First off, if you’re suicidal and don’t have anyone to talk about it contact your local suicide hotline and talk to them anonimously. You can search for suicide hotline on Google and the number for your local hotline will pop up at the top. Or check out the numbers listed by WhatsApp.
I’ve had anxiety and panic attacks for around 4 months and then it got much better. I did have an anxiety attack like a few days ago again but I knew right away what to do and I also knew it was anxiety so it wasn’t as bad as in the beginning.
For me it was a Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD and I also had health anxiety. I feel much better now than like a month ago and I don’t get too much anxiety any more. For anyone interested I did refuse to take pills even though it was recommended.
Symptoms
You’ve most likely already read all the symptoms of anxiety but here is a list of symptoms that affected me personally:
Muscle aches (Full body - head to toe)
Skipped heartbeats
Higher than normal heartrate
Had to pee a lot
Stomach aches and troubles with not so much fun on the toilet
Headaches
Weakness
Depression
That pretty much sums up my symptoms.
Things to keep in mind
If you’re anxious about your health get an initial okay for all the things you’re worried about and maybe even a second or third opinion and then trust in all the doctors you visited and as harsh as it sounds just accept that most likely everything is fine with you. But definetly get the initial checks out of the way!
Check you Vitamin D and B12 levels and other blood levels. I had a severe Vitamin D deficiency which contributed to me having anxiety. Otherwise maybe I wouldn’t have had it.
Go find a psychotherapist. It will take much less time to overcome your anxitey.
Accept the current situation and don’t dwell on the past or the future where things were better or will be better.
I’m having a panic attack right now, what should I do?
Really make it clear for yourself that this is just a heightened state of arousal and nothing else. This is neither good nor bad. It’s a perfectly normal state to be in when having anxiety. Also make sure to keep in mind that this will pass.
If you’re hyperventilating breathe out through pursed lips, slow down your breathing and breathe through your stomach and not your chest
Do some progressive muscle relaxation. You can also do this on the toilet somewhere if you’re out and about. There are plenty guided ones on YouTube
Drink some water
Take a walk outside and try to be present by noticing all the things you can see, smell, hear and feel
Write down what is scaring you
What to do about the anxiety in general?
Let’s see what helped me tremendously.
Every day
Meditating for around 20 mins per session 2x a day. So 40 mins a day.
This had the biggest impact for me and was a absolute must no matter what I had planned for the day. I still do this every day but I’ve upped it to 30 mins, 2x a day now.
Progressive muscle relaxation
This will help you with your muscle aches and make you much more relaxed.
Eat healthy and keep your water intake in mind
Your gut will also impact on how you feel. Lower your animal product intake, eat more veggies, fruits, legumes and nuts. Also you can download the app Plant Nanny 2 to keep your water intake in check in a fun way.
Journaling in the evening
Write down what happened that day and what you were feeling. At the end read what you wrote and write down some things you realized after reading it. Also write down some tasks you could have for the following day so they are out of your mind.
Sleep hygiene
Good sleep is key when you have anxiety. Don’t look at your phone 1 hour before bed time. Black out your room 100%. Even small amounts of light can disruot your sleep. Cool down your room so it’s not too warm.
Skip the coffee, tobacco, high sugar intake and drugs (including alcohol)
All these will definetly contribute to you having anxiety and you will feel a difference if you leave them out of your day.
Gratitude
Write down 3 things you’re grateful for before sleep and also write why you’re grateful for it. It can be something as small as having enough water to drink because you know that not everyone has the privilege to drink as much water as they need.
Every Week
Doing sports like swimming, running or biking for like 1 hour 3x a week
This will produce some Serotonin which is a happy hormone and it will keep you fit and healthy. During your workout you will probably forget your anxiety. At least that’s what happened to me.
Play some video games or watch some funny content guilt-free
Take the time to have some fun and play a video game or watch some funny videos. Just don’t overdo it. Set yourself a limit here and keep it.
Pamper yourself in a small way
If you have a bathtub take a bath with some warm water, relaxing jazz music, candle light and an amazing bubble bath aroma or go the spa (if possible) or if you don’t have any of these make yourself some fresh juice, make yourself a foot bath or take a nice long shower with sweet music and afterwards apply some skin moisturizer.
Meet up with your friends, family or someone online
Socialzing and talking honestly about how you’re feeling is really important and makes your life much easier.
Do a tiny challenge
Challenge yourself to do something really small you wouldn’t really do normally. You could for example take a walk in the closest forest for an hour, take a cold shower, make your own Pizza or do any other DIY project you would normally skip :)
Other tips
Don’t beat yourself up about the anxiety. It’s perfectly normal and a lot of known people have this, your friends, your family etc. Most likely nobody tells you but they have it or had it anyways.
Watch some ASMR
Don’t skip meals as this can make you anxious as well
Tell friends you trust about your anxiety and tell a co-worker you trust about it in a private talk as well if possible. It will make you feel more secure if a friend or co-worker knows whats up and can help you in any ways.
Don’t be afraid or ashamed about asking for help. Usually people are really understanding and don’t mind helping.
Think about the content you consume. Content is everything you read, listen to and watch. Don’t listen to high BPM music. Try something like Jazz or Lo-Fi. Don’t watch action or horror shows/movies. Try to watch some more comedies. Don’t read the news. Tell a friend to inform you if something happened where you have to act and for all the other things just skip them.
Start your morning right. Whatever you do in the morning sets the tone for the day. Skip your phone for 1 hour after waking up. Don’t check the notifications, e-mails, social media, news etc. Instead get some breakfast, journal a little, prepare yourself for the day or go for a jog.
If you have muscle aches then stretch regularly
Resources
Helpful YouTube channels
Angelhands66 (Fall asleep videos, ASMR and panic attack calming)
Trey Jones (Anxiety tips, Drug addiction tips)
The Anxiety Guy (Anxiety tips)
Russel Brand (Spirituality)
Therapy in a Nutshell (Anxiety and depression tips)
Helpful YouTube Videos
How I overcame anxiety using ancient wisdom by George Thompson
Also check his other videos out this dude is so cool :)
Amor Fati | The Stoic Anxiety Hack by Einzelgänger
Also check his other videos :)
Books
DARE (This one is key for me and helped big time)
Apps
Pause (Great little game to calm down with)
Headpace (Meditation app)
Forest (To set some time where you don’t touch your phone)
Presently (Gratitude notebook with simple and cute design)
Good News (To read something positve every day)
DARE (The app that was made by the author of DARE with audios to calm you down during panic attacks)
Thanks for reading and I hope it can help you at least a little bit :)