Tips For Getting An Anxiety Attack Under Control

Any one who has experienced an anxiety or panic attack knows just how frightening it can be.
Almost everyone will experience some sort of an anxiety attack in their lifetime.  For most people this occurs infrequently and the sufferer can usually bring the attack under control.   Or the situation that causes the attack changes for the better or for the worse and then you deal with it.
The problem is when panic attacks recur and recur.  In my case there was obvious trigger and the panic attacks lasted for over a year before hospitalizing me where Doctors found the right combination of medication to bring me back to a normal state of life.

So what are some of the symptoms of a panic or anxiety attack
light headedness
dizziness
sweaty
heart palpitations
upset stomach
diarrhea
dry mouth
sweaty palms
vomiting
and many more

These symptoms can last for a few seconds, to several hours to days on end.

So what to do during a panic attack

1) Breathe in through your nose and then out slowly through your mouth. As you exhale release the air and try to hear a whistling sound.  I found the whistling sound actually quite soothing.
A panic attack increases the heart rate and this type of breathing helps slow things down and bring your body rhythm back to normal.  By the way I found the old breathe into a brown paper bag method completely useless.

2) Try holding your breath for 30 seconds or more and then slowly release the air.

3) If the weather is nice for for a one hour brisk walk.  If you can jog so much the better.
This not only takes your mind off the attack and the situation causing the anxiety but it also counters hyperventilation.  The distance you go does not matter.  Go as far as you can and each day increase the distance a little more.   I am now up to jogging 8 kilometres a day but when I started I only managed one kilometre.   The added benefit to controlling anxiety.  Jogging or walking just simply makes you look and feel better.

4) Breathe deeply from your diaphragm.  This is a special type of breathing that goes deep into your diaphragm.  The out breath must be longer than the in breath. This causes stimulation of the part of nervous system responsible for relaxation.   Google diaphragm breathing on the internet or go to a health clinic and get a doctor to show you how.
Don't get discouraged if you don't get it right the first time.  Deep diaphragm breathing takes practise and time to really get it right.

How to Activate Your Diaphragm to Improve Breathing and Performance

 It is usually assumed that respiratory muscle performance is ample for most people undertaking endurance sports like cycling. However, studies have shown that in some cases performance can be improved by suitable respiratory training. In my own experience, many people could also benefit from some simple exercises to improve activation of the diaphragm, because when performing at a high intensity, the ability to supply oxygen and remove waste product via respiration will affect your performance no matter how much strength work you have done previously.

The diaphragm is a huge, dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of the rib cage.Although it is used 24/7, it goes largely unnoticed (unless you get hiccoughs). When the diaphragm contracts, in conjunction with the intercostal muscles, it lowers the pressure in the thoracic cavity. This enables air to enter the lungs. When breathing out, the diaphragm relaxes along with the intercostal muscles, allowing air to leave. Air may be forced out faster by increasing abdominal pressure using the tranverse abdominis muscle.

The diaphragm also has an important role in stabilizing the core. It forms the top of the core ‘box,’ working with the internal and external obliques, quadratus lumborum, pelvic floor, and transverse abdominus. The diaphragm has multiple origins from the inner surfaces of the seventh through twelfth ribs, medial parts of the L1 to L3 vertebral bodies, the anterior longitudinal ligament, posterior surface of the xiphoid process, and the arcuate ligament, connecting to the aorta, psoas, and QL to insert in the central tendon. To put it simply, a strong box needs a secure lid and hence the importance of the diaphragm in core stabilization.

In spite of the diaphragm’s importance in respiratory effectiveness and stabilization of the core, I would estimate that in my experience approximately half of the adult population does not recruit this muscle properly at the beginning.

When we breathe, this dome-shaped muscle contracts allowing a reduced pressure in the upper body so that air may enter the lungs and provides tension across the top of the abdominal area. As we breathe in, we should see the stomach rise slightly as the dome contracts and compresses the abdominal space. As we breathe out, both the chest and the stomach fall. If you look at young children, this is what you usually see.

I often see exactly the opposite in adults. Their chest rises as the intercostal muscles contract. Yet, the stomach is drawn in by activation of the tranverse abdominis muscle and the diaphragm is not engaged. Whilst this might present a more pleasing profile in a mirror, it reduces the volume of oxygen available by only partially expanding the lungs. This also results in weaker core stabilization.

Over time, breathing in this way will cause the diaphragm to weaken through poor recruitment and performance will suffer. And when I say performance, I mean this both from a respiratory and functional perspective.

Whilst a number of lung exercise devices are on the market, it is important to ensure that thediaphragm is recruited properly in the first place. Otherwise, the situation is exacerbated.

There are a also number of simple exercises, requiring no equipment, to assist and strengthen the diaphragm. Here is one for you to try:

1. Lie on the floor face up with knees slightly bent.
2. Place a small pillow under the head if that is more comfortable for you.
3. Place your hands lightly on your stomach.
4. Concentrate on breathing using the diaphragm, not using the chest, and feeling the stomach rise as the lungs fill from the bottom.
5. Let the stomach fall naturally when breathing out by relaxing the diaphragm.
6. Progress by placing a small weight on the stomach, such as a small book, on do it all again.
7. The next stage is to stand up and place your hands on your stomach again, feeling how you breathe. Surprisingly, you may find this step requires some concentration initially.
8. Finally, practice breathing correctly whilst on the bicycle.

You may find it interesting to observe how a young child breathes. Unhindered by the desire to hold the stomach firmly in, and keeping the diaphragm extended whilst looking in the mirror, they usually have got it right.