How do you recover from an anxiety attack

[crochetmonkey74]

Hello wise ones
I suffer from anxious ocd (obsessive health anxiety thoughts of myself and loved ones)
Yesterday at work, a very horrible situation triggered it badly and I skirted the edges of a panic attack all day. It didn't quite develop into one but I feel absolutely shattered today. I didn't eat and had upset stomach all day (normal reaction for me)
It has abated slightly now, and I am managing to challenge my thoughts better. I just wanted a but of solidarity really and advice from any of you about what you do to sort of gently recover in the following few days.

Sorry to hear you're not in the best. When I used to get panic attacks, I just had to take to my bed to wait for the adrenaline to dissipate. Unfortunately not an option for a lot of people most of the time. I hope you feel better soon 💐

thank you!

I can go to bed straight after work and have a regroup- just lying and resting helps me too - and a bit of a retreat from the world.
Am having lots of hot drinks at work today and it is slowly improving - but it is so draining!

Propranolol was the only thing for me until I started weight training. Too many days are wasted recovering from our own bodies overreacting to some perceived threat.

Horrible thing to be at the mercy of.

It really is. You're constantly living on your nerves, looking out for threats that aren't there. It's very hard to cope with when you're working - I got the point where I couldn't physically focus on my screen, I just kept looking around almost expecting someone to jump out at me! It was not fun!

Sorry to hear you’ve had a horrible time of it yesterday.

Sleep if you feel able, rest if not. Going to bed and just relaxing sounds great for today - I find a familiar book on an audiobook works brilliantly for this for me. I don’t need to be looking at a screen and can just relax and if I fall asleep it doesn’t matter! I probably wouldn’t do this straight after work necessarily for me - as I’d risk then waking up in the middle of the night having skipped dinner and then not sleep for the rest of the night thus feeling even worse the next day.

Food - something comforting, easy and nutritious. Chicken soup is one of my go to options, I try and buy one with lots of veg in or I had some spinach as it’s cooking to up the nutrients. An easy pasta dish I can just make on the hob works well too. If my stomach is still upset, sticking to things that I know work well for me is key.

Drinks - not too much caffeine, herbal teas , lots of water, a smoothie if I can’t face chewing food.

Nice warm bath or shower - helps with muscle tension and the aching I get after being very tense for a long time. Massage from DH is often requested - especially head, shoulders and feet. If he’s away I’ll do some facial massage on my self and I’ve got a massage pad for my shoulders which is bliss.

It sounds counter-intuitive but exercise (either a run or a fast walk) calms me down after a bad anxiety episode. Not sure whether it’s the deep breathing it forces me to do or the endorphins it releases but it helps a lot.

It's also a great idea as it's easy to fall into the trap of becoming housebound.

Sorry to hear that OP. I find getting in bed in the dark really helps, if you have a weighted blanket even better. Avoid anything like TV or stuff that’s over stimulating.
If the weather is nice where you are, going outside in the sun and just sitting doing absolutely nothing is also very relaxing.
Long term, antidepressants really helped me too (I know it’s not for everyone though)

There’s a book called ‘when panic attacks’. Very logical and useful. Also have some breath work or guided meditations on your phone to take time out. Also do those daily. Also be gentle with yourself. Exercise and eating well are also good

Colouring in book, one of those adult ones, or just doodling. And while I'm doing it I try to write a list of what I am grateful for. If I'm past being able to do this the 5 things I can see, 4 things I can feel, 3 things I can hear, 2 things I can smell, 1 thing I can taste usually works. Then reading a book, watching a safe, comforting programme and early to bed usually helps. But at some point I have to reassess what triggered me and think through it or I'll still have that pit in my stomach.
Music is also really useful for me, but I have some piano music, nothing with words.

Do you know who the author is? Thanks

Deep breaths - more deep breaths - keep going with the deep breaths.

I also find getting outside in the fresh air grounding. I head for grass, trees or water if there’s any close by.

Lay off the coffee. Even that tiny amount of stimulation is too much for me when my adrenaline is already running high.

Talking helps too. Even if I can just vent about the bad work situation/git colleague that triggered you. It just helps release the pressure building up inside.

I had the swear word colouring book 😂

I’ve had panic attacks whilst driving after an accident I was in. I’ve now spent years afraid of another attack and avoid driving a lot.
i really recommend “DARE” a book/approach to anxiety so you don’t live in fear of another anxiety attack and manage them if or when they come.

Also agree exercise and nature are the best tonics.

I've recently started taking propranolol and it's been a game changer for me. It doesn't help with my anxiety as such, it just stops the the "panic/anxiety" attack feelings in their tracks.

Anxiety and panic attacks I used to get a lot as a teenager. I just recall chilling out with camomile tea, something nice to eat and reading or watching something relaxing.

What also helped me was breathing into a paper bag. And when it was explained to me that adrenaline eg if you use it in an emergency eg to lift a car off a baby (road accident) that’s a good way for adrenaline to be used but in a panic attack your body and mind is flooded with adrenaline but you don’t need it, but your mind and body think they do need it.

I wish I’d known about yoga but when I started aerobics in my late teens I think that helped a lot as my adrenaline was channelled there.

Luckily from age 20 onwards I didn’t get panic attacks or anxiety attacks (until last year!) so I was very very lucky.

I think the advice is, tricky as it sounds, not to go to bed. You need to ride it out to prove you can. Google NHS and panic and perhaps self refer to IAPT for panic disorder/anxiety. It's very common.

I really can’t remember which isn’t helpful. I have my copy away years ago as it was super useful at the time and a friend was in need. There was also this book which was useful

I had these very frequently and quite severely about 15 years ago. Usually triggered by being in noisy and crowded places but anything could bring them on really.

Learning about the science behind why you have one is good. It helped me to inderstand what was going on in my body

Secondly, and appreciate this won’t work for everyone and I was very young at the time and little was known about panic back then, but I forced myself to face my fear. I made myself go in to crowded places regularly. It was absolutely horrendous at first but it worked after a while. I had convinced my nervous system that there was no threat.

When I could feel one coming on, I would say soothing things to myself (in my head if I was around other people) just pick one comforting phrase

Look up the 3, 4, 5 breath as well. This calms down your nervous system.

Appreciate the above is more about how not to have an attack in the first place rather than recovering from one but I have not had a full on panic attack in well over a decade, despite going through some of the most stressful times of my life in that period. If I feel one coming, I can actually tell it to fuck off angrily in my head and it usually works.

I took the OP to be asking about how to recover from the physical after effects of an earlier anxiety attack, not how to manage a current / ongoing panic or anxiety attack.

Edit - I realise this sounded a bit mean and sarcastic - the advice on managing a current panic attack is helpful, but having a restful time to cope with the hangover of a panic attack is not necessarily a bad thing.

Also, this. Sometimes, wrapping yourself in too much cotton wool can make things worse for you in the long run. As can avoiding specific situations.
I have many friends with anxiety and they tell they don’t want to do something if they are anxious about it. My rule is, if it makes me anxious then I have to do it. I’ve gotten over so many fears this way.

I'm confused, did you stop the propranolol because you were weight training? Is there a risk?

I'm another one who likes a good walk, gets the old heart pumping which weirdly calms me down.

Hope you're alright OP, anxiety really is shitty!