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

Diazepam goes out of your system quickly- not a sleeping pill but mildly sedative.

OP, you’ve done really well to reach out to us tonight - please continue to do so whenever you feel you need support. It’s a horrible thing to have.
in terms of a practical solution, I found having bubble baths (especially with Radox bubble bath) really helped calm me when I was suffering with severe anxiety a number of years ago. Ovaltine original always gave me a good nights sleep back then too.
Meditation helped as well - try to find a relaxing video on You Tube. Breathing exercises also.
Also the phrase “This too shall pass” instantly calms me for some reason! Also “You Got This!” 🙂
Much love OP 💖💐

I agree. Breathwork works for me. Nadi shodanah or alternate nostril breathing is what I find works best. It is also a favourite of Hilary Clinton and she knows a thing or two about stress. There are plenty of demo videos online. Stay strong OP.

Ring Samaritans 116123. They’ll listen to you and calm you.

play some games of terms online, it helps.

My husband hums. Long and low. The vibrations touch the vagus nerve which is part of the parasympathetic system. This means triggering it helps shift the body from ‘fight or flight’ into ‘rest and digest’. He also uses his hand to lightly beat a tune on his chest.

Firstly, this coming night does not matter in the grand scheme of things. So it doesn't matter if you're awake, asleep etc. If you don't sleep, you'll have a great sleep tomorrow night.

Now, you need to distract yourself. I've had anxiety for years so I would do some of the following:

A shit job you've put off. Toilet cleaning, bin emptying, cooker cleaning? Do that, with a podcast on. Shit job finished, sense of achievement, 30 minutes closer to the GP!

Clean the bathroom then immediately have a nice bath or shower and appreciate your work.

Watch the World Cup.

Watch a series you know really well. (The Detectorists cheers me up).

Cooking something tasty (e.g Millies cookies recipe)

Cooking something nutritious.

Sit in the dark in the garden with a cup of tea.

Write all your thoughts in ChatGPT.

Write out exactly what you want to tell the doctor, do you don't keep imagining that conversation.

Smiling (Even Forced): Physically forming a smile—even if you don't feel like it—activates facial muscles that signal the brain to release neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which help counteract stress.
Remember it will pass.

If your heart is racing, check your pulse at your wrist. Just think "yeah, that's a bit fast". (It won't hurt you).

Now breathe in sharply and hold your breathe. If you can hold it for more than about 4 seconds, you will feel your pulse rate drop.

Do that a few times and you'll feel more in charge.