Hi folks; due to the vast amount of support i've recieved from this site, I wanted to give back to people and share my methods of calming down from those seemingly unbreakable panic attacks, anxiety, and derealisation/depersonalisation.
These methods are certainly worth a try and have definitely helped me through tough moments.
I often suffer from lack of sleep due to anxious thoughts and worries, i've tried many things to try to settle me down but these have been the most effective;
1. Tense and release exercises;
These helped me SO much in allowing my body to release the stress and tension which in turn influenced my mental state, I recommend doing AT LEAST 15 minutes of these exercises before going to sleep, anxious or not, it helos your body completely relax.
2. Imaginative exercises;
These are exercises such as mindful breathing and setting imagination, these helped me to put myself in a setting which i felt calm(er) and allowed myself to get a grip, youtube is flooded with them so they're bit hard to find at all.
3. Mindful colouring;
I often found when i was restless and the excercises wouldn't work, colouring helped to distract me and let my mind rest a little before i continued to calm down with the exercises. You don't even have to use a colouring book, theres apps out there that allow you to do so as well.
4. Baths;
Cliche, I know, but they scientifically allow the body to relax before doing anything mental to relax, just make sure you take baths at least 30 mins before bed, because it heats up your body, making it harder to completely relax as it causes your body heat to raise, making you restless.
5. Kinoki Kiyomi Detox Pads
These worked like a CHARM for me, no joke. I struggled with calming down and getting to sleep terribly with panic attack after panic attack. They are pads which you stick onto the base of your feet, creating a sensation in your feet thats relaxing and gives you something to concentrate on. I rub my feet together to get the full effect of the texture. They are cheap as welll, at around £2.75 a packed of 10 pads, which you can purchase from amazon.
6. White noise/ Childrens audiobooks
This is effective both when going to sleep or not. Theres plenty audiobooks and soundtracks with rainforest noises or rain sounds all over youtube. This is another method that worked the best for me, giving me something to focus on and allow my brain to have a breather. I prefer audio books as I can imagine characters and follow the story and really concentrate on whats happening. I now listen to audiobooks religiously when going to sleep.
7. Chai tea latte
Now, this drink is heaven for me, and also completely 100% vegan, so suitable for anyone and anyone. This drink helps me unwind, so so much, its unbelievable. Im going to put the recipe and method here so you guys can try it;
Ingredients;
- 8 cloves (not garlic, the spice type cloves)
- 8 cardamons
- 4 red peppercorns
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 inch of ginger, peeled and sliced.
- 1 and a half cups (measured with what you'll drink it out of) of almond milk
- 1 teabag (preferably decaff since caffeine isn't good for anxiety)
- 1 tea spoon of sugar
Method;
• measure out the almond milk into a pan, and add the cloves, cardamons, red peppercorns, cinnamon sticks and ginger.
• bring almond milk and spices to the boil
• add tea bag and allow to simmee for 5-10 mins
• stir the teaspoon of sugar into the pan
• run the tea through a seive and into the mug
• enjoy!
For extra enjoyment, add a sprinkling of ground cinnamon
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Anyway, there are some methods to help you cope/calm down. I really hope they're benificial to some of you as I certainly know they help me. Thanks for taking the time to read this post.
-Ryuu