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

[Tiddlysocks]

I need urgent, simple advice to get through the night, please. I am by nature not an anxious person. This just means anxiety doesn't usually stay with me. I deal with it and it goes. However, due to a highly stressful situation over the last 6 weeks, my anxiety has increased to almost unmanageable, and i need simple, usable tips to just get through tonight. I am seeing a GP tomorrow.

At the moment, I cannot calm myself. I feel like I am constantly on the edge of a panic attack and i cannot get rid of it. I cannot switch off my thoughts, which is unbearable, I cannot eat. I cannot bear to just use google, which makes no sense. Just typing here is calming a little.

Please help

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?

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Thank you all so very, very much. The exercise for once did not help, but is usually helpful. The cold ich water I am going to try. I am so sorry to ask for your help, because it means you have also been here like this.

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

Hope you're feeling better soon...x

Start with a shower, not a bath. Find any nice things you have but save and use them - soap, shampoo, a deep conditioner, anything. Then top to toe in moisturisers, serums, treatments, anything you have loafing about no matter how basic. Take the time to dry your hair / style it if you don't usual bother.

Change your bedding if you can, a nice clean bed helps me a bit.

A mix of keeping busy, self care, moving about will all distract you for a while and set you up for rest.

Shower, duvet, easy TV

Just others talking about their day helps. I had some people to talk to about themselves today, which was great, but the anxiety is just like a massive ball in my chest right now and i just can barely think. There better be some good medicines for this!

Something that helps me is watching something that I’ve seen hundreds of times before - an old tv series
one bad night I just binge watched the inbetweeners and it really dialled the anxiety down

It’s ok OP, happy to be in a position now to help someone else going through it. It doesn’t feel like it now but one day you’ll be able to help someone in the same way, knowing what being in a state of near constant panic feels like. I was prescribed Sertraline and felt a different in a matter of weeks. Was like someone had just switched the over thinking anxious part of my brain off. I stayed on it for 6 months and then tapered off and I’m better now. But I’m glad to know if it ever happens again that there is medication I can go back to if needed. You’ll get through it.

I find exercising it off can help. If you don't feel you can leave your home, could you run on the spot or put on some music and dance it off? The physical sensation of anxiety is your fight or flight kicking in with nothing to flee and no one to fight, so you have all this unused adrenaline that could use an outlet.
I find this better than forcing myself to try and relax as this makes the body still and allows the mind to run which makes me worse.

Have you tried square breathing?

Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4, hold for 4. Use a smaller number if you can't manage 4.

It works for some but not for others.

Do you think you can manage a hot drink? Camomile tea is a good one for me, or some water. Is there a youtuber you like to watch and can get a little comfort from? Any music that takes you to a different place? Sit and & breathe deeply.

I'll make this simple so your energy isn't taken up reading. Fellow unbearable anxiety sufferer. Tried and tested methods:

• Running/walking fast enough to match your anxious heart rate for a sustained period e.g 10-15mins or as long as tolerated.

• Box breathing - in for 4, hold for 3, out for 7. Forn AT LEAST 2mins. Use as needed (most useful for me)

• somatic exercises: this one particularly

• face in cold water

• low humming, again for at least a few mins but 5mins best. Surprisingly helpful.

• talking to someone if you can but not ruminating.

And a little reminder. This IS NOT forever. I guarantee you that my friend xxx

Also reading a book, something you can lose yourself in and concentrate on that rather than. The anxiety.

This, but I use 5. And you must focus all your attention on the action of breathing.

Oh, love you, I know the feeling... 🤗

Excellent advice here already. Personally, I have a stash of beta blockers for these situations, and if you're seeing your GP, maybe discuss these?

But otherwise, I'd say don't try to fight it or say 'I must control this anxiety!' Just let it tick along and be what it is, like a weather system passing over. It's a normal human state and we don't need to 'conquer' it.

Distract, accept, and know that even if you don't eat or sleep tonight, you can manage well enough. You don't have to be perfect.

😍

Exercise really helps, brisk walk or run or swim.

it tricks your body into thinking that you’ve run away from the danger.

breathing really really also helps too.

a) breathing through your nose. Whilst walking, sleeping anything.

b) in for 4, hold for 4 out for 4 hold for 4

c) in for 4 hold for 6, out for 8. Out breath longer than the in.

calming your breathing rate down to 5 - 6 breaths a minute physically calms your fight or flight system. If you have a watch that records this it’s helpful (my garmin has breathing exercises on it to do.)

slow breathing through the nose while exercising is also extremely effective.

Started the humming, next box breathing. Please keep.posting or chatting. I am feeling relief