Hi everyone! I'm not wanting to take up much time from anyone, but I've been in and out of panic attacks since I was young, and I am once again entering a time in my life in which I'm becoming prone to some nice panic attacks. I'm just coming out of one a little bit ago, and just wondering what everyone else does to calm down, or if there are some sites that actually work in getting your mind off of things? Please and thank you for reading and taking time to answer with anything <3 Kind of also doing this to just see anyone reply, its nice knowing other people are out there in the world. Have a good day everyone!

Hi! I don't have panic attacks but I do have very mild anxiety attack. I don't really have any interesting tips to give you but mindfulness is interesting to look into. It's helping to identify what triggers you and why it does that. If you cannot do it alone, a friend or a specialist may be able to give you the last push of help.

Otherwise, I do use these websites to calm myself. Weavesilk and Experiment 29a.ch They are interactive drawing websites.

Also. perharps trying to do things that make you feel better? @ Stiles

Aw hi you! <3 :) Thank you for the sites, I am going to check them out now! Tbh I'm working on making a list of triggers now, its kind of eye opening. Side note, I was happy to see your name pop up on my notifs and see you on! I hope you're well <3

You're welcome. I know how hard it is to deal with panic in general. A list of triggers is a very good move. You can slowly 'expose' yourself to them and little by little, it may help. If you can reach out to a friend to help you out ... It's definitely helpful :)!

I'm a bit idle but still coming from time to time haha.

Listening to music. Watching a movie I like. Petting or hugging a pet. Doing sports. That's what has helped me. <3 I hope this helps somehow. <3

I have daily debilitating panic attacks and have worked hard to get a handle on them.

Some things that help me:

Sugar: if I’m having an attack I grab a sucker or candy to suck on. The sugar gives a rush and starts to calm me down and focusing on sucking on the sucker/candy distracts my mind from the trigger causing the panic

Music: I have a list of songs ready at all times to calm me down if needed

Games: I play monotonous games to calm myself down like candy crush, angry birds, cut the rope. They’re games that can easily distract you as they require some concentration and a lot of repeated movements and thoughts.

Emergency plan: I often panic to the point I’m completely hysterical and cannot function so I always have an emergency plan. I always have someone on speed dial who knows: my condition, location, and how to calm me down. If it gets to the point I need more than just contact over the phone then I have a few people who are available to come by when I need help.

Teddy bear: I always feel silly because I’m a grown woman and mother and I still sleep with a teddy bear but god does it ever help! I have nightmares every night and this really helps me calm after them

The last trick I use is my lamp

I recently bought a “mini tornado lamp” it’s a lamp that has swirling particles that form a tornado when the lamp is turned on with changing lights that glow while the tornado spins. It helps immensely not only to calm me at night to help me sleep but also to focus on during a panic attack to calm me down :)

<3 I'm cuddling with my critter right now, actually. :) Thank you for replying, love seeing you on too! I need to watch more movies, let myself get excited over things again, be distracted or involved in other things.

When you have a panic attack you have an excess amount of adrenaline in your body, so what I find helps (and was recommended by a doctor) is to press my hands together against each other as hard as I can to do something with all the adrenaline. Alternatively if you are sitting you could cross your legs and squeeze, or whatever else might help. :)

just some tips i gathered over the years...i get often panic attacks too, and they happen more in periods of stress, even if we don't realize consciously what the stress is about....first of all, try to realize what your triggers are and maybe some can be avoided, like said.

• pursed lip breathing
• count your breaths and focus on your breathing
• smelling an essential oil
• strong stimulation of your senses (biting into a lemon, sour candy) it tends to bring you back to the present
• look at some pictures that make you happy/bring good memories
• sit somewhere safe (i used to sit on the floor in a corner for a little while)
• play an engaging game
• play with an animal

Overall i found practicing mindfulness and presence to be a good tool...it helps grounding you in the here and now in the ling run.

i used to eat sugar too, but i found out it can be detrimental to you in the long run. like it takes you high and then your sugar levels drop again faster. so what i tried to do was eat more natural sugars from fruit and get the vitamins and stuff i needed from veggies+fruit and it actually helps a whole lot more in the long run. I found (in my experience) a balanced diet to be so helpful in managing panic attacks. so now i eat a banana or something lol

sorry if this doesnt make much sense i just woke up lol

Ooh thank you! I’ll have to try getting more natural sugars! Or the candies my grandma used to have that had very little sugar!

Thank you so much <3 we have bananas in the house all the time too because my son loves them :)

That does make sense, so definitely will try to find things to tire me down or spend my energy on instead. Thank you for taking the time to reply and give advice, I appreciate it! <3

I'm going to take these tips down as notes as well. I especially like the grounding comment, it seems likely I can achieve this. Thank you for taking the time to comment and listing all these, I appreciate it, its really helpful! <3

I read all about this new blanket they’re marketing for people who suffer with anxiety, it’s a weighted blanket. So it feels like something is holding you and it’s calming like getting a hug... was so excited... then saw the price and nearly cried... $300 for a weighted blanket xD. My hubby promised me when tax returns come I can get one but it’s so expensive xD I wish I knew how to make my own xD

That is an amazing idea, wow. I'm so glad someone thought of that and its going to be marketed. 300? That's.. really high. But I am so happy for you being able to get one! :) Really glad for you having him around. That would be great though to be able to make your own, I completely agree.

I agree the price is insane. I’m lucky that hubby makes decent money but I wish they could find a way to make it cheaper!

I thought of another trick today that I’d forgotten about. With my panic attacks sometimes I get very stressed and manic. I’ve filled a balloon with flour, tied it and wrapped another balloon around it as a stress ball and I just love it. Salt works too and is sometimes better because you can make the ball into shapes!

It also worked well with the kids at the daycare I worked at. We had a couple kids prone to violent outbursts so I made a bunch of them and when they’d get angry they’d actually come to me and ask if they could jump on the flour balloon to calm themselves down. I passed that idea on to a friend that has a son with anger troubles and it worked well for him too :)

:) I hope it helps you a lot when you get it! I'll be thinking of you and wondering. That's so creative, good for you thinking of it. Need to look into those things, and they're cost effective too XD :) Thank you for sharing that. Just need to learn how to make those shapes, that would be really cool to make a few of them

ohh im glad it was helpful. anxiety sucks big fuzzy balls i heard of the weighted blanket and it sounds like such a cool concept, show us some pics when you get it! XD i think im gonna try the balloon thing....new ideas are surely always welcome, haha. thank you for sharing

im glad you made this thread cause people should know we don't need to live with anxiety forever <3

I heard a tip for managing anger is to put your head in a bucket with cold ice...now this is one i never tried, lol.

<3 :) I'm grateful everyone has answered, and I love seeing that people are interacting and sharing advice about it. That's a win for me no matter what!