Having a panic or anxiety attack is a horrible experience.
When I was in my younger 20s, I was working in television as a writer’s assistant. It was this “glamorous” world, and I was working my way up to become a staffed writer. My USC film professors called me a success story. I was living my dream. But I was also having an anxiety attack almost every single night.
I would rock back and forth, curled a fetal position, something between a scream and a sob pouring out of me for hours. So overcome with stress and pain and misery that I couldn’t think, I couldn’t breathe. I could do nothing but wail.
I didn’t know how to relieve my anxiety attacks back then. Instead, I suffered through until I exhausted myself and fell into a restless sleep. It doesn’t have to be that way for you. You can take action to help yourself through this, and these tools will help.
My anxiety and an injury led me to eventually quit the TV industry. I decided to learn how to heal myself, became a yoga and meditation teacher, and started this blog to teach others how to heal. Anxiety doesn’t just terrorize your mind—your body absorbs and stores the tension as well, leading to eventual injury and illness.
You don’t need its poison in your life!
There are steps you can take to relieve and come down from an anxiety attack.
These tools will help you relax and come out of the attack more quickly. I first want to preface that I am not a doctor, and you want a mental health professional on your side to help you recover from anxiety. Also, anxiety attacks are technically different from panic attacks, but these tools apply to both. Don’t worry—anxiety is a complex issue, but one that can go away. I’m proof of that.
I’ve battled anxiety and depression since I was a teenager. In the days of my frequent anxiety attacks, I tried anti-anxiety prescription medications and began therapy. But I needed more—that’s when I dove deeper into my yoga practice and began exploring meditation.
These days, I definitely still feel like I vibrate at the rate of a hummingbird and anxiety comes easily—but I also have the tools to fight it off. Now I don’t need any medication, which I once thought was impossible.
My point is: You don’t have to suffer! Get the best treatment possible by healing your anxiety in multiple ways. It’s not a punishment—it’s an invitation for you to heal. Get curious about yourself and most importantly love yourself through this healing journey.
You don’t need to worry any more.
Try these five tricks to help you relieve your next anxiety attack.
By the way—share this post with your family/significant other/friends, and have them read it so they know what to do to help you during your next attack. I could barely think when I was having one, let alone tell my now-ex what to do to help me. And it sucks for them to feel powerless. I promise it will help both of you to have tangible things to do to take back control over the attack.
1 » Ice
I learned this technique from my friend Edie Stark, who’s a therapist. And it’s brilliant. When you’re having an anxiety attack, get a piece of ice and hold it in your hand. Let it melt there. When you can’t stand it anymore in that hand, move it to the other, and repeat.
It might not sound pleasant, and that’s kind of the point. The discomfort helps direct your brain back into focusing on REAL discomfort rather than discomfort made up in your mind.
That’s basically what anxiety is—worrying about things that might happen. Made up dragons.
But the coldness of the ice is real. It will help your brain pathways fire correctly and ground you back into this moment. And anxiety cannot exist when you’re in the present moment.
2 » Get Cozy
This is another extension of using touch to help ground you. Instead of using the tiny shock of ice, you nurture yourself with something comforting. Wrap yourself in a soft blanket, put on a fluffy sweater, or try taking a warm bath. One of my favorite things is this MagicWrap I’m wearing, which is basically a blanket and sweater in one. Like, a blanket with sleeves. Genius, actually. It’s like wearing a hug.
Btw—They gave me this wrap for free and also an awesome promo code if you want to buy one. Use the code EMBERS for 10% off (I don’t get a kickback, just think you’ll love). Such a good gift idea too. I can’t begin to explain how soft it is.
The goal here is to encourage your body to feel soft and loose again. To relax and let go. Anxiety makes your body stiff and tightened, so this will help reverse that and get your flight-or-fight stress response turned off.
3 » CBD
CBD, which stands for stands for cannabidiol, is magic. It’s a compound made from hemp plants without the THC, which is what’s in weed that makes you high. So no, CBD isn’t weed, and it won’t get you high, and it’s legal!
I wrote all about it in this post here.
I take a few drops of this cold-pressed CBD extract from LEEF and feel a light sense of calm within the hour. It’s like nature’s anti-anxiety medicine.
4 » Meditation
This is for a little later after you’ve already started to come down from your anxiety attack—you won’t be able to meditate when you’re in it. Your brain just won’t be in the right state. But this is a great way to stop the panic before it really sets in, and as a way to prevent future attacks.
Meditation is the ultimate anxiety blocker. Like I said above, anxiety pulls us out of the present moment. The way to defeat it is to return. And that’s what meditation is: mindfully tuning ourselves into this present moment. Not thinking about the future, or past, or adding commentary to whatever’s happening right now. Just being.
Learn all about how to meditate here. I teach private, group, and corporate meditations around the globe—you can learn about working with me if you want guidance on how to really do this practice. You also can try apps (here are my favorites), but meditation is always best practiced with a teacher who can answer your questions, serve as a personal guide, and deepen your journey into the mind.
5 » Soothing Music
Listening to music can have a powerful effect on your energy. Creating a calm environment will help you come down from your anxiety attack more quickly, and music can really help.
Of course, what you listen to matters most. You want to turn off your stress response and get into a rest and restore zone by listening to calm, soothing songs. Search for a playlist of spa music, or here’s one that I use for teaching meditation. You could also create your own playlist of your favorite songs that lift your spirit to have ready to play the next time you’re panicking.
Lately I’ve been soothing myself by beginning my mornings listening to the group Beautiful Chorus. They have some incredible sung mantras—I’ve shared one of my favorites below. I dare you to not relax when you listen to it.