If there was an Indy 500 for minds, I bet I would be a contender. My mind likes to race, to get a thought and run with it. It doesn’t have to be a good thought, just a thought. In the past, I suffered from anxiety and panic attacks and my racing mind contributed to the problem, hell, it might have caused the problem. I haven’t had a panic attack in about 5 years, but they aren’t really gone. I have learned to identify what triggers them, what mitigates them, how to deal with and how to avoid them.
Here are a few examples of where I was when a panic attack hit…
One of the first panic attacks I remember was when I was with some close friends and I had to sit in the inside of a booth at a pub in Harvard Square. I’m sure I was already on edge just having gotten myself to the pub but getting stuck on the inside of the booth put me over the top! Don’t judge people when they act differently, you don’t know what they are dealing with!
A bunch of friends and I had gone to Canada to go to the Montreal Jazz Festival. I don’t even like jazz but went along because the next day we were going white water rafting. Picture crowded streets, loud music and me grabbing a hold of one of my friends belt buckle and begging him to get me out of there. Not pretty!
One of my more recent panic attacks occurred while at Wegmans. The store near me has a toy train that runs around the ceiling and makes its choo choo sound. Many think it is cute. I hate that damn train. Super markets are caotic enough without noise added in for fun.
My panic attacks are triggered by crowds, tight spaces, over stimulating/noisy environments. My mind starts to race, my heart begins to pound and the world around me starts to shrink. When feeling overwhelmed, you may find me with my hands over my ears, my shirt pulled over my nose or my hand pulling my hair. At these times, I am desperately trying to calm myself, to slow my breathing, to hear myself think. I am trying to stop my mind from racing and get it to problem solve a solution to my situation.
As I have aged, I have learned to avoid many situations that I know will simply be too much for me to handle. You won’t find me at Mardi Gras, the New Year’s Eve Parade or even Wegman’s on a weekend. I won’t meet you at opening night at the fancy new restaurant, the sold out concert of your favorite band or even the movies on a Saturday night.
I don’t only avoid situations that I know will be difficult as that would be getting stuck in my comfort zone on the couch! I have also learned some tips to help me navigate through situations that could trigger a panic attack. I have learned to take Quiet Time every single day without fail to get out of my head for 10-15 minutes and just be still. I find this helps me make better decisions throughout the day. I notice how I react differently to events in my life when I am taking my Quiet Time regularly and when I don’t.
In Occupational Therapy school, I learned about diaphragmatic breathing as a means to let go of tension and to slow the breath. This has been a life saver for me and I have taught it to many of my patients. When confronted with a situation that I know will put me over the top. I take a few belly breaths and it helps me handle myself without having a melt down! I first used it outside of the classroom at the dentist office to get through some difficult procedures and have built on that success to multiple other areas of my life.
Functional Medicine Doctors are now making the link between diet and mental health. I listened to a podcast recently that linked how the low fat diet craze has had a negative impact on people’s mental health. They suggest getting adequate healthy fat is beneficial to people who suffer from anxiety. I wish I could remember the podcast… A few years ago, I changed my diet by decreasing my carbohydrate intake and increasing my fat and protein intake; I believe this has had a positive effect on my anxiety and panic attacks.
My mind still likes to race and sometimes it is hard to get off of a negative thought but I have a few tools in my tool box to help. I just have to remember to open the box!!!! If you need some tools to help quiet your racing mind, you might want to try diaphragmatic breathing. You can learn a bit about it here. I have written plenty on Quiet Time as my go to technique to stay on track. You can read more here.
Choose health!
Lake Girl
