Panic attack help - SoulMedicinals

Posted on August 31, 2024November 26, 2024 by soulmed5

Use This Mantra to Ground You During a Panic Attack

Panic attacks are just loads of fun right? Of course not.

Listen, I know. I have personally been there. For months I experienced daily panic attacks, intense anxiety, irrational fears and episodes of DPDR. Now I share on my blog all the things I did to heal and bring my nervous system back into regulation (a calm and peaceful state).

That’s why I’m going to share with you a mantra, which by definition is just a word or phrase that can help ground you into the present moment. This is incredibly helpful when panic attacks arise, but mantras can also be really helpful during times of intense anxiety or episodes of DPDR.

But first I want to explain what’s actually happening in your body when you are experiencing a panic attack.

In my experience, once I understood what was happening when I was having a panic attack, I was equipped with the knowledge that what was happening to me was nothing to be afraid of.

With this understanding I was able to work on healing and getting over them a lot faster and more effectively. (This same concept applies to DPDR)

So, what is happening during a panic attack?

When you are experiencing a panic attack your brain has perceived something that wasn’t an actual threat as a threat. Basically, the stress response is now a little off.

Your brain really can’t tell the difference between being overstressed and over stimulated by work, life or anything else and a real threat to your safety like a bear about to attack you.

When you are experiencing a panic attack the brain is literally just doing what it was wired to do, and that is keep you safe and alive.

The amygdala or the alarm center in the brain perceived a threat and sent the alarm bells ringing, your adrenal glands then release adrenaline into your veins so you can either fight off the bear or run from it.

Understanding that your body is doing its job rather than trying to make you uncomfortable is the basis you can work of off. Now you know that simply the stress response needs a little work to stop overreacting to stressors.

Responding this way simply means that the nervous system is a little dysregulated and your body and nervous system just need a little help getting back into regulation.

This is where a Mantra comes in:

Mantra for Anxiety

A mantra is just a word or phrase that brings you back into the present moment and can ground you during times of anxiety and panic. They work to bring your mind of off the uncomfortable and scary symptoms of anxiety and panic and onto peaceful, calming thoughts and feelings.

Mantras:

So, for me whenever a panic attack would arise or I would start to feel the anxiety buildup in my chest I would take a breath, place one hand over my heart and the other on my belly and repeat phrases like “I always return to baseline. My body always returns to a state of peace and calm” which means that the panic attack will subside because it always does, no one has ever had a panic attack last forever. That can be a major fear for those experiencing panic attacks, and this fear alone is enough to escalate the panic attack even more.

I also liked this one “I’ve made it through this before I can do it again” or simply “I can do hard things”

When the fear would really strike, I love this verse “For God did not give me a spirit of fear but one of power love and a sound mind” my therapist shared this one with me and I loved it. There were times where I would just pace the floors repeating this over and over.

The goal with these phrases is to get your mind off of what’s happening to you and onto the words that you’re saying and the meaning of the words you are repeating.

Pattern Breakers

These phrases can also be used as pattern breakers. Pattern breakers are anything that gets your mind off of your symptoms and onto literally anything else by disrupting the anxiety and panic cycle. Instead of negatively reinforcing the symptoms and fears of anxiety and panic, pattern breakers work to rewire the brain and body for balance.

Pattern breakers work best during the first 7 seconds after the first sign of panic arises. The first seven seconds are the most important time to either escalate or deescalate the panic attack and anxiety symptoms. Pattern breakers are great tools to deescalate anxiety and rewire an anxious brain to a more calm and centered brain and nervous system.

Start Now

So go ahead and write these phrases down in a notebook or somewhere easily accessible on your phone for when panic and anxiety arise. Pull them out and start repeating them out loud or in your head the minute you feel the slightest symptom begin.

Feel free to even come up with your own phrase, the more personal the better it will work for you! Let me know if you give this technique a try and how it works for you!

_{Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition. If you have any medical or psychiatric concerns, please seek the advice of a licensed healthcare provider.}

2 Essential oils for Anxiety, Panic and DPDR.

Essential oils have a long list of healing properties, medicinal uses, they are fairly easy to use, and they’ve been around for 1,000’s of years so there’s plenty of research on the benefits of essential oils.

In this particular post I’m going to be talking about the benefits of clove and lime essentials oils specifically for anxiety, panic attacks and everyday stress.

Understanding the Nervous System

In order to understand how these oils can help, it’s important to understand how the nervous system works.

Quick rundown: The body’s central nervous system is composed of the brain and spinal cord. The autonomic nervous system is what connects our brain and spinal cord or CNS to our internal organs so they can send messages back and forth.

The autonomic nervous system has 2 main branches: The sympathetic nervous system which is fight or flight and freeze and the parasympathetic nervous system which is rest and digest.

There are varying degrees of activation within the sympathetic nervous system, fight or flight (stress, panic anxiety) and freeze (DPDR, disassociation)

How Can Essential Oils Help?

This is where the essentials oils come in.

lime and clove essential oils when mixed together work to stimulate the Vagus nerve. Stimulation of the Vagus nerve helps regulate the nervous system by turning on the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system and bring on a sense of calm and wellbeing.

The parasympathetic branch of the nervous system is where our body restores, rests, repairs and heals. Coming into this state or branch of the nervous system is the goal when healing anxiety, panic and episodes of DPDR.

How to use Essential Oils

There are several different ways to utilize essential oils:

Aromatherapy: Simply smelling essential oils is an easy and effective way to get the benefits of the oils.

You can place some cotton balls in a ziploc bag and place a few drops of each oil onto the cotton balls and breath in through the bag as needed.

You can also diffuse 2-3 drops of each clove and lime in an essential oil diffuser in your space.

Topically: using oils topically is another great way to get the benefits from these oils.

You can dilute the oil with a carrier oil of choice. I use fractionated coconut oil by filling a roller bottle 3/4 of the way full of coconut oil and placing 3-5 drops of each clove and lime oil into the bottle.

You can rub this mixture on your wrists or behind your ears as needed to bring on a sense of calm and wellbeing during times of stress.

Essentials oils are a great tool to add in with other therapies to bring the nervous system back into regulation, which is the ultimate goal when healing from anxiety, panic and DPDR.

Let me know in the comments if you try this and how it works for you. Also, if you have a favorite oil or blend for anxiety, please share it!

Controlling the breath to ease anxiety and panic

When symptoms of anxiety and panic arise like sweaty palms, elevated heart rate, shallow fast breathing and racing thoughts it can be difficult to focus, and fear escalates. It’s a viscous cycle.

The panic and anxiety cycle continues when we reinforce our fear by being afraid of the symptoms we are experiencing. Read more about that here.

You don’t have to fear the symptoms even though they seem scary. Let’s talk about a really simple and very accessible intervention you can start using today to calm the nervous system and begin to rewire your brain.

Breath

Breathing with control and intention is a very powerful and underestimated intervention that anyone can use to break the symptoms of a panic attack or anxiety.

Breathing is the only bodily function that is regulated by the autonomic nervous system that a person can take control of. The really great thing about this is that you can do this anytime, anywhere when you feel anxious or panicky.

Why the Breath?

When a person experiences anxiety or panic adrenaline rushes into the blood stream and quickens the heart rate. These bodily functions are put into place to help us either fight or flee the supposed threat.

This then causes breathing to begin to quicken and become shallow. This increases the intake of oxygen for the muscles to either fight or run, but when we experience a panic attack, there is no real threat. This can leave us with symptoms we don’t know what to do with.

That’s why taking control of our breathing when we feel anxious or panicky can be really helpful. Consciously breathing by taking in long deep breaths and slowing down our exhale can not only help ground us into the present moment, but it actually stimulates the Vagus nerve and sends a message to the brain that it is ok to relax and that there is no real threat.

Breathing Technique

There are several different breathing techniques that you can utilize when you feel anxious or during a panic attack.

The 4-7-8 breath technique is one of my favorites! It is simple, easy to remember and very effective at slowing down your breath. It also brings your awareness to your breathing which helps ground you into the present moment, which is really important because when we are anxious, we are spacey and disoriented.

4-7-8 breathing is also great at slowing down your exhale. When we can slow down our exhale it actually lowers the heart rate, this is super helpful during a panic attack. By slowing down the breath the vagus nerve is stimulated and it sends the signals of calm to the brain. It’s like a reassurance that there is no real threat.

How to Breath

To begin this particular breathing technique you don’t need anything but yourself. I wouldn’t recommend doing this while driving.

Just find a comfortable seat. You can close your eyes or soften your gaze. You can place one hand on your chest over your heart and the other on your belly to help bring your full attention onto your breathing.

Begin the technique by inhaling to the count of 4 seconds, then hold your breath for the count of 7 seconds then exhale slowly to the count of 8 seconds. Then repeat for a total of 4 rounds of breath.

Like this:

Inhale 2..3..4 hold 2..3..4..5..6..7 exhale 2..3..4..5..6..7..8
Inhale 2..3..4 hold 2..3..4..5..6..7 exhale 2..3..4..5..6..7..8
Inhale 2..3..4 hold 2..3..4..5..6..7 exhale 2..3..4..5..6..7..8
Inhale 2..3..4 hold 2..3..4..5..6..7 exhale 2..3..4..5..6..7..8

Repeat as needed to bring a sense of calm and ground you into the present moment. If your new to breathwork I recommend taking it slow with the breathing exercises until you become more comfortable.

Let me know if you give this a try and how it worked for you!

3 ways Alcohol Impacts Anxiety, Panic and DPDR

If you suffer from anxiety, panic DPDR or any other mental health issue AND you currently drink alcohol there are a few things you should know.

Alcohol can negatively impact mental health in several different ways. It can make depression, anxiety and panic attacks worse, further perpetuating the anxiety and panic cycle.

_{This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.}

I’m not sharing this information to shame you or make you feel guilty. The society we live in today has glamorized and glorified alcohol in so many different ways. It’s called the alcohol trap and a lot of people have fallen for it, including me. I was stuck in the alcohol trap for about 10 years.

The Alcohol trap convinces us that alcohol actually solves or helps our problems, but the truth is it masks our issues for a short time while drinking, only for them to resurface when the effects wear off. Sometimes leaving us worse off than we were before.

For me, alcohol was negatively impacting my mental health in several different ways, I decided to try dry January 1 and a half years ago and I noticed how badly alcohol was affecting my mood that I continued to abstain as the months went on. I’ve now been sober for 1 and a half years and it was one of the best decisions I ever made for my mental health.

Read on to see how alcohol can impact mental health:

Alcohol and Nutrient Deficiencies

Alcohol can cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies, including but not limited to magnesium and vitamin b12. I talk a lot about these two important nutrients because they are vitally important for mental health. Check out these two blog posts: Vitamin B12 Deficiency Anxiety: What You Need to Know. – SoulMedicinals, Magnesium deficiency and Anxiety: 4 Reasons your Body Needs It – SoulMedicinals

Alcohol is also toxic to the gut and can cause disruptions in the guts microbiome which can further worsen deficiencies by leaving the body unable to absorb nutrients. Read about how important gut health is for mental health here.

Alcohol and Sleep

Alcohol has many detrimental effects on sleep. Alcohol consumption reduces the quality of our sleep by decreasing the amount of REM sleep we get at night. REM sleep is important for cognitive function, and it is where the brain processes the information it received during the day, filtering the information between important and non-important. REM sleep is where emotional processing, brain development and dreaming occur. When we don’t get proper REM sleep this can cause irritability, difficulty concentrating, impaired work or performance function.

Not getting enough REM sleep and lack of good quality sleep are also detrimental to the adrenal glands, the organs that sit on top of the kidneys that manufacture and release stress hormones like adrenal and cortisol.

Alcohol and Neurotransmitters

Alcohol can effect the function of several mood stabilizing neurotransmitters like dopamine and GABA. Alcohol causes the brain to release dopamine ( the reward and motivational nuerotransmitter) however, overtime chronic alcohol consumption can actually deplete and lower the amount of dopamine in the brain. This causes you to crave more and more alcohol and this subsequently sets the stage for an alcohol addiction.

Alcohols effects GABA ( the calming neurotransmitter) by reducing the production of GABA, when GABA levels decrease it creates greater sensitivity to stress and lack of resilience to stress causing situations.

Long term use of alcohol can deplete serotonin (feel good neurotransmitter) and disrupt the production of serotonin and interfere with serotonin receptors in the brain.

Learn More:

For me, at first, I was nervous about giving up drinking because of how much my life revolved around it. Drinking was a part of every occasion of my life. Good or bad, happy or sad, alcohol was there. I wondered if I would be able to enjoy my life without alcohol. You might be wondering the same. That’s why I want to share this book with you that I found really helpful for the fear of missing out. Turns out all you really need to enjoy your life without alcohol is a mindset and perception shift. Check out the book here.

Wherever you are in journey I hope you take the time to become mindful about where alcohol fits into your life, I promise you won’t regret it.

Rescue Remedy for anxiety, panic and DPDR.

Hi, my name is Kim and I naturally healed myself from debilitating anxiety, panic attacks and episodes of DPDR and now I share on this blog what worked for me. This post is my personal review of Bach Flower Remedies Rescue remedy formula.

_{This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if clicked at no extra charge to you.}

Bach Flower Remedies was developed in the 1930’s by a homeopathic physician named Dr Edward Bach. Dr Bach devoted his time to researching the effects of different plant and flower essences on the healing and regulation of different emotions. He believed that emotional health and wellbeing was key to optimal physical health. His studies showed significant results with plant medicine bringing restoration and healing to emotional health.

Rescue Remedy is a form of homeopathic medicine. Homeopathic medicine is a form of alternative medicine that utilizes natural substances prepared in certain ways and given in a specific way to bring a person to optimal physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. The thing I love most about homeopathic medicine is that it is an incredibly safe form of medication because it utilizes small amounts of plant medicine for every dose.

Bach Flower Remedies has I believe 38 different plant and flower essences that each work on different emotional difficulties and complaints. I highly recommend you check out the website to learn more about all of the Bach Flower Remedies.

Rescue Remedy for Anxiety

Rescue remedy is a form of plant therapy that Bach Flower Remedies offers. This is the remedy that I have personally used and continue to use to this day. Rescue remedy contains 5 different flower essences that work together to combat stress, anxiety and irritability. This can be work stress, basic life stress or any stress. Rescue remedy is also used to help individuals navigate major life changes and periods of trauma and or shock. You can read more about it here.

I found rescue remedy to be a crucial part in my healing from anxiety, panic and DPDR. There were months that I used this product every day! For me it really took the edge off of my anxiety and my panic and I feel like it gave me what I needed to cope and to heal. I still use this product if I ever get anxious, for me now, I only get anxious occasionally when I am driving but within a minute of using Rescue Remedy, I feel the calming and grounding affects.

Rescue Remedy = Great Complimentary Therapy

Rescue Remedy used alone I believe could be effective enough, but if used as a complimentary therapy to talk therapy, EFT, Yoga, somatic practices, EMDR, CBT, TRE, etc in my opinion is the way to go! This is such a great complimentary form of therapy that in my opinion will expedite your healing.

I always recommend that you do your own research and consult with your healthcare provider before beginning any new treatment. Homeopathic medicine is incredibly safe and found to be really effective so I encourage you to do your own research and give Rescue Remedy a shot if you are suffering from anxiety, panic, life stress, major life changes or if your just dealing with anything that is impacting your mental health in a negative way.

Products and Dosing

I have personally used the drops, pastilles and spray forms of Rescue Remedy and my favorite by far is the spray for its ease of use and convenience. I’ve found that its much easier to just grab the spray and pump a few sprays on my tongue using one hand vs. having to drop a certain number of drops into my mouth using both hands. I also found the spray was more convenient than the pastilles because you don’t have to wait for the pastille to melt in your mouth and I wasn’t really fond of the taste.

For dosing the product always refer to the medication label. All Rescue Remedy forms are clearly labeled with proper dosing instructions.

Let me know what you think!

Have you ever tried Rescue Remedy before? I would love to know what you think about it and how it worked for you!

Category: Panic attack help

Use This Mantra to Ground You During a Panic Attack