After years of struggling through wondering why I always felt like my heart was ready to fly out of my chest, or questioning why I cried almost every day of first grade, simply because I didn't want to leave my mother... I learned it was anxiety, a nervous disorder characterized by a state of excessive thoughts, uneasiness, and nervousness in which the situation is usually an imminent event or an issue with an uncertain outcome.
With this struggle, I have been able to depict mostly what signs give way to knowing when yourself, or someone else, is about to have an anxiety attack and or flare up! Along with some beneficial ways to help nip that horrible feeling before it can spiral through your mind and body.
1. Tensed muscles
Whether I wake up from a dream in pain, or feel my body tensing as I fall asleep.. I can tell my anxiety is evident.
The best way to help stop this is for one, to literally tell your body to relax
Or, if you are with someone, have them hold you close... you will eventually feel your muscle's relax and you can start to focus on stopping the other effects of anxiety that are showing.
2. Uneasy movements, such as fidgeting with your fingers, shaking your legs, scratching, or even twitching
Personally, my anxiety presents itself in a manor in which my hands get fidgety and I will either need to hold something or I will begin scratching... whether it be my friend's shirt who is sitting next to me, my arm, or at my nails. It's painful and honestly annoying.
The best way to help stop feeling fidgety is to have someone press down on whatever part of your body that you seem to just not be able to stop moving, hold onto something to keep yourself from moving around, or grab yourself something to fidget with like a pen or even the very popular, fidget spinner.
3. Heavier breathing or shaky breathing
If you notice that yourself or your loved one is breathing in an uncalm manor it may help to focus on breathing in and out while holding a stuffed animal or having someone hold you.
4. Feeling like your head is going to explode or as I like to say, "feeling like your thought bubble is going as fast as the gravitron 3,000 we used to all ride as kids at carnivals"
Mental Illness Anxiety Depressed - Free vector graphic on PixabayI personally struggle the most with this, and often times, as my brain continues at a thousand miles a minute because of anxiety... I begin to feel even more anxiety because "why can't I stop this" or "why can't I calm my mind"
The best thing to when you feel this way, is to write it all down or to talk about whatever crazy idea has popped into your mind.
If that isn't working or you're alone and hate to write, practice switching your mind to think of a place that brings you peace. I often picture an image of a calm ocean with vivid colors and peaceful ocean sounds. It is helpful most of the time... but when that doesn't work I often count from 99 down to 1 in my head until I have calmed my mind.
5. Holding your head or heart
Someone holding their head or their heart is often a sign that they are feeling some anxiety or at least feeling, off.
Personally, I hold my head when my thoughts are raging. And I hold my heart when I feel it beating a million miles per second.
This isn't a bad thing to do when you feel anxiety, honestly it helps to focus on knowing that you are not the problem, but rather your mind or body is struggling to relax.
This is more so a really good sign for your loved one to be able to catch and to recognize that they either need to hold you or at least ask how they may help.
6. Tapping
Tapping is a very easy sign to tell someone has anxiety. Remember before your test, as you sat there annoyed by the kid constantly tapping his foot or his pen... or maybe you were the one constantly tapping because you did not study the material well enough.
That is anxiety right there, and maybe... just maybe, rather than getting annoyed, reach out. Ask if that person is okay, maybe you can help to calm their tapping by simply conversing with them.
7. And of course as mentioned, feeling like your heart is ready to fly out of your chest A.K.A your heart racing
I hate this feeling more than any part of an anxiety attack. I feel so out of control or out of touch with my body.
The best way to notice this in someone else, is to hold your hand over their heart or put your ear close by. Likely, you will help them relax by that itself as you are acknowledging that they are not alone in how they are feeling.
Some other ways to calm this feeling, is to practice many of the steps I have listed, from holding a teddy bear or a pillow close to you and/or having someone hold you close and tight.
Focusing on your breathing is also very important, as with uneasy breathing comes an unsteady heart beat.
Personally, I suffer from general anxiety disorder, PTSD, and separation anxiety. I have tried medications, I have seen doctors, and ultimately have learned that this is apart of who I am. But it will never define me, it is a mental illness and unfortunately I will always have to live with it, but I can learn to control it and or prevent the ways in which it makes me feel. And so can you! Don't let your anxiety prohibit you from living your life to the fullest and finest extent you can.
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