HOW TO OVERCOME ANXIETY ON YOUR OWN
Anxiety disorder and panic attacks (episodic paroxysmal anxiety) are among the most challenging of neurotic disorders as they are accompanied by feelings of terror and fear of death.
The intensity of anxiety can be high, medium, or low. Medium and low-intensity anxiety is perceived by the person as something internal. High-intensity anxiety is perceived as something that engulfs the person; it feels like being inside the anxiety, with everything around being a horrible anxiety. At this moment, the person “drowns” under the pressure of their feelings, sinking into this state, not feeling a “bottom.” The first step to take is to build this “bottom” from which you can push off and “surface.”
Here’s how to do it:
☑️ Acknowledge that it is an anxiety attack, a mental reaction. You need to name it with words: “I am having an anxiety attack right now.”
☑️ It is important to know and understand that you cannot die from such an attack since it is not a somatic disease.
☑️ Stop “spinning” the attack with negative thoughts like “I’m going to die” or “I’m going crazy.” Do not add negative thoughts.
☑️ You need to add only “pluses” to get out of the state of anxiety. Literally “put on” calmness with phrases like: “This is just an anxiety attack. It always passes. I have always dealt with problems, and now I will overcome this anxiety.”
Form balanced positive thoughts, develop a habit of having a kind, calming attitude towards yourself. Think of these as “self-hugs.”
☑️ Imagine yourself in a safe place where you felt most comfortable or a place where you felt the most pleasant: you were relaxed, calm, and very well. Immerse yourself in these feelings emotionally, recreate them, and stay in them as long as you can. Oppose these pleasant feelings to the anxiety attack. This is a worthy alternative, which you can “step over” to from the anxious state in the way described above.
☑️ The next step is meditation, which teaches you to focus on what is happening here and now and to perceive reality without judgment. It is recommended to become an observer of your thoughts, emotions, and experiences and perceive them critically. You need to not avoid anxiety but distance yourself from it and bravely look it in the “face.” In the process, you realize that nothing terrible is happening, and the anxiety diminishes and gradually disappears.
Working with anxiety is a learned behavior. It may not work the first time, but constant practice and effort will definitely lead to the desired result.
With care for you, Psychologist Tetyana Yuzvak