How to deal with an Anxiety Attack: In public

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 Hey everyone!

Welcome back to a fresh new month <3

Here's another post based on Anxiety :)

Okay so, a lot of people have sent me messages in response to my other posts covering various aspects of Anxiety and this was one of the top.

Dealing with an attack in public.

I have had my share of dealing with Anxiety attacks since 8th grade. As anyone would describe me-a SUPER introverted person- I don't disclose when I'm undergoing one. To combat them, I have learnt/developed a few tricks or rather 'grounding methods' to help me get through one.

Here are my top 3:

  1. 5-4-3-2-1 trick
    I had also included this in a prior post and have written about it here as well for the sole reason of its effectiveness.
    5 things you can see
    4 things you can hear
    3 things you can feel 
     2 things you can smell
    1 thing you can taste(even water works)
    Read about why its one of the best ways to deal with an attack: here
    This is one which gets me through most of my attacks and is also one which I can perform anywhere and requires basically nothing. 

  2. Ground. Literally.
    In most cases, detaching from reality or freezing is one of the most common effects of an attack. It feels as if the world stops.
    Try to look for a place where you can sit and recollect your thoughts. Sit for 5 minutes, clasp on to the seat, focus on one object and breathe. Later, once you feel you've come back to reality, try walking for about 5 minutes to clear your mind out and return to normal.
    People around you might think you're zoning out- let them.
    Sit and try focussing on your thoughts, analysing them and accepting them.

    An example:
    Bad marks on a test.
    More frequent a cause for an attack than you might think.
    Sit down, look through your mistakes, analyse them, think about what you were thinking of when you wrote that answer and then accept that you got it wrong and move on. Work harder on your next one.
    Can't begin to count the number of times this has happened with me because at the end of the day, acceptance is what is going to get you through🤷🏻‍♀️
  3. 4-7-8 breathing
    Breathe in for a count of four, hold the breath for a count of seven, and breathe out for a count of eight. Focus on your breath as it enters and leaves the body.  As thoughts or distractions enter the mind, bring the focus back to breathing. Try to combine a focus on breathing with a grounding experience like drawing circles on the palm of one hand with the finger of the other hand. Doing this distracts the mind and brings attention back to the body.

    These were a few methods that help me survive my attacks in school and have greatly helped me deal with in other situations as well. Give them a try and let me know in the comments if they worked for you.
    Remember: They're gonna take time, patience and practice to work.
    It doesn't happen overnight.

    That was it for today's post! Hope y'all enjoyed it! Keep in mind, these can also help you get through panic attacks!
    Let me know your suggestions below and don't forget to share and follow for more <3
Signing off,
Kuhu :)

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