What's your automatic response to feeling anxious?

[kkmb]

When I get anxious, I automatically reach for my necklace and rub it. Feeling the texture soothes me and also makes me realize that I am anxious. It's like a secret sign to myself. Does anyone else have something that they unconsciously or consciously do every time they feel anxiety creeping on?

[cloudy black]

hi KKmb yes i go and get me some beer in!

[NixonRulz]

Interesting question....

Years ago, I developed a habit after entirely too much research regarding the panic cycle

Moral to my research was that anxious people tend to breathe shallow with their chest. Shallow breathing causes heart palpitations. For me with health anxiety at the time, palpitations made me believe I would be having a heart attack at any moment. Panic would ensue

So what I realized is that when I would start feeling anxious was that if I fixed my breathing, the cycle would be cut short

And this is exactly what happened.

Even today with anxiety somewhat distant to me, my first reaction when an anxious thought pops in my head is to correct my breathing to normal breaths from my stomach versus shallow chest breathing

That automatically allows me to realize that anxiety is trying to creep in and my breathing not only prevents any panic cycle, but it eliminates the irrational thought as well

[kkmb]

That automatically allows me to realize that anxiety is trying to creep in and my breathing not only prevents any panic cycle, but it eliminates the irrational thought as well

Very interesting. I also do my best to breathe well. Focusing on breathing is one of those things that we know are essential to feeling better, but acting on it in that moment of anxiousness can be so difficult. It takes reaching for my necklace to realize that I am anxious in the first place! But once I realize what is going on, I am able to concentrate on my breathing and stepping back from the situation to understand why I am feeling how I am feeling. What did you do to form the habit of focusing on your breath?

[NixonRulz]

Very interesting. I also do my best to breathe well. Focusing on breathing is one of those things that we know are essential to feeling better, but acting on it in that moment of anxiousness can be so difficult. It takes reaching for my necklace to realize that I am anxious in the first place! But once I realize what is going on, I am able to concentrate on my breathing and stepping back from the situation to understand why I am feeling how I am feeling. What did you do to form the habit of focusing on your breath?

repetition....repetition.....repetition

I suppose I formed the habit by first remembering to focus on my breath. Then I just formed the habit because Lord knows I was anxious about so much, I had plenty of opportunity to practice

[cloudy black]

hurm... maybe i should take a deep breath before i make a decision which beer to chose! yes the breathing is a good point

[NixonRulz]

1647

Can or bottle is always my hardest decision

[cloudy black]

dont mind as long as it does wot it says on the packet. today has been dark all day i really wanna hibernate til ground hog day.

[Fahrenheit]

I play with my hair in a very particular way, repeatedly, because I find the feeling soothing. But when I am really anxious, the repetition itself mimics my anxiety and then it is not so good. ;) When I lived at home, my mother would always ask if I had lice. :P

[Anne1221]

I have to rely on self talk. It helps. I have to "talk myself down" out of the anxious mode.

[Dahila]

always bottle, it is healthier and does not change the taste of beer. I pop in clonazepam when anxious and sometimes beer :))

[1Bluerose68]

I eat food, usually salty or sweets. Then I go and work up a good sweat at the local gym. Then I take a nice bubble bath and then I read these forums and then I try and get some sleep.

[1Bluerose68]

Mixing alcohol and meds is very bad for you.....Slows your respirations down and other side effects like brain damage if not enough O2 gets delivered to the brain.

[kkmb]

This is all super helpful. To help with my anxiety, I'm working on a project creating a system where every time I trigger a sensor (for me it would be by rubbing my necklace that has a sensor on it, for others it could be clicking a pen, twirling something in your hands, whatever you would want your "secret gesture" to be) data such as location, time, temperature, a sound clip, etc would be captured. Then you could add notes to it later and really get a sense of why you were anxious, and automatically share that data with your support system so that they know you need a little extra help without you bringing it up.

When I am anxious, I often am so cloudy headed that I can't recognize the source or trigger. Essentially I am looking to monitor my anxiety as you would your steps. I feel like this record would be so helpful for me and my support system to better understand my anxiety and take control.

I am wondering what you all would use this kind of data for. What kind of information would you want to see? What would you use it for? To track for yourself in order to change a behaviour? To share with your support system? To bring up conversations with your support system? What would your "secret gesture" be? You've mentioned playing with hair and eating food. Could you have a secret 'anxiety treat' and every time you open the bag it notifies your network?

I would love your help!

[gadguy]

I get fidgety...when that happens if possible I get up and take a short walk and try to put the anxiety in perspective and talk myself down to avoid full attack.

[Dahila]

Blue I know and I am the one who does not. I am too old for this, It was answer to Nixon : bottle or can--beer:)))