Anyone around for chat and tips to stop an anxiety spiral

[ConfusedOrca]

Is anyone around and able to offer any tips or a handhold to help me stop going down an anxiety spiral please? I don’t feel like I can speak to any friends and I’m stuck in a loop. I have had a few specific triggers today and I can feel the physical symptoms of anxiety and panic setting in and struggling to put a stop to it. I’m trying not to resort to unhelpful behaviours that I’ve done in the past like binge eating or reaching for a glass of wine which I know will just make it worse really.

Any tips would be great but also just mundane chat or anything grounding. I can’t go out anywhere at the moment as I’m home with DC otherwise I think I’d quite like to go for a walk in the fresh air.

Hello, I'm happy to chat for a bit if that would help?
Is there anything in particular you are worrying about that maybe we can give some perspective on?

Urgh that's rubbish for you. What is outside your door?

Thank you, I’m not sure chatting about the specifics would really help as it’s a variety of things and the more I think about it all the more I panic. I need to try to switch off from it somehow!

I mean can you get a sniff of outside?

I have a garden, I might try a wander round there

I heard a really interesting podcast the other day where someone recommended taking aloud, just narrating your movements or describing how you feel, because it forces the focus of your brain to the communication centres and stops the focus on the parts that are generating the anxious feelings. Might that be worth a try?

If you have flower beds, can you look for some weeds?

This is a great suggestion

Have a bath
Use some nice body lotion
Listen to your favourite music
Enjoy a hot drink
Look at the sky watch the clouds: look at the stars

I like to listen to a podcast or watch something that keeps my brain busy. The Battersea poltergeist is a good one on bbc sounds

Well in that case, before it gets dark maybe go and have a stomp in the garden. When I am spiralling badly I look out in the garden and try and describe as many things as I can. Helps me to try and focus.

Ok look for - 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.

Also really feel your feet on the ground and the ground beneath them.

Hope that helps a bit, take care. Oh! Sometimes eating something can help me if I’m anxious, so a slice of toast or similar.

I’ve tried reading my book but struggling to focus. I might try a podcast although as someone with an anxious disposition, I’m not sure a poltergeist story would suit me very well 😂 😂

Thanks I will try this

Ok I’m gonna try a stomp in the garden - maybe barefoot - and a look at the sky 👍

Think about things you can see, things you can hear and things you can smell. Have a stomp around and breathe.

Can you do something physical? Stick some music on (headphones if you don't want to wake DC) and dance? Do a workout video?

Or I find doing something with my hands (like baking, or painting, or cleaning) tends to make me feel better. Gardening is a good idea as PP suggested.

My mum swears water is the key to any emotional issue, so having a bath/shower, or drinking a cold glass of water.

Laughter is also a good trick because it should trigger oxytocin, which is a counter to those anxious feelings. ITVX, iPlayer and 4 online all have old classic comedy programmes, an old favourite might be worth a watch, especially something you haven't seen in a long time is always great for this.

In currently in therapy for health anxiety specifically but also have general anxiety so I completely sympathise with how you are feeling.

This sounds mad, but something I've been doing lately is saying out loud, "thank you brain, I know you are trying to help me but I don't need anxiety right now" and it weirdly helps! I never really find grounding techniques help me, but you could do the senses one, or my therapist recommended just saying things you can see out loud "i see a pink blanket" etc. I hope you feel better soon

As a huge anxiety sufferer, even though I find it hard to “start”, the best way to relieve tension from the body is exercise. I recommend picking a random YouTube video on deep stretches - it will release a lot of physical tension which in turn releases the mind!

Think about where in your body you feel the anxiety and name it, locate it.

Watch something super trashy or comforting. My go to is Friends, or absurd reality tv…

DS suffers from anxiety. He said the best advice he ever got from a counsellor was: 'How would non-anxious you react to this situation? What would anxiety-free you do?'

Then the counsellor encouraged him to try and behave in that way despite the chronic anxiety. He was surprised it helped but it did. Just realising that he had an idea of how an anxiety-free version of himself would behave was very reassuring to him and helped him cope.

Would that help you, OP?

I think part of the problem is that I’m very sleep deprived currently and I stupidly had a lot of caffeine today on an empty stomach and so I’ve been having palpitations on and off all day which is making me feel more jittery 😔 I really feel it in my chest

Carbs. Eat some

Eat something.

Also, breathing helps.
When you get anxious you tend to breathe out more quickly than you breathe in. If you consciously breath out for longer than you breath in then your body will come out of an anxiety response.

Well in a way that’s good because you know that that is part of the problem, and that will
pass. A bit like a hangover. It’s a physical reaction, that just needs time.

i would do some deep breathing, box breathing, for 5 minutes.. then get on the sofa with a mug of herbal tea and watch something super trashy