Aim against Anxiety and Fire Away at Fear

  
  

By
Dr. Laurel A. Sills

  
 

 

 
   This April, take aim against anxiety, protect yourself from panic, face your fears and eliminate excuses for not doing something about it.    
      
  Typically, symptoms of anxiety rear their ugly head as butterflies in the stomach, dizziness, sweaty palms, fear of dying or going crazy, heart palpitations, sense of tingling in the extremities, chest tightness, and a sense of smothering or choking. These symptoms and are easily mistaken for heart attack or other medical problems. 10% of our population has panic attacks. Many more people suffer from other types of anxiety disorders.  
      
  If you are one of these people, there are many things you can do about your symptoms to cope on your own until you get help to resolve the underlying issues that contribute to your anxiety. First, you must always (and I mean ALWAYS!) get a medical check-up to evaluate your health and make sure you are not having serious medical problems. Once clear, there are several ways to try to relax away your anxiety and minimize your distress.  
      
  Relaxation is incompatible with stress and anxiety. Have you ever been relaxed when anxious? Of course not. So, if you can get relaxed at the first signs of anxiety, you may prevent your anxiety from building. The following are ways to quell your anxiety:  
      
 
  1. Start by recognizing that your anxiety itself cannot hurt you.
  2. Take a deep breath in to the count of 4 or 5 seconds, hold it for 3 seconds, and then let it out slowly for a count of 5 seconds or so.
  3. Let your breathing go back to normal.
  4. Relax your muscles and say to yourself, “relax”, “peace”, “calm”, “I am safe,” or “I will be okay”.
  5. Take another deep breath in as above and close your eyes. Upon exhalation, let your body relax, soften, and let go of tension.
  6. Do some deep breathing with the calming self-talk for about 5 minutes.
  7. Scan the area where you are and look for what is nice in your surroundings. 
  8. Know that anxiety only goes up by what we say think to our selves. Eliminate negative self-talk.
  9. Imagine being in your favorite place that you find safe, relaxing, and pleasurable with all the sights, sounds, and smells, textures and tastes around you. 
  10. Tell yourself that you will continue to feel fine when you refocus on the realities of today.
  11. If you are in the car, pull over if really panicked. If not, just practice deep breathing at every stop light and sign. Keep your eyes open, of course!
  
      
  Anxiety is the body’s way of telling the brain that there is some unfinished emotional concern going on that you may not even be aware of. Even with the above recommendations, I suggest getting professional help to explore the cause of the anxiety. Medication may be necessary if you are both unable to relax using the above suggestions and you cannot function fully with the degree of symptoms you are having. I think it is best to not use medication if possible, since the panic and anxiety can be used as a marker for other thoughts, behaviors or feelings that occur around it. This way, the symptoms can be helpful to you in learning about triggers.   
      
 Anxiety disorders and panic attacks are easily treated especially with the help of a licensed mental health professional. So start now to look anxiety in the face, self-soothe and spring forward without panic holding you back!
      
  
This article was written by Dr. Laurel A. Sills, a Fully Licensed Clinical Psychologist (since 1987) and Life Coach. She provides direct, down-to-earth, short-term therapy with long-term results. She is passionate in her work and will help you stay motivated to change your life with regular commitment to changing habits in thinking and behaving. See her website at: www.DrLSills.com or www.BuildAStrongerYou.com 		 
Copyright 2006© Laurel A. Sills, Psy.D.
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