It’s been a minute since I’ve done a post on mental health but considering it is mental health awareness month & I am having a particularly anxious month… I guess I should tell you about the massive panic attack I just had where I was positive I was going to die.

THAT SHIT IS JUST SO DAMN REAL.

The last panic attack I had was 9 months ago when my sweet Bitzy passed away. That is a very LONG stretch for me, so long since my last one that I actually (with my psychiatrist) lowered my meds. I feeling great for the most part

Then we went to Florida & I just really fucking hate planes. I thought I’d be fine leading up to it because my Mom was going to be there & it’s always worse in my head than IRL. HARD NO on that one. All of our flights were TURBULENT AF & I was a hot mess. On the plane ride home I got so nervous/shaky that when we hit one bump in the air & I accidentally poured my coffee all over the girl next to me. My nerves were literally shot to shit after that trip.

& then the second we land in San Diego it was time to start packing & getting the new house ready to move into. We had SO much to do & nothing ignites my anxiety fire quite like a huge ass to-do list, & the next thing you know I have a MASSIVE panic attack.

HERE’S A GIST OF HOW IT ALL WENT DOWN…

Zack & I were at the new house working with our electrician on some serious issues. We were all in the kitchen talking about GFI’s & ground wires (electrical is my new second language) & out of NOWHERE I felt the blood drain from my face. I got a sharp pain in my right arm & if you have anxiety, you know that could only mean you are having a heart attack. I walked out of the room to go splash some water on my face & paced for a solid 2 minutes. I kept telling myself to just keep it together until the electrician leaves & when he left (this felt like 4 hours but it was only 4 minutes) I LOST IT.

I told Zack he will probably need to call 911 soon & that the pain was shooting pain up my arm & into my ribcage. I told him I was gonna pass out & that I was having a heart attack. I had my head between my legs & was 10000000% confident I was going to die.

Looking back, I am pretty sure it was brought on by dehydration, exhaustion, jetlag, hunger, stressing about all we had to do, & just being in the middle of a semi-important conversation about all of our electrical problems that I actually know nothing about. The panic hit me like a freight train.

Zack & I had driven separately so I had to leave my car at the new house & go with him. At this point in my mind, we had to drive to the hospital… but within 5 minutes of the drive I started to calm down. After explaining to Zack in full detail how to do CPR if ever needed (I am certified of course!), I remembered a quote one of my readers on Instagram sent me…

“MOST PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE THE STRENGTH IT TAKES TO PULL YOURSELF OUT OF A PANIC ATTACK, SO IF YOU’VE EVER DONE THAT, I AM PROUD OF YOU”.

can we say it again for the people in the back!!! I just did that & I am feeling proud because I made it through & reigned it in real quick. I have just a tad experience in this department so figured I’d share my go-to’s for dealing with panic attacks.

THE 5 EFFECTIVE AF THINGS I DO WHEN DEALING W/ A PANIC ATTACK

1. Identify it is a Panic Attack

The Mayo Clinic literally describes a panic attack as “a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause”.

The first thing any anxious mind will think it heart attack. People go into the ER all the time convinced they are having a heart attack & our sent home with a diagnosis of a panic attack (just saw this go down on Teen Mom last night lol). Let me just say first- it is EXTREMELY rare you will just have a heart attack out nowhere. There are warning signs days/weeks leading up to something like that. Obviously it can happen, but the movies are an exaggeration so chill on that.

When you feel a panic attack coming, everything in your body is going to convince you it is something very serious & you will die. KNOW THIS, accept this, & just understand this. Yes I thought I was dying in the moment I had my panic attack, but deep down in my core I knew what was happening & it just helps me pull out of it quicker.

2. Get Some Support (from the right people)

Hopefully you are with someone who can help you, but if not, pick up the phone & phone a friend. Sometimes this could feel daunting to even pick of the phone, but it always helps me to have someone remind me I am not dying & it is just a panic attack.

It has to be the RIGHT person though, don’t call the friend who thinks your “crazy” (note to all non-anxiety sufferers: NEVER USE THIS WORD!!) or that it is all in your head. Yes- it is all in your head, but it’s so much bigger than that. Call your Mom, sister, best friend, significant other, or someone else you know who suffers from anxiety & panic attacks.

3. Calming Breaths are your BFF (THE 4-7-8 method)

One of the biggest parts of an anxiety attack is feeling like you can’t breathe, so learning the right kind of breaths will help you pull out so much quicker. My therapist taught me the 4-7-8 method & it is amazing. Simply breathe in through the nose slowly for 4 seconds, hold it for 7 seconds, & breath out FROM YOU DIAPHRAGM for 8 seconds. RINSE & REPEAT.

4. Grounding for the Win

Once you’ve taken some breaths, ground yourself!! When you’re in an anxious state the animalistic right side of your brain is taking over, what you want is the rational part of your brain (the frontal lobe) to kick in & get you back to a more calm RATIONAL state. To get this part of your brain working you just need to ground yourself.

Sit down, get your feet planted, & identify 5 objects in the room. Identify some smells & touch things that have texture (a fuzzy blanket or velvet chair!). I learned these techniques in somatic therapy & not only is the whole idea of it so interesting, it is SO EFFECTIVE.

5. Find an Creative Outlet

OKAY- I know that if you are in the middle of a panic attack, sitting down & doing anything feels physically impossible & I get that. I wouldn’t even suggest you try & do that because I know how damn hard it can be. This bit of advice is for when you’re feeling like you could have a panic attack soon or you are just getting out of one & feeling on edge.

Find yourself a creative outlet!!!! It’s the best release for a naturally anxious person IMO.

I always have believed the most creative, talented, out of the box thinkers in this world struggle with anxiety. T.S. Eliot said it himself, “anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity”… & honestly, this correlation between anxiety & creativity spurred this post. The graphic above I made when having some pretty massive anxiety. I couldn’t get ANYTHING done & my focus was shit, so instead of fighting it & getting nowhere, I just got on Photoshop & did something creative.

After I was done it felt like a 1000lb weight was lifted off my shoulders!!! I feel more motivated than I have in weeks right now, so much so I am actually excited to wrap this post & get to patching/painting the old house (something I have been dreading since the day we found out we were moving lol).

THAT’S ALL SHE WROTE!I hope that this offered you some tools for your next panic attack or if you landed here because you are nervous Googling “am I dying or having a panic attack?!”. I see you, I hear you, I MF FEEL YOU SO HARD, & you are gonna be fine!!! In case you need a little more reading material….