Tips To Help When The Mind Takes Over

Courtney Burke
Courtney Burke

So many of us have had a panic or anxiety attack and I feel like there is a lot of closet panic/anxiety,  so here are some tips, from me to you, for when the mind takes over:

  1. Anxiety manifests physically and the body goes into fight or flight mode. We begin to hunch over to protect our upper body, where our heart and lungs are. Sit or stand up tall and try to pull your shoulders back. Focus on your breath.
  2. Breathe. I like to focus on how the air physically feels as I breathe deeply through my nose. I notice how the air feels as I fill up my lungs.
  3. Try to write down your thoughts. Anxiety is caused by a rush of negative thoughts- when you write them down, you are allowing these thoughts to flow out of your head and onto the paper.
  4. If you can, take off your shoes and feel the ground beneath your feet, and really feel it completely. Think of yourself as a tree and your feet as the roots.  Stand tall like the tree.
  5. Return to your senses. We live in a rushed world and it is easy to drift from these senses. Try and really listen – whether it be a song, the sound of your breath, the rain falling on the roof, the cars going by, etc.
  6. Negative thoughts are at their weakest when they first enter your mind. Try to shift to gratitude and thoughts that put you at ease- a good memory, somewhere you’ve been that brought you bliss, or people that make you happy