People often ask me why, when they are very anxious, they cannot talk themselves out of their anxiety. When we are faced with a scary, extremely stressful or anxiety inducing situation, our amygdala, the emotion center of our brain can be hijacked. This can trigger a flight or fight response, immediately bypassing the neocortex, or center of the brain that allows us to assess the threat.
Because our neocortex has been bypassed, our ability to talk ourselves down can be compromised. This can be a very frustrating experience. There are some tools that can help you in the moment.
Name It
Remind yourself you are being triggered. Have some compassion and patience with yourself as your body will need some time to come down from the response. Recognize what is happening to you physiologically.
Breath
Breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system and allows us to calm down. Sometimes breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth will increase the calm sensation. Some people like to count as they breath. You can count to 4 or 5 as you breath in and 4-5 as you breath out. Some people will hold their breath between the inhale and exhale. Experiment before you become triggered with what type of breathing feels the most calming for you.
Notice your Surroundings
Sometimes breathing does not work for people when they are very activated. For some people focusing on themselves during an anxiety attack actually makes their anxiety worse. In this case, I recommend people turn outwards and notice their surroundings. Name to yourself, either out loud or in your own mind, what you see, hear, smell and feel. Some people like to choose five things of each to notice if they are available. We don’t always smell five things, but you can find five things to see for sure. This practice takes you out of your own head and grounds you in the moment.
These are a few tools to help manage an anxiety attack after it has occurred. Of course, prevention is always preferrable. Practicing mindfulness and meditation can be great preventative strategies. Knowing the root cause of your anxiety is also extremely helpful. Sometimes this requires the help of a professional.
If you, or someone you know, needs extra support with anxiety or other mental health issues feel free to reach out for a free 15 minute phone consultation.
Andrea@AndreaHarbeckTherapy.com
720-336-9454