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

Lots of wonderful advice here.

I do cognitive shuffling, think of a word and then go through it letter by letter thinking of objects that begin with each one.
i can guarantee when I start doing this I cannot concentrate but just keep trying and eventually I am calmer without realising it.

I also listen to solfeggio tunes or binaural beats, these are best on headphones.
I like a YouTube account Michael Sealey, he has hypnosis tracks that calm me.
I also like the account Down To Sleep for really calming audiobooks.

well done asking for help. Those of us that know the feeling are always happy to help someone who needs it

Yes, you can ask for propranolol which is a blocker of adrenaline and will hopefully calm the racing heart, sick feeling, shakes

It won't stop your mind, but when your body is calm, that becomes easier to achieve yourself

Not addictive at all and very commonly prescribed, and work immediately.

Lovey, you don't need it.

It's just your fight or flight response missfiring because you are stressed. Fot acute situations propranolol can help, and trust me probably all of us on the thread have been in a position where we just want someone to give us something to make it stop, but knowledge and understanding is power and you can get through this. We are here to chat and guide you through.

What do you like to put on as a comfort, say if you had the flu and had to hole up in bed feeling rubbish for a day? I love the US Office, GBBO or Frasier, or a Disney Movie, or something trashy like MAFS 🤭 how about you?

I’ve been here very very recently and you’ve had some good suggestions re distraction, grounding techniques and breathing. I’d recommend all of these.

I was going to write about the 54321 grounding technique using your senses but someone beat me to it. In a similar vein, look around you and look for things you can see in the order of the rainbow. I like this as can do it in different rooms/ places. I was struggling in the dentist waiting room recently and this was a good distraction.

Im unable to walk far or exercise but even just sitting in nature instantly calms me especially if I add in some deep breaths, and a couple of the above grounding exercises.

A few other tools I use are meditation apps like calm or insight timer (there are specific meditations re calming your nervous system if you search them) a warm bath, rescue remedy, stroking my dog, writing down my thoughts, reaching out even via text to a friend in real life.

A therapist described it as a wave you just need to ride, know it will pass and you will get through this.

Oh, that is a relief. I know a little about anti-anxiolytics from some time ago but never really had to think about taking one myself.

With propanolol, can you drive? I am limiting what I do this week in an effort to get on top of this but i will need to go out

OP the only thing that helped me, before I saw my GP was a hypnotherapy app (Paul McKenna). I’d never used one before but was at my wits end. I signed up for a free trial and used it when I went to bed. Lights off, ear buds in. It really did seem to help. I really feel for you, it’s the most awful feeling. If it helps, my gp put me on Mirtazapine and from the first night of taking it, my anxiety/panic (nearly) went. It was like someone flicking a switch.
Hope this helps. Sending love x

I only have experience of diazepam and it can make me a little drowsy. Nothing terrible, but I only take a low dose (2-4mg).

I've never become addicted, but I am careful to only take it when I am feeling my very worst. I try everything else first.

Generally you'll never be prescribed more than a week's worth to avoid any addiction issues. So for me it's a crisis only drug. Not day to day.

At my worst, I would count from 1 to 10, then tell myself “well that’s 10 seconds nearer to feeling better.” And just repeat.

Yes you can.

It's not like diazepam or other sedative types.

You can take a very small amount, 10mg and see how it affects you and go up to 40 if needed.

You don't have to take it all the time for it to work - just as needed.

Hi OP, I suffer from generalised anxiety disorder and sometimes have these anxiety attacks where it is unmanageable and Genuinley makes me want to die. My inbox is open if you need a chat. It sounds silly but I use chat GPT to speak logically to me and it really does help calm me. I also use the 7-11 breathing technique. Breath in and hold for 7 seconds and breath out and hold for 11 seconds. Sending love, it won’t last forever xx

I have the calm App now. Just organising your suggestions into a plan for management helps. I don't know why this is, but typing this out and reading your kind, thoughtful and encouraging responses works better than youtube. Maybe because I feel seen?

Oh lord OP, you are amongst friends. We are all rooting for you and hope something works. I don't know if I should say this, but have you tried one of those drowsy anti histamines that help you sleep? I know you said you don't want anything to make you drowsy, but maybe when going to bed? Non prescription, not addictive, and widely available. I don't know if they will help your specific anxiety right now though.

I have Atrial Fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat, and honestly when I get a spike of it, it is exactly like a huge anxiety attack, heart racing, breathing all over the place etc. Terrifying! I have used a lot of the methods outlined already on the thread, and find the best is a cold shock, head in a bucket of water type of thing. Next is a brisk walk, even up and down the garden as fast as I can with a racing heart!, then a vagal manoeuvre, a big cough, or bear down as if constipated. It resets things (not always!) and things settle down. I know Afib is not what you are experiencing, but the sensations are very similar. This happens even though I'm on a high dose of Beta Blockers.

I hope you feel better very soon.

Read and listen to podcasts or audiobooks. That's my go-to. Romance novels got me through my son's surgery. Snuggle with a pet or human if you can. If you're struggling to sleep in bed, move to the sofa or a different room.

So sorry you’re going through this. I had a terrible bout of acute anxiety a few years ago. Luckily I was able to get some diazepam quickly. I found that listening to podcasts helped a bit (but probably not that much when most acute - tbh drugs really needed I think). I listened to the French and Saunders podcast in audible. I also started watching the TV show Ghosts which I really love. Hope you’re feeling better soon 💐

Yes, lots of us have felt like this at times, but eventually it passes. Everything is temporary in this life.

Keep typing on here if that helps. Type anything - you could write out the days of the week and months, literally anything. Silence can be difficult when you are feeling like this.
I sometimes use sleep stories on the calm app. This may sound very random but no matter your spiritual or religious affiliation, you may find it peaceful listening to recitations of the Quran on YouTube. Or search for meditations for anxiety.

You can do tonight OP, the time until your appointment is passing already.

Check out the Tapping Solution app for emotional freedom techniques (EFT) this can be excellent for anxiety.

So I use this technique called havening. It’s a stroking thing which is very soothing . There few videos here https://www.havening.org/

I also gave an emotional first aid script’this is my stress response. I can’t think clearly because my front brain is off line, I won’t feel better until my body is calmer. I can do breathing techniques (out breath longer than in) and havening to help sooth me. This feels yukky as my brain wants to fix the problem. But it’s not time yet’

Cuddling a soft toy helps me. Also something very simple like ironing. I put my hand on my heart and one on my tummy and rub gently.

also say ‘it feels like I am in danger but I am not’.

I also tell myself that people have been around for 1000s of years and there is absolutely nothing new and other humans have been in my situation

also ‘I am alive. This is being alive . Even though it feels yukky it means I am alice’

’in 6 months this will be something I’ve got through’

look up a video of belly breathing. Do it for 15 mins .

hold an ice cube

These are all such great suggestions, I’m going to save this thread!

I have generalised anxiety disorder, which I’m sure is ramped up by a disability meaning that I can’t exercise. But interestingly, some very gentle tidying eg in my bedroom, can help. Also knitting when I’m able. I suspect that repetitive movement helps.

My best remedies are probably listening to a really good audiobook, and having a slow, gentle shower. Doing some really unimportant admin, like going through old emails in my inbox, is also good.

Anxiety is like water, it will find a new way in wherever it can. It’s good to have a lot of tools at your disposal . Organising suggestions into a plan sounds brilliant. Wishing you well, @Tiddlysocks

Seconding tapping - also known as Emotional Freedom Technique. It works by dispersing adrenaline and cortisol. Here's a 3-minute routine to start with:

Ditto to lots of these suggestions - box breathing, I quite like being walked through it on a free podcast. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-breath-sessions/id1719097523?i=1000643802141

I like headspace app which I pay for for insomnia.

And have been on sertraline the last few months which I’ve found game changing. It’s an antidepressant which is also used for anxiety, it’s really helped my thoughts to spiral less.

if I’m frustrated I sometimes have a big clear out too, or organise drawers or something to get the angst out. Lots of great advice here, you’re in good company

Thanks again, you lovely lot. Feeling improved and going to attempt sleep with the calm App now.

Ah op I sm sorry you are going through this, it’s truly awful.
Propanolol definitely helps with the physical symptoms of anxiety, doesn’t make me sleepy.

I found EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique ) to be really helpful, its something practical to focus on and helps reduce the anxiety. There are loads on youtube. I try and post one for you if I can work out how to 🙈

Sorry didn’t realise someone had already suggested this. Good luck lovely.

Seresta or other benzo is the only thing that does it for me.

Hey, OP. Hope you're starting to feel better? Sounds like a lot of us on this thread have been where you are.
It'll pass soon. It will!