June 01, 2009
Relaxation Tips Newsletter
Hello,
Welcome to Edition 7 of Inner Health Studio Relaxation Tips.
I'm Candi, with Inner Health Studio. In this month's newsletter I'll be answering a question about overcoming anxiety and panic attack symptoms. This includes information on how to handle panic attacks in the moment and helpful tips for panic attack treatment in the long term.
In This Issue....
(click to jump to section)Inner Health Studio Updates and News
New Relaxation Scripts
Tip of the Month: Overcoming anxiety and panic attacks
Inner Health Studio Updates and News
The Members Only site is up and running, and the membership is growing! Visit our members area to access relaxation scripts and downloads available only to members. You are invited to participate in the forums to ask (and answer!) questions about stress, anxiety, and relaxation. Hope to see you there!
The final episode in the Learn to Relax series on the Ask Inner Health Studio podcast is coming up (scheduled for June 8, 2009), and will be about custom relaxation scripts. In this episode I'll discuss how to make your own customized relaxation scripts and/or audio - using your own material or the mix and match scripts that will soon be available on innerhealthstudio.com.
New Relaxation Scripts
Relaxation for Headache Relief
Starry Sky Relaxation
Protective Light Visualization Relaxation
A Relaxing Walk
Overcoming Panic Attacks
Tip of the Month: Overcoming anxiety and panic attacks
Question:
I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. I know that panic cannot harm me but when it happens I still get scared. I do not like the symptoms I get when I'm in a panic. What can I do to make it feel better? Thanks, M.
Response:
Dear M,
Your question is something many people can relate to. Everyone has experienced anxiety at some point, and although not everyone experiences panic attacks, they are actually quite common.
Panic attacks are terrifying. Even though you know that the panic cannot harm you, in the moment it seems like you are in great danger.
The good news is, there are ways to feel better. The objectives in feeling better are 1) get through the anxiety in the moment when it occurs, and 2) defeat the anxiety in the long term.
How to get through anxiety and panic attacks:
- Acknowledge that you are feeling anxious
- Accept that you feel anxious rather than trying to fight it
- Assure yourself that the feeling will pass
- Make yourself as comfortable as possible while the feeling passes
- Walk, do jumping jacks, or otherwise physically move around
- Talk to someone to distract yourself and get support
- Do relaxation techniques to help the anxiety go away more quickly
For examples of how to talk yourself through panic or anxiety attacks, see the anxiety relief relaxation scripts and the relaxation for anxiety relief audio.
How to overcome anxiety in the long term:
- Face the anxiety (exposure therapy)
- Change the negative thoughts associated with anxiety (cognitive techniques)
- Explore emotions that might be behind the anxiety (hidden emotion technique)
For more information about defeating anxiety, visit the Inner Health Studio Relaxation and Self Help Store to see my book recommendations such as David Burns' When Panic Attacks.
But first, it is important to learn more about your anxiety by taking note of some of the details about the anxiety or panic attacks you experience, for example:
- When you feel the most anxious (where, what time of day, what is going on at the time)
- How severe the anxiety is, on a scale from 1 - 10
- What your symptoms are
- How long the anxiety lasts
- When and how the symptoms subside
To track these details, you can use journaling. Download a free Relaxation Journal from our Members Only area, or click here to download the PDF. This Relaxation Journal will allow you to monitor your physical and emotional symptoms and evaluate the effectiveness of the relaxation techniques you try.
You can use the relaxation journal to determine which relaxation techniques are most effective for you, what times of day tend to be the most stressful, and which time of day relaxation works the best. You can also see your progress by noticing changes in your overall stress level.
Dealing with anxiety is possible - a combination of relaxation and other self-help techniques is a recipe for success.