Coping with anxiety and panic attacks at work.
Out of all the things you have to endure, panic attacks and anxiety is the worst. You have a busy day in front of you and you cannot concentrate.
You keep thinking of the finality of your decisions and things will never be the same again.
The conversations are replayed over and over in your head and you begin to wonder what would have happened if you had said something different.
Sleep at night is impossible so you try to read or watch TV (sort of).
The big problem when you aren’t at home and go to work is that you are expected to be productive. You don’t want to whine to colleagues or workmates so what do you do.
You need to settle yourself down; the anxiety level is too high for you to focus.
Here are some suggestions given to us by people on this site.
– NO caffeine. I don’t care if you’re used to 4 cups of coffee a day, go cold turkey. Same for soda and other caffeinated drinks
– Try to do something to get your heart rate up, such as a brisk walk. When you get home later go for a run on a treadmill or jog around the block or go for a bicycle ride. Aerobic exercise knocks anxiety right out of your system and gets those healthy endorphins circulating. I know, you don’t “feel” like it but 5 minutes into it you’re going to be like “wow this is great”. The effects may be temporary and wear off at some point but they will be well worth it. And over the long haul you’ll be in better shape for it.
– Try tackling really easy small projects. Once you get some of those done, the sense of accomplishment and achievement will carry you forward.
– Try to focus on things that are literally in front of you, like your desk, a pencil, your coffee cup (if applicable). Focus on breathing and doing things “in the moment, one step at a time. Anxiety happens when you project into the future or the past.
– Some medication to helps. For example, xanax, which is a situational medication, but can be addictive if one is not careful, where you only take it when needed. Alternatively you can try Ativan. (An anti-anxiety drug intended for short-term use. You take it as needed. And it works immediately — within 30 or 45 minutes.)
So consider some of these coping with anxiety methods for handling panic attacks and hopefully you will feel better very soon.
– Michael at OJar.com