Calming down anxiety quickly

[Marmitemyway]

Got myself in a tizz again always go when a big event is happening
as usual almost self sabotaging - I know the cbt strategies just get them to work for me all the time
this time by DC is heading to uni taken 3 days hols to help them pack / organise and drive them there. Thing is I now have anxiety that I am gonna to get covid. I know most don’t care but I have ocd on harming people so to me it’s a big deal. I think i am imagining sore throat twinges and tiredness / nausea, uneasiness etc as signs i have it when infact they’re all also signs I get when I’m really anxious and adrenaline kicks in
i know I’m on my fight and flight response as I’m googling instead of packing, finding it hard to get motivated and
seeming reassurance and catastrophising
I am determined not to feed the ocd and test when there are really no signs just need ways people calm down. I just went for s run this hasn’t really helped

Have you tried the Headspace app? You can do 14 days free trial. They have an anxiety pack which talks you through meditation and concentrating on your breathing which can be very useful. Medito app does similar - and is free.

@Stroopwaffels ive tried headspace and calm but will try medito
thanls

Box breathing

Breathe in for 4
Hold for 4
Breathe out for 4
Hold for 4

I do a similar breathing exercise to the one suggested by @StBrides , the only difference being that the last 2 steps are 1-2 seconds longer than the first two.
While doing this I listen to sound apps (waves etc., binaural beats, isochronic) or work on accupressure points for anxiety. I've also recently tried tapping - if you google it there are videos on YouTube.

Sometimes the only thing I can do is take a beta blocker and lie down, do all of the above, and wait for it to pass, which can take minutes or hours.

Take care of yourself.

Breathing.

The 5 things you can see, 4 hear, 3 touch, 2 smell, 1 taste thing.

For DD we do Animal alphabet: Aardvark, Bison, Coypu, Degu, Elephant, Fox ...

How are you today @Marmitemyway

If I know there is going to a rough period coming up, I plan in lots mindful activity that I know calms me down. For me this is,

Paint by numbers, lego sets, weeding the garden, cleaning out a drawer, catch up with a good trusted friend, walk in a green space.

I know when anxiety and stress get overwhelming, I need to do more practice at calming my body, so regular breaks from work, eat well, doing regular stretches, limit social media and doom scrolling.

If I'm having an attack, sucking on an extra strong mint as a grounding exercise, going barefoot outside, box breathing and muscle scrunching work for me - insight timer is a free app with meditation exercises on which work for me.

Good luck, living with anxiety sucks, but it isn't forever, it will pass.

I find distraction techniques can be a helpful.

A real simple one is alphabet room, as I call it. Take a few minutes to sit calmly. Then look for an object in the room than begins with A... Then look for one that begins with B... Then C... And so on. Just persevere as long as you can. I find this helps particularly with panic attacks.

I also find mindfullness and touch exercises useful for low level constant anxiety. Everytime you touch something, just use your inner monologue to describe how it feels to yourself - texture, firmness, hot, cold...

A last one that I also find helpful is being kind to yourself. When you make a mistake, forget something, mess up, burn dinner - don't beat yourself up, just tell yourself it is ok to make mistakes, it is ok for things not to be perfect, it doesn't make you a bad person - be kind to yourself.

Hope these help you too. GL