6 Ways to Successfully Deal with a Panic Attack

I remember the first time I had a panic attack in front of my husband. He had no idea what to do or say, and he became frustrated which only heightened my anxiety. At the time I was not comfortable talking about it. We both grew up looking at mental health issues as a stigma. By that time, I had already been to a doctor who prescribed Xanax, but he was also teaching me non-medicinal ways of coping with it. Although my doctor told me there was nothing to be ashamed of in having anxiety, I still let it hang over me like a dark cloud.

About five years ago, I started educating myself on anxiety and other mental health issues. This helped me tremendously. Today I am able to speak on it without feeling embarrassed or feeling judged. If you are experiencing anxiety, depression, or any other mental health issue, it’s important to see a mental health specialist or your family doctor. I’ve learned that people cope with anxiety in different ways. Although I have a prescription of Xanax available, I try not to use it. Instead, I use the following coping mechanisms to help me come down from an attack. If you experience anxiety, these six tips may help:

1. Have a go-to call list

I have a group of family and friends who I call when I start feeling an anxiety attack coming on. As soon as they answer, I’ll say “I’m having an episode, tell me about your day.” This usually helps me lose focus on my anxiety and brings me back to good.

2. Try a grounding technique

During therapy, I was given this grounding technique — focus on your breathing, then identify the following:

• 5 things you can see

• 4 things you can touch

• 3 things you can hear

• 2 things you can smell

• 1 thing you can taste

3. Keep an anxiety relief playlist

iTunes has several sound therapy playlists. If you search the words anxiety or stress relief you’ll find several options.

4. Talk to yourself or pray out loud

My doctor recommended this. I will talk myself down and tell myself that I'm going to be ok. I’ll remind myself to breathe and assure myself that I'm safe.

5. Cry

If I’m at home this works for me almost instantly. Honestly, I didn’t know that it would bring my attack down. I discovered this relief on accident. During an attack, I became so scared of what was going on that I started to cry, and slowly my anxiety started to subside. Sometimes you just need to release all of your emotions at once.

6. Keep cold compresses in your freezer

Whenever I feel an anxiety attack coming on at home, or at work, I’ll grab a cold compress from the freezer and put it on my neck and face.

I’d also like to share an incredible non-profit organization named Healthy Hood Chicago that has launched its Get Yo Mind Right Initiative. Their goal is to break the stigma around mental health within the Brown and Black communities. Healthy Hood Chicago will start offering free mental health services to underserved communities in January 2020. These services will include, but are not limited to, one-on-one therapy, couple and family therapy, guided meditation, Reiki, art therapy, child therapy, and social services. If you are in the Chicagoland area, please go to Instagram to find more information on this initiative to learn how to obtain services.

If you are a mental health professional who wants to join the initiative and give back to the community with your resources, please contact @healthyhoodchi via Instagram.

If you feel comfortable sharing your tips on how you manage your anxiety, please let us know by commenting below.

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