Individualized Anxiety-Management: Finding Out What Works For You

Anxiety and fear strike all of us at times. Both are certainly unpleasant experiences, yet it is important to acknowledge that they are part of the spectrum of human sensations for good reason. Both anxiety and fear have the capability of protecting us. Anxiety prepares a person for dealing with potentially risky situations, while fear alerts us that we have to deal with an immediate real or perceived threat. Relaxation techniques for anxiety will benefit the vast majority of people with a large spectrum of anxiety disorder as well as panic attacks.

Panic Attacks And Panic Disorder

Humans do also, however, experience anxiety, fear and panic in the absence of any real danger. When this happens, these sensations do not contribute to safety but rather stand in the way of normal, everyday life and may even create danger when there was none to begin with.

Panic disorder is a serious condition in which fear and anxiety appear without reason in situations where there is neither a direct threat nor a realistic anticipation of one. While its precise cause has not been identified yet, it is clear that both biological and environmental factors are at play. People who have experienced intense stress, have been substance abusers, or have a family history of panic disorders are more likely to suffer from panic disorder than others.

Heart and chest pains, a racing heart, severe sweating, breathing difficulties, shaking, nausea, stomach pain, and chills are all symptoms of a panic attack. While panic attacks are almost always over in five to 10 minutes, they may seem to last an eternity — and while they are physically harmless, they certainly don't feel that way. In addition, people experiencing panic attacks may constantly live in fear of having another one, something that can damage their quality of life severely.

Psychotherapy, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and medications are both often integral aspects of treating panic disorder. Together with relaxation techniques, therapy and medication can be very successful at managing panic disorder and patients can frequently learn to enjoy a productive, normal life free from symptoms. People who suspect they are suffering from panic attacks or panic disorder always benefit from treatment under the guidance of a professional.

Identifying What Causes Fear

The first step on the way to developing coping strategies that work for you is figuring out what feelings or situations cause you to feel fear or anxiety. Look at both external and internal triggers.

See Also: Panic attacks and anxiety

External triggers include being in places where you have been hurt or threatened in the past, or where we have seen this happening to others. Facing the real possibility of injury or death, and also ridicule, rejection, injustice, and dismissal from work also fall in the category of external triggers. Additionally, you may need help but not receive it, or may be losing physical or mental competence due to injury, for instance. Internal triggers of anxiety and fear may include being alone, in the dark, feeling you have no control over your life, mentally losing control of yourself, playing out doom scenarios in your mind (catastrophizing), and many others.

Panic And Anxiety: Coping Mechanisms

How Does Fear Make You Feel, And How Do You Respond?

We all react to fear slightly differently. How do you feel when you are frightened or anxious? Do you feel sweaty, shaky, and jittery? Do you experience more serious physical symptoms, like chest pain, breathing difficulties, choking, muscle cramps, diarrhea, feeling cold? Can you think clearly while you are in the grip of fear, or does your brain seem to stop working?

Some people react to fear by shutting down, while others become restless and start talking a lot. Some cry, while others become aggressive. The fight-flight-freeze response is one in which the intuitive part of the brain makes decisions for us, before the cognitive part of the brain has any chance. What tends to be your reaction?

Overcoming Episodes Of Fear And Anxiety

Once you have identified what triggers fear and anxiety, how fear makes you feel, and how you respond to it, you can evaluate what makes you feel safer. While you may have sought things that make you feel safer out instinctively, consciously analyzing what comforts you will enable you to use this knowledge as a tool. Because these things are highly individual, it is important to acquaint yourself with your own personal comforts. 

• Seeking connection with the meaning of life. "Big things" fall into this category. If you are religious, connecting to God through prayer or rituals may help you feel safer. If you are not religious, meditation can fulfill this role. Nature, including the sun, moon, or ocean can also fall into this category. Some people feel comforted when they think of the past and home, while others relax when they think of future hopes and dreams. Reading books with a particular meaning to you may be of immense help as well.
• Physical experiences. Some people need physical experiences to calm down and feel safer. These may include running or another form of exercise, the presence of water (a bath, for instance) or fire (sitting by the fireplace or a barbecue), talking to people you love, rhythmical breathing, yoga, knitting, eating or cooking, create outlets like painting or journaling and interacting with plants or animals. 
• Experiencing autonomy. For some, particularly trauma victims, experiencing physical autonomy in a conscious manner can make a huge difference during an episode of fear or anxiety. Activities that fall into this category are rather varied. They may include realizing you have freedom of movement and exercising it, or helping others whose autonomy has been impaired. This may come in the form of volunteering in the community or helping people in your own life. Reducing your communication with people you believe to be untrustworthy or unlikable also fits into this category.

See Also: Natural Remedies for Anxiety

Not every fear-fighting technique will work for every individual, so figuring out which relaxation techniques for anxiety is most likely to help you feel safer is a huge step. Once you know whether you are comforted by seeking connection with the meaning of life, physical experiences, or exercising control over your own life, you can start to experiment. Most people will benefit from a combination of different activity choices.