Stop the Panic!

What do we do when we feel the rising panic of crisis? We all know the answers, but we rarely execute on them. However, in these unprecedented times people are working to balance the reality of a world health crisis, the loneliness of the stay-at-home orders, and the unknowns around their jobs. Those things, individually, can cause stress… all combined create a different beast. Nearly half of all Americans have reported that the coronavirus crisis is harming their mental health. The result of this has been a significant increase of virtual mental heath support as well as an increase of suicide. 

*If you or a loved one is considering self-harm or are in any way experiencing any painful emotion and need support, please reach out to a mental health professional. Here are some resources: The Suicide Prevention Lifeline or you can text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Text Line. 

We want to revisit some best practices for when you start to feel that panic raising.

BREATHE

It sounds so simple. Take a few slow, deep breaths. If you have an Apple Watch use the Breathe App. If you don’t, breathe anyway (the app just gives you a few light vibrations and a calming image to look at). Try it now - take three very slow, very deep breaths. Breathe in... hold it. Breath out... hold it. And do it again. See - you're not even in a panicked state right now and it helps! 

DRINK WATER

We hear it all the time - hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! But are you? Most of us are not. By keeping yourself hydrated you are giving your brain the ability to operate at optimal and allows your energy to stay high. Drinking water helps maintain your body temperature and supports a healthy immune system. 

SLEEP

Go to bed and get some real sleep. It is easy to watch an entire season of a show at night because technically you aren’t going anywhere tomorrow… and before you know it, 11pm is on the clock, you are zombie staring at a show you have seen a hundred times, and you still haven’t cleaned up from dinner. Once again, sleep allows us to think more rationally and allows our bodies to be in fighting condition! 

MOVE

Put the stress you are feeling to good use. Move your body. Maybe it’s taking an online exercise course, maybe it’s doing a handful of jumping jacks/pushups/sit ups, maybe it’s going for a run (or even a nice, brisk walk). The goal is to get your body moving. It will focus your energy and give you strength. Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of needing 60 minutes to get a workout in. 10 minutes is better than zero!

COOL YOURSELF DOWN

You know those little beads of sweat that start forming when panic encroaches? That is a normal body response. You can trick your body by cooling yourself down. Drink a cold glass of water, splash your face with cold water, run the car’s AC directly on you. 

DO SOMETHING YOU LOVE

Is it reading? Cooking? Scrapbooking? Dancing? Singing? Writing? Drawing? Sudoku? Baking? Puzzles? Solitaire? Whatever it is - do it. It will refocus your attention and give you some good energy flowing through your body. Just don’t use the time to catch on on something. I know you may love having clean clothes, but I highly doubt you love doing laundry. This isn't about a necessity - this is about filling a bucket for yourself. 

TALK IT OUT

So many people are unsure of how they feel about this experience and don’t exactly know what to do with those feelings. Be a little vulnerable and open the door to the conversation. Talking about how we are feeling often illuminates that we are not as alone in our thoughts as we thought we were.

Panic is a real feeling. You get to choose what you do with that feeling.