How To Stop An Anxiety Attack

If you’re reading this, it’s likely because you suffer from anxiety attacks or care about someone who does. The term anxiety attack is often used interchangeably with “panic attack”, though technically they are different things. Anxiety is an ongoing sense of nervousness, whereas a panic attack is an onset of physical symptoms.

That said, anxiety attacks (and panic attacks) often have unpleasant physical symptoms and can become greatly debilitating in day to day life. If you’ve ever suffered through one before, you likely want to avoid going through more in the future. Thankfully, there are lots of ways you can combat anxiety.

In-the-Moment Techniques

Here are some techniques you can try as the panic or anxiety first starts to come on.

Breathing Techniques. For instance, you might start with alternate nostril breathing, which many people use to reduce anxiety and relax the body and mind. You might also have success with holding your breath and counting to five or ten.
Find Your Happy Place. It’s a cliche, but it is so often invoked for a reason – it helps. If your environment is triggering your anxiety, stop for a moment. Close your eyes and picture yourself somewhere you find relaxing. Try to escape from the present moment for a period of time.
Observe Your Environment. Inversely to the last technique, you may find yourself too centered on your own thoughts. Here you can try to pay close attention to everything going on around you – the sights, the sounds, the smells. Try to exist in the present moment and accept it for what it is.

Lifestyle Changes

One way to support your mental health is to support your physical health. The two are closely linked. You should try to get some exercise – around 30 minutes, at least three times a week. Eat well-balanced meals and practice good sleep routines.
Try to cut back on unhealthy habits like drinking or substance abuse, overuse of caffeine and soda, or unhealthy meals.

Treatment

A more long-term solution is finding treatment for your anxiety. Fortunately, there are lots of options ranging from antidepressant medications to ketamine infusions.

Ketamine infusions are a relatively new treatment, although ketamine has been used for anesthesia and pain relief for decades.

Ketamine Treatment for Anxiety

Research indicates that ketamine treats anxiety disorders by binding to receptors in the brain, increasing the amount of the neurotransmitter glutamate being released. This sets off a chain reaction in the brain that affects thinking and emotional regulation.

This means, in layman’s terms, that the brain reacts to ketamine infusions in a way that triggers hormones that help the brain create more positive emotions. Unlike other treatments, ketamine can provide this relief within hours or days of the first infusion, although it is most successful as a series of infusions.

How To Stop An Anxiety Attack