Coaching practices for How to Overcome Anxiety Attacks

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Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

  • I always wait until I’m already in full panic to try to calm down, and by then it’s too far gone for anything to work
  • A while after one passes, all that’s left in my memory is how terrifying the worst moment was
  • I spend my days bracing for the next wave of it, scanning my body, dreading the moment it shows up
  • I try to white-knuckle through it by distracting myself or looking away from what my body’s doing, but the dread of the racing heart never actually gets disproven that way
  • Even once the worst of it passes, I can’t get back into the room

Practices that may help

  1. Use grounding before anxiety peaks, not after
    Start the technique at the first sign of anxiety — not once the wave is overwhelming.
    The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique
  2. Conduct a post-panic review to counter catastrophic memory
    After every attack, record what actually happened — because anxiety memory is biased toward danger.
    Panic Surfing
  3. Run toward the feeling
    Actively invite more of the anxiety rather than waiting nervously for it to pass.
    The DARE Response to Anxiety, Made Practical
  4. Use somatic tracking instead of distraction
    Observe sensations with neutral curiosity rather than distracting from them — the curiosity interrupts the threat appraisal.
    Panic Surfing
  5. Engage with the present moment
    Once the edge comes off, redirect attention fully into an activity or your surroundings.
    The DARE Response to Anxiety, Made Practical
  6. Add interoceptive rungs for bodily fear
    If you fear the physical sensations of anxiety itself, include exposures that deliberately induce them.
    The Fear Ladder: Graded Exposure Made Practical
  7. Rehearse the response before you need it
    Learn and practice the four steps in low-stakes moments so they are available under pressure.
    The DARE Response to Anxiety, Made Practical
  8. Allow the sensations without resisting
    Let the physical feelings of anxiety be present instead of bracing against them.
    The DARE Response to Anxiety, Made Practical
  9. Drop the safety behaviors
    Let go of the small avoidances and crutches you use to feel "safe" from anxiety.
    The DARE Response to Anxiety, Made Practical
  10. Allow the sensations instead of fighting them
    Do not try to stop the racing heart, the dizziness, the breathlessness — allow them and observe.
    Panic Surfing

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