCat in reply to

Thank You

in reply to HopingCat

If you buy some start on a very low dose, say a quarter a tablet a day. It says take 2 twice a day on the carton, DO NOT do that.

HopingCat profile image
HopingCat in reply to

Like cut the tablet or something? Or just take one a day?

in reply to HopingCat

Snap it in half then bite it in quarter. Don't take a full tablet you may not like it's effect. If you don't just drink a glass of milk, calcium will cancel it out. Always start on the smallest dose and let you body get use to it. If a quarter does nothing next time take half and so on. Take with food on an evening.

HopingCat profile image
HopingCat in reply to

Thank You

in reply to HopingCat

Your welcome..

BonnieSue profile image
BonnieSue

Definitely distraction works. Visually picturing a wonderful place and pretending you're exploring it is a good distraction if you can't get out in bad weather. Looking through a travel book with intriguing pictures is good. Going out in nature in parks and so forth is great if weather permits. Absolutely anything that distracts from thinking about your anxiety is good. It will be a battle to keep refocusing away from your anxiety but practice does make perfect.

Physical output such as walking, running, any sports or physically demanding actions. It's your body "venting" all that adrenaline it doesn't need.

"Stop it! and Drop it!" Does work for me. It gets me to stop the anxiety thoughts and refocus on good thoughts. I learned this and many other short sayings in a Recovery International meeting which has been highly successful in treating depression and anxiety patients before there was any medicine to help. Think about that. No meds and yet the patients had tremendous success. No way I can explain it all here.

Monitor your breathing and slow it down when it's too fast.

Think "What's the worst that can happen?" And face it realizing that it's not so bad and it's not very likely to happen and so nothing's really so scary after all.

Taking my meds on time as prescribed. Monitoring myself to see if I'm too sleepy during the day and if I am, trying to determine if I need to reduce a med.

Ruthie1984 profile image
Ruthie1984

Was thinking of trying the magnesium supplement. Did this really help? Have other people used it and noticed a benefit?

in reply to Ruthie1984

Search YouTube for ( magnesium for anxiety ) you'll see just how many people it helps. If you decide to supplement, get a high grade decent brand and you MUST take a daily multi vitamin with iron.

Ruthie1984 profile image
Ruthie1984 in reply to

Thanks. I take a multi vit with iron anyway. I am going to try some from Holland and barrett first and see how I get on. If it helps well get the ones you recommend. Going to start with a fairly low dose at mo.

in reply to Ruthie1984

Can I just recommend one thing. If you are going to go to H&B get the magnesium spray, it's fairly cheap and highly absorbed. Just start with one spray at a time. H&B magnesium is tablet form is buffered with a cheap form so you'll waste money. The spray is made from a salt kinda like Epsom salt. Think the spray is 2 or £3.99.

Ruthie1984 profile image
Ruthie1984 in reply to

They didn't have the spray, only the oils and the woman said I should try magnesium citrate. Wasn't sure so left it as got confused.

in reply to Ruthie1984

Sorry my fault, the spray IS the oil.

Magnesium citrate is the same as glycinate but one is a acid, citric acid the other an amino acid. Amino acids are more absorbed by the body that an acid, and both cost the same. You won't go wrong with citrate but glycinate is more absorbed like I said buy not that hugely. I would recommend glycinate but citrate is just as goodish.

Ruthie1984 profile image
Ruthie1984 in reply to

Ah ok so I ended up getting magnesium 150mg with top ingredient being magnesium bisglycinate and apparently they are absorbed quickly. It was about 5 quid for 30 tablets so they were not cheapest option.

in reply to Ruthie1984

That's about right. If you haven't taken one yet, when you do, if you don't like being so relaxed or don't like the feeling, just drink a glass of milk and it will counteract it.

Ruthie1984 profile image
Ruthie1984 in reply to

Thank you for your help

in reply to Ruthie1984

You're welcome. Just go slow with it and you will be so glad you started to take it.

Anxietyfree profile image
Anxietyfree

Try hypnosis downloads from Uncommon knowlegde. These are self-hypnosis downloads that if nothing else make you take time out of your day for yourself.

Books such as Loveability by Robert Holden, I ❤me by David Hamilton, Life loves me by Robert Holden and Louise Hay.

Positive visualisations and learning to self-soothe are great daily practices. As is relaxed breathing techniques such as 7-11. Mindfulness apps such as Headspace are great too

😀

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