Besides breathing, the best way to survive a panic attack is actively working on preventing one.
One of the biggest ways I feel my anxiety is in my chest. I had exercise-induced asthma as a kid, so I hate that feeling: my chest tightening up, shallow breathes that just won’t go past the halfway mark in my lungs, and that slight panic that makes breathing even harder.
Identifying common signs of anxiety and monitoring them before they get out of hand helps. For me, it’s been finding ways to actively decrease anxiety in life in general. When my anxiety levels are lower, or at least i’m watching them, my body and mind don’t turn to panic so easily.
Things that increase my anxiety:
Fatigue. Too many plans. Too many people. Hunger. Not enough time alone. Feeling obliged. Not enough margin in my day.
Things that decrease my anxiety:
My nightly stretching routine. Praying. Listening to podcasts. Reading. Taking a nap. Journaling. Naming my feelings out loud. Using my back massager. Decluttering. Drinking hot tea. Using my breathing necklace (it’s called “The Shift”).
I’ve also identified some of my danger zones. Driving home from a long work day is my biggest one. My chest is usually really tight, and I feel a little disoriented and confused. This can lead to panic if I don’t identify and address it. One thing that helps is wearing my breathing necklace to work every day. I use it to help me regulate my breath on my 15 minute drive home.
Before bed is another problem. If I get too tired, I have a tendency to have existential melt-downs where I question the meaning of life, my work, and my worth. Keeping up with a consistent bedtime routine eliminates these breakdowns. By the time i’m done with my routine, I crawl in bed, turn on my rainstorm sounds, and I read for 5 minutes, i’m ready to fall asleep with no philosophical discomfort.