AIBU to ask for simple ways to manage acute anxiety tonight?

Online quizzes and a good comedy show are my coping mechanisms.

Hope you're feeling better soon...x

My favourite calming rituals are
drinking a hot drink, cold drink or fizzy drink, something with a sensory feel.
Eating crisps, again sensory texture
Applying hand cream, nice smelling one, slow massaging in.
calm deep breathing
For future use I find rescue remedy and lavender oil really helpful for anxiety.

When i get to that sort of state it helps to be in nature. A walk on the beach or in a forest calms the nervous system but i appreciate it’s quite late in the evening now.

Download the headspace app and listen to it's podcasts for anxiety. Random chat here is good too.

I would go to Latin and South America because I have never been and it looked beautiful on race across the world.

Is there anything absorbing you can do to take your mind off whatever you are thinking about like playing a game on your phone like candy crush or sudoku or solitaire
these are some other things I do….
read mumsnet random threads from classics
watch a comfort show, mine is Miranda or friends
do some cleaning so you are moving and pottering about
take a hot shower and wash hair
do some deep but slow breathing

Sometimes writing things out helps too - so the thoughts are externalised rather than swirling in your head

OP, I feel for you. It might feel like the hardest thing to do I know, but can you go out for a walk? Even a short one?

the other thing that helps for me is to try and watch some trashy but absorbing tv.

sometimes a change in temp can help immediately too - we find this with my DD who has ASD and OCD. Either a cool splash of water on the face, or a hot water bottle to snuggle. When my DSis was very ill she had a hot water bottle constantly with her as she found it really comforting.

So sorry you’re feeling this way. I’ve been there and needed meds to sort me out - which were an absolute godsend. Completely switched all the anxious internal monologue off. In the mean time, to calm your panic you can dip your face in a bowl of ice cold water. Does something to calm your nervous system and reset it. Focus on breathing exercises once you’re calmed down. Google square breathing, elongating your exhales longer than your inhales. All the best, you will get through this and be ok. It’s horrible when you’re in it but you will get better.

Do you exercise? If so run or walk fast enough that you can only think about your footfall and breathing. Acknowledge that you don't want to eat but then park that thought - it's fine, you're not going to starve overnight. With sleep, again acknowledge that it's tricky but rest if you can and if not keep the light on, have background TV on and scroll silly videos about hairstyles or whatever. You've got this. Ultimately, remember that in 12 hours it's the morning and today is over.

hey, do you think that maybe you are overthinking and the dread might be adding to the anxiety?

could we try and chat to you as a distraction?

if money and real life were suspended what would be your perfect holiday? who would you go with?