Anxiety Is Real

My body trembles, I am sweating, my eyesight is slowly fading away, I feel my heart thumping out of my chest and I fall down to the floor. I am crouched with my hands on my head and eyes shut. I am unable to open them. When they are finally open, I can't see clearly, and I am crying uncontrollably. “What is going on with me!? I thought to myself.” Why don’t I have control over these tears and why won’t I stop trembling? I got up and found my queen-sized bed which suddenly felt too small for my 5’4” body. I layed down in it, and I kept my eyes shut. I realized what was happening to me, and I remembered what I needed to do. I started breathing deep full breaths. “I am okay, I am okay,” I kept repeating to myself. 

That was a panic attack! You may have experienced many panic attacks in your life and maybe you did not know what was happening to you. You may not have known it was a real condition and that it had a name. It was probably very frightening to you, and you may have had no idea what to do about it. Panic attacks come from our anxiety. Everyone has anxiety., We all get anxious in some shape or form. I get anxious when I need to have an important conversation with someone. Others get anxiety from overthinking a situation they are in, making tough decisions, and even from something as simple as going to a gathering. All these forms of anxiety can sometimes cause panic attacks like what was described at the beginning of this article.

 Another person I spoke to described her experience with anxiety: “My anxiety started as soon I had my youngest child. It started out by feeling severe paranoia and fear towards my kids. I was scared of a blanket suffocating them, whether they were cold or hot at night. I would literally get up in the middle of the night and change their shirts from a T-shirt to a long-sleeve because I was worried they would get sick. I had panic attacks often when a major event was coming up and I didn’t wanna be a part of it. With time, my anxiety went from severe to mild. After learning to manage it and after learning how to live with my anxiety, I now only feel it when I am stressed or overthinking.” Many times our anxiety gets triggered when major changes happen in our lives such as having a baby. She explains that her anxiety, “feels like a way against myself. It’s my mind and my thoughts bothering me and nagging at me. During a severe panic attack, the first thing I feel is dizziness, followed by confusion. It’s almost like I’m looking at myself from the outside and just waiting for it to pass so I can enter back into my own body. My chest starts pounding and then all the side effects together last for a few minutes until I slowly go back to feeling normal.” This is just one example of what anxiety and panic feel like. They are very common and when we learn how to manage and deal with them, our life gets so much easier. 

Four out of ten people have an anxiety disorder in the United States. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness. Often people with anxiety also have depression. There is treatment through therapy and medication. Let's talk about why people can get panic attacks. When we experience a panic attack, our body is in fight or flight mode. It is in distress from the moment we are in and it must either fight or leave the situation (flight). At this point, it is up to our brain to decide if what we are experiencing is a real threat (such as a fire, or danger) or if what we are experiencing is unreal (such as anxiety, watching a horror movie, etc.). Not to say that anxiety is an unreal feeling, it's very real, but it is something that we must learn to control. When our fight or flight response is triggered too often, that is when we have anxiety and panic attacks. Our fight and flight responses are typically for when we really are in danger and we need to find a solution. They should not be triggered very easily, so when they are triggered often and easily–one is usually diagnosed with anxiety. 

Why does this happen? Why do some of us get triggered easily and face panic attacks? Sometimes we go through difficult times and it affects our minds and for the rest of our lives, that thing we went through continues to trigger us every time we face it again. Here is an example, a mother who has had multiple losses–whether child loss or spousal loss, may get triggered by every story about miscarriage. She may get panic attacks throughout her entire pregnancy because she is constantly reminded of her previous child loss just by being pregnant. Another example is someone who has been in a car accident, she/he may go through times in their lives where just being in a car is scary and is triggering the fight or flight response–again, causing a panic attack. 

If you are a victim of anxiety and panic attacks, here is what you can do about it. For starters, please get help. Anxiety is as real a condition as the flu or an infection. Both require you to seek treatment.  Treat anxiety the same way. It is so important because if you do not deal with your anxiety, you will not be able to function well. If you're afraid of driving or are afraid of getting a panic attack during gatherings, you may be stopping yourself from living your life the way that you want to. You may put your goals and dreams or your family in the backseat to avoid dealing with your anxiety. Many people become depressed, lose a dangerous amount of weight and stop living their lives due to their anxiety. It is very important to address it and find a solution. 

Here are some tips on how to help someone dealing with a panic attack:

1. Talk to the person experiencing a panic attack, ask them to give you an example of a time when something went wrong and how they handled it, and then ask them what they could have done differently. 

2. Provide encouragement--remind them how they handled the previous situation successfully and that they can do that again. 

3. Offer support--be helpful by telling them, “I am here for you.” Redirect the conversation/situation.

4. Offer a story from your experience--“Here is what I learned from my experience.” 

5. Ask them, “What do you need?” They may respond with a request not to judge them, and to be kind to them and you must be prepared for that. 

If you are the one experiencing anxiety or are having an anxious start to your day, I have learned from an online therapist very interesting ways to deal with it. Her name is Faye Hammoud and if you suffer from anxiety or you know someone suffering, I suggest you follow her on Instagram. I will link her page at the bottom of this article. You may find her tips silly or strange, but they work, so try them out! Here are some of the tips:

1. Try an ice facial, put some ice in a bowl and dip your face into it. This facial triggers specific nerves and signals your heart rate to slow down. You can also use an ice cube to rub your neck, temples, wrist and face and it will reduce your anxiety. 

2. The 5-4-3-2-1 technique: as you start to feel anxious, name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. 

3. Sour candy! Take sour candy wherever you go if you easily get anxious. It triggers your nervous system. Sour candy shocks the senses and distracts from panic.

4. Lemon juice directly from the lemon! It gives your body a dose of energy when it enters your digestive tract and guess what? It reduces anxiety.

5.  Hot sauce - Chili peppers and Cayenne pepper have a molecular compound that is directly linked to alleviating feelings of panic and uneasiness. 

As you can see, there are many ways to help you and I deal with our anxiety. It is normal to get anxious and panic but when it is happening more than it should, take it as a sign to get help. Remember this mantra, to be there for the people you love, you must take care of yourself first. 

 Instagram therapist- With love, Faye: https://www.instagram.com/withlove.faye/

06.22.2022