Simple Steps to Help Fight the Physical Symptoms of Anxiety
- Jules Beedle
- Feb 27, 2019
- 6 min read
Anxiety and stress involve more than just feeling worried; there is a long list of physical symptoms that accompany feeling anxious. For myself personally, I will sweat, have shortness of breath, acid reflux, insomnia, muscle tension, and in severe cases, rash, hyperventilation, outbursts of rage or crying fits. If you would like to learn more about my experience with each of these symptoms more in depth, check out my blog from last week! This week I will share with you just a few of the tools that I have learned to help control my anxiety WHILE it is happening and how to prevent it from getting worse.
Awareness will be the first step in overcoming your anxiety in the moment. Learn what the signs of an anxiety attack are. Know how YOUR body reacts when you become anxious, because it might not look the same for you as it does for me. Often times it feels like we can’t control our brains when we start to become anxious, but if you start to become aware of the way you act when you are anxious you can start to communicate with your body that you are safe. Letting your brain know that you are safe will allow your body to stop reacting to the anxiety. One very real example of this happened to me yesterday. I was driving and a lady almost side swiped me. If I hadn't swerved out of the way, my car would probably be totaled right now. Because one of my triggers is car accidents, my brain instantly when into panic mode and assumed that I was in danger. My breath shortened and I burst into tears because of how scared I got. I had 5 minutes until I had to teach my next class, so I needed to get things under control ASAP. I told myself that I was safe, she didn’t actually me, I am okay! There is no longer any danger to me. Luckily, since my job was so close, I was able to park soon after and calm myself down before I got inside. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen a little bit of my reaction in the moment.
Check in with your body. Is your jaw clenched? Are you hunching your shoulders to your ears and rounding your upper back? If you are tense, take a moment to try and physically relax your muscles. Try these simple techniques:
Unclench your teeth. Open your mouth wide to stretch out your masseter (jaw muscle). You can also press your index and middle finger on your masseter and self massage it to help release tension from your face.
Stretch your neck! This can be done sitting or standing. Sit or stand tall with a straight spine. Drop your chin to your chest & hold for 3-5 breaths; slowly roll your right ear to your right shoulder & hold for 3-5 breaths; slowly drop your head towards your back bringing your chin towards the ceiling & hold for 3-5 breaths; and finally drop your left ear to your left shoulder & hold for 3-5 breaths. You can repeat this a few more times, stopping anywhere you feel extra tension. Switch directions after a few rounds.
If you need to, move your body! Remove yourself from the situation and go on a walk if you can.
Let yourself feel! Cry or even scream if you need to (as long as it is an appropriate setting). If your bodies natural response is to cry or scream when you become anxious, sometimes the best thing we can do is LET ourselves. This comes with come limitations though… know when and where it is appropriate to let your emotions out. Having a safe place to let your emotions out can be tricky for some people because of how much of a stigma there is around having feelings in our society. Most of us would not feel comfortable crying at our desk at work because we would feel judged by our coworkers or we are afraid that it will make us look weak. If you become anxious at work and it doesn’t feel like a safe space to let out your emotions, try and find a place where you can be alone to express yourself. In the past, I have had to remove myself from my position at work and go into the bathroom to cry and compose. I am admittedly extremely emotional, so I have become more open about expressing myself, so if that still does not feel safe for you, try journaling about whatever it is that is upsetting you so that you can process it later when you are alone. It may not sound very helpful, but I promise, it feels great to sit down at a keyboard and write out all the reasons you are upset!
Breathe!!! I know this is said ALL the time. But breathing truly is one of the most important things you can do to send a signal to your body that you are OK! There was a situation a few weeks ago where I had to use my breath to prevent myself from passing out. I truly believe that I would have if I didn’t have such good awareness of my body. I was bleeding from my neck after being attacked by a cat. My entire chest was covered in blood. When I looked down and saw the blood everywhere, I started to get queasy and lose my vision. I moved from my seat to the ground, sat up straight, started taking deep breaths, and was mentally telling myself over and over again that I was OKAY. The bleeding was under control; that was old blood. There was nothing to be worried about. I would be fine. After about a minute (I’m not really sure though, it’s hard to tell in the moment), I started to feel back to normal! It was very powerful to see how much control I had over my body. Here are two basic breathing techniques to try when you are feeling anxious.
Equal Count (4-4-4) Breathing: Inhale for 4 counts, hold your breath for 4 counts, and exhale for 4 counts. If 4 is too much, start off with 3 counts and work your way up to 4. Repeat this cycle for up to 5 minutes.
Ujjayi Breath: Breath in and out through your nose, keeping your mouth closed. Slight constrict the back of your throat to create an audible breath. You will know you’ve got it if you sound like Darth Vader! Inhale for 4 counts and exhale for 7 counts. Repeat for up to 5 minutes.
Digestive Issues from anxiety; acid reflux or IBS? Try these either of these two yoga poses to help!
Lord of the Fishes: Start sitting with your legs straight in front of you. Place your left foot on the opposite side of your right knee. Slide your right heel into your left hip (if this does not feel comfortable, keep your right leg straight). Place your right hand or elbow on the outside of your left knee. Support yourself by placing your left hand on the ground behind your back. While maintaining a straight spine, twist deeper with each exhale. To switch, straighten both legs in front of you. Place your right foot on the opposite side of your left knee. Slide your left heel into your right hip (if this does not feel comfortable, keep your left leg straight). Place your left hand or elbow on the outside of your right knee. Support yourself by placing your right hand on the ground behind your back. While maintaining a straight spine, twist deeper with each exhale. You should be able to take full breaths, so if you feel constrained, back out of the twist slightly.
Knees to chest pose: While lying flat on your back, hug both of your knees into your chest. With each exhale, pull your knees closer into your chest until you have reached an edge* that feels comfortable for you. You can also rock side to side and back and forth to massage your spine gently.
These are a just a few simple steps you can take to help fight your anxiety in the moment, when it is the worst. Just like anything else, it takes practice. Every time I have a “freak out” I learn more from myself, get myself under control faster, and have longer breaks between episodes. One day at a time I am learning how to battle my anxiety (along with my other mental health issues) so that it does not interrupt my life any more than it already has. The more time you spend getting to know yourself, the more you will understand how your body reacts to certain situations. This will in turn allow you to develop a self care protocol for when you have your own “freak out.” I hope that these tips can help at least one person out there. Having anxiety sucks, but it doesn't have to ruin our lives. Do whatever it takes to be in control of your body and brain.
Comments