0:07

Welcome to the Anxiety Coaches Podcast,

0:09

a relaxing and informative show where

0:12

we explore anxiety, panic, and PTSD,

0:14

sharing how you can overcome them

0:16

for life. Aloha,

0:24

welcome back to the Anxiety

0:26

Coaches Podcast. I'm your

0:28

host and coach Gina Ryan, and

0:30

I am so happy to be

0:32

with you again today as together

0:35

we can consider the many

0:37

ways to bring your mind

0:39

and body back to its

0:41

natural peace and calm. In

0:43

today's episode, I want to talk about

0:46

preventing panic attacks with this

0:48

process. If

0:51

you are like most people,

0:54

I know that you have felt overwhelmed

0:56

or worried about issues in your life

0:59

and that those issues have

1:01

worked out. They didn't take you

1:03

down the wormhole. You were able

1:06

to just deal with what was

1:08

happening, even the most stressful things,

1:10

and then come back to just

1:13

your normal self. Your

1:15

nervous system went into fight or flight,

1:17

took care of what it needed to,

1:20

and then you came out of fight

1:22

or flight back into

1:25

your parasympathetic nervous system, and all

1:27

was well. Well, and

1:30

that is the normal way,

1:32

but it's also likely that

1:34

you felt overwhelmed or worried

1:36

about issues, and

1:39

some of those issues got

1:42

you to a place where you were

1:44

unable to relax and

1:46

find yourself back into

1:49

your default of

1:52

parasympathetic nervous system. You

1:54

stayed in fight or flight, and

1:58

we get there sometimes. by

2:00

overthinking everything. You may

2:03

be feeling the effects of extreme stress,

2:06

maybe unrelenting stress. And

2:09

if those things are happening, you may

2:11

be heading for the anxiety wormhole. This

2:14

stress can continue to build until

2:17

you feel panic rising up. And

2:20

panic attacks, like other forms

2:22

of stress and worry, can

2:25

result in negative consequences

2:27

for us physically and

2:29

emotionally. And you know, if

2:32

you are listening to this show, that

2:34

this level of stress can also

2:37

wear on our relationships. That's

2:40

why I wanted to take a look today at

2:42

a few steps that you can

2:44

take to remind you

2:47

that you can feel calmer

2:49

and keep yourself from progressing

2:52

into a full-blown panic attack

2:55

and then trip down the wormhole. So

2:58

let's think about how we can do this.

3:01

We know that we

3:03

are able to handle a lot

3:06

of stress in our lives because we do and

3:08

we have in the past. So

3:10

we can do it again. Even

3:13

if you find yourself in the

3:16

cycle of fear, adrenaline,

3:18

fear, where we are

3:21

just feeding it round and around,

3:23

you can break it and

3:25

you can find yourself in

3:28

a new default, which is

3:31

going into stress

3:33

and anxiety and

3:36

then finding yourself back out of

3:38

it again. Anxiety

3:40

is not uncommon in life.

3:42

Many people experience it, but

3:45

we only quote have anxiety or

3:48

have anxiety

3:50

slash panic when

3:52

we continue to live in

3:55

that fear, adrenaline, fear cycle.

3:58

So let's see what we can do. do to break

4:01

the cycle or to keep ourselves out

4:03

of it altogether. First

4:06

off, we want to be able

4:08

to be honest with ourselves and

4:11

admit that we are

4:13

starting to panic or that

4:15

we're feeling this kind of stress

4:18

rising in us that may

4:20

feel overwhelming. So

4:23

we want to always stay present

4:25

with how we're feeling. Don't

4:28

sweep your feelings and your emotions

4:30

under the carpet. We

4:32

want to stay on top of them. We

4:34

don't have to indulge them. We

4:37

can just see what's happening

4:39

and assess where we are

4:41

at. And as soon

4:43

as you start to panic

4:45

or feel that the stress

4:47

is becoming overwhelming, think

4:50

about the sensations that you

4:53

are experiencing. And

4:55

I want you to think about this. Do

4:58

you feel out of control? Is

5:01

that the feeling that's coming up? Do

5:03

you feel like things are just happening

5:05

to you, that you are a victim,

5:07

that you can't take care

5:09

of what needs to be taken care

5:12

of? In other words, do

5:14

you feel out of control? Let's

5:16

look at some physical symptoms. Do you

5:19

feel like your chest is tight?

5:22

Or does the thought go through your

5:24

head that maybe, oh my God, maybe I'm

5:26

having a heart attack, right? That kind of

5:29

pressure in the chest, right around

5:31

the center of the chest or the

5:33

heart area, does that feel tight? How

5:37

is your breathing? Do you

5:39

feel breathless and dizzy? Do

5:42

you feel like you can't quite take

5:44

a deep breath or a complete breath?

5:47

Or do you feel dizzy,

5:49

almost vertical like, but just kind

5:51

of off balance? Do

5:54

you feel like you have a lump in your throat?

5:57

These are all common. symptoms

6:00

that we might experience

6:03

as stress is rising in us.

6:06

We don't have to be in a panic

6:08

attack to be feeling these feelings. This

6:11

can be the feeling we get, or

6:14

these can be the feelings we get, when

6:17

stress is beginning to build

6:19

inside of us. It's

6:22

important to be honest with ourselves

6:25

that we are actually feeling these

6:28

feelings. And

6:30

openly admit that we are starting

6:32

to head toward the

6:35

wormhole, or we are

6:37

starting to feel like

6:39

we are going to panic. You'll

6:43

likely discover that these sensations

6:45

are the worst thing that

6:47

will happen. You've already

6:50

experienced the worst. You

6:53

just have to be patient

6:55

until these sensations subside.

6:59

So you've already felt the worst.

7:01

Try to remember that when

7:04

you're feeling these sensations, the tight

7:06

chest, the feeling

7:08

out of control, or breathless, or even

7:10

sweaty palms, whatever

7:12

your particular physical

7:14

sensations might be. Remember

7:18

that you are already

7:20

experiencing the worst that

7:22

will happen. But

7:24

in our mind, in our anxious

7:26

mind, and our amygdala's

7:28

attempt to get us to safety,

7:31

we think we are headed for

7:34

a catastrophe. What

7:36

we need to do here is just

7:39

to be patient, relax

7:41

as best we can our physical

7:44

body, which we do have

7:46

some control over relaxing willfully,

7:51

and be patient until these

7:54

sensations subside. While

7:56

these symptoms feel terrible, I want you

7:59

to be patient. to understand

8:01

that you're not in

8:03

any real danger. Admitting

8:05

and accepting the sensations

8:07

of a panic attack

8:09

are the first step in

8:12

actually calming down. Close

8:16

your eyes and imagine the

8:18

softest most luxurious fabric against

8:20

your skin. That's the feeling

8:23

you get when you experience

8:25

cozy earth. When I first

8:27

touched their loungewear, it

8:29

was like a moment of pure

8:31

indulgence. The breathability of the viscose

8:33

from bamboo and the elegance of

8:35

100% mulberry silk

8:37

redefine comfort. By supporting our

8:40

sponsors, you are supporting us.

8:42

So visit cozyearth.com and use

8:44

promo code ACP for 35%

8:48

off. What sets Cozy Earth

8:50

apart is the quality and

8:53

overall well-being it brings into

8:55

your life. Cozy Earth crafts

8:57

each piece with precision

8:59

from loungewear and pajamas to

9:01

bedding and accessories. This Valentine's

9:03

Day, give the gift of

9:05

luxury. Cozy Earth's products come

9:08

with a 10-year warranty ensuing

9:10

lasting comfort and satisfaction. Whether

9:12

it's for your partner, friends,

9:14

or treat for yourself, Cozy

9:16

Earth is the perfect gift

9:19

for anyone you want to

9:21

shower with a little extra

9:23

love this Valentine's Day. Experience

9:25

the joy of comfort with

9:28

Cozy Earth. Cozy Earth is

9:30

providing an exclusive offer for

9:32

my listeners. Visit cozyearth.com for

9:34

35% off site-wide when you use

9:38

the code ACP. That's

9:41

cozyearth.com with promo code

9:44

ACP for 35% off.

9:49

The second part that I want

9:51

you to remember is to learn

9:53

how to relax during a

9:55

panic attack. Like I

9:57

said, we do have some control

10:01

over our muscles,

10:03

our physical body, willfully.

10:05

Now I know it

10:07

sounds impossible to

10:09

learn how to relax during a panic

10:11

attack, but it's not. Regardless

10:15

of where you might be, I want

10:18

you to try to focus on

10:20

your breathing and

10:22

relaxing the tense and tight

10:24

area in your body during

10:27

a panic attack. So

10:30

if you're in a safe place and

10:32

you're not driving, allow

10:35

your eyelids to gently close

10:37

as you inhale and exhale

10:42

a little bit slower. I want

10:46

you to concentrate as much as

10:49

you can on the exhalation,

10:51

just letting it be longer

10:54

and slower

10:57

than your inhalation. And if

10:59

you can relax your belly, your

11:03

inhale will take care of itself

11:05

by going deeper as your

11:07

exhale was longer and slower.

11:09

It gives the lungs the

11:11

idea that they need to

11:13

fill up more and go

11:16

deeper. And going

11:18

deeper is the important part

11:20

here, because this stimulates the

11:23

vagus nerve, which sends the

11:25

message to our brain

11:28

that all is

11:30

well. This

11:32

stimulates the parasympathetic nervous

11:34

system, the peace and

11:37

calm side of our nervous system. So

11:40

try to inhale

11:42

and exhale slowly, again

11:45

with your concentration on

11:47

the exhale. Try

11:50

to avoid thinking about anything other

11:52

than using your diaphragm to

11:55

fill and empty your lungs,

11:57

letting your belly relax. This

12:01

will cause your breath to go

12:03

deeper naturally. If

12:07

you happen to be driving, which happens

12:09

quite often when panic and high

12:12

stress levels arise, if you

12:15

are driving the car, when

12:18

the panic occurs, bring the

12:20

vehicle to a safe step.

12:23

You can pull over until

12:25

you get the hang of this process. Then you

12:27

will be able to do it when you are

12:29

driving. Sands the closing

12:32

your eyes. We

12:34

will keep our eyes open when we are driving.

12:38

Bring the car over to the side

12:41

of the road and stop if you have to. When

12:44

you have learned this, like I said, you

12:46

will be able to do this more automatically

12:48

and be able to do it while you are

12:50

driving. But acknowledge

12:52

and release the stress that has pent

12:54

up in your body. Let

12:58

it go and then do the first

13:00

thing that we talked about with

13:04

the breathing. Letting

13:07

our diaphragm do the filling

13:09

and the emptying of the lungs by

13:12

exhaling longer

13:15

and slower. Continue

13:19

to focus on this belly breathing

13:22

until you can feel that the

13:25

sensations of the stress and panic

13:28

are gone. When

13:30

you feel the calm come back and

13:33

you feel centered and in control

13:35

again, you will know that

13:38

the panic has subsided. And

13:41

I want to tell you that full

13:43

blown panic attacks always

13:45

pass. They

13:47

always subside. You just

13:50

have to wait for it. And

13:53

here is the deal. You have

13:55

to wait for it without

13:57

feeding the anxiety. You

14:00

have to wait for it, knowing

14:02

that it will calm down again

14:05

and without adding more story to

14:08

continue the panic and

14:10

continue the stress. And

14:14

the third point I want to mention here

14:17

is to reduce your stress.

14:19

This is so important. Determine

14:23

the cause of stress and worry in

14:25

your life. We need

14:28

to spend time looking at this, get

14:30

your journals out and look

14:33

at where does my stress

14:36

and worry come from and seek

14:39

ways to reduce your stress

14:41

levels by incorporating

14:43

healthy strategies to deal

14:45

with the anxiety. By

14:49

decreasing our overall stress

14:51

levels, we can

14:53

dramatically reduce the frequency and

14:56

the severity of panic attacks.

14:59

This is so very important

15:02

and so many times this is

15:04

not taken into account. We

15:07

cannot continue living a life

15:10

that is so overwhelming

15:13

and stressful and

15:15

expect to overcome our anxiety

15:17

panic. We need

15:19

to make these changes. And

15:22

actually our body and mind

15:24

are begging for these changes

15:27

and this is the way the body and

15:29

mind speak to us is

15:32

through this level of

15:34

panic and stress. It's letting you

15:37

know something is not working. And

15:40

so I want you to take a

15:42

look if you can determine the causes

15:44

of stress and worry in your

15:47

life you will be able

15:49

to start making some changes. Healthy

15:53

ways to deal with stress include

15:56

adopting a balanced diet

15:58

and getting adequate diet

16:02

and sleep are often overlooked.

16:05

Please pay attention to

16:07

your diet and don't even

16:10

ask me if you can have caffeine

16:13

because if you are at the level

16:15

of stress that has got

16:17

you having panic attacks you

16:20

have to understand that drinking

16:23

caffeinated beverages is like sipping

16:25

and stress hormones. You

16:28

are introducing those hormones from

16:30

the outside in and you

16:32

already have enough going on. Cut

16:35

them out, cut them out completely

16:37

and then find

16:40

other ways and places in your

16:42

diet where you may be having

16:44

stress happening. Meaning you could be

16:46

eating foods that you are allergic

16:48

to or foods that your body

16:50

is not tolerating well. See if

16:52

you can identify those. An

16:55

adequate rest and sleep we

16:57

talk about that here on many

16:59

many a podcast so make sure

17:01

that you are getting adequate rest.

17:03

That means between seven and nine

17:05

hours of sleep and more

17:07

toward the nine. See if you can

17:10

get enough rest. Regular

17:12

exercise will also help you to

17:14

reduce your stress and all

17:17

kinds of exercise everything from running

17:21

and training to

17:23

qigong and tai chi and

17:26

yoga and always add

17:28

a meditation practice to your

17:30

life. This can help you

17:32

to release stress and

17:35

it can also help you to

17:37

build your

17:40

stable place in

17:42

your parasympathetic nervous system

17:45

so that you don't need to flip

17:47

into the

17:49

sympathetic nervous systems of

17:51

stress and anxiety. As

17:55

often you will have a base that

17:57

will help to keep you calm.

18:00

and peaceful and secure and

18:02

able to take on more

18:05

more easily. So the meditation is

18:07

really got to be a piece

18:10

of your stress

18:12

reduction program. Experiencing

18:15

the symptoms that I talked about

18:17

of panic attack can be very

18:20

upsetting and actually painful. And

18:23

I hope that you realize that these three

18:25

steps that we talked about, admitting

18:28

that you're starting to panic

18:30

and finding your way to

18:33

stay in touch with those feelings. Number

18:36

two, learning how to relax

18:38

during the panic attack. And

18:40

number three, reducing your stress.

18:42

These can all help you to learn

18:45

to relax and

18:47

regain your composure whenever the

18:49

panic starts to arise. And

18:51

remember, the more you reduce

18:54

your stress and learn how

18:56

to relax, the less you're

18:58

going to ever even head

19:00

toward panic. And now

19:03

for today's quote. Smile,

19:10

breathe and go slowly.

19:12

And that's from Thich Nhat Hanh.

19:15

I'll be back in a few more days

19:17

with another podcast. Until then, be well

19:20

and aloha. Thanks

19:24

so much for joining us

19:26

for today's episode of the

19:28

Anxiety Coaches podcast. Find more

19:30

information at the anxietycoachespodcast.com