Anxiety with panic attacks is a very real disorder.
It is not pretty by any means.
Anxiety is not the cute girl in a coffee shop who is slightly shy and brushes her hair out of her face and giggles when she sees someone look at her.
There are some ways that you can help yourself to overcome anxiety and panic attacks though your sense of touch. Here are just a few:
- Animals are emotional sponges.
If you have been diagnosed with anxiety, you can look into getting a service animal, emotional support animal, or therapy animal, depending on how bad your anxiety is.
These types of animals will know when you are about to have an anxiety attack and will come and comfort you to help you get through it.
If you are undiagnosed, a pet can still very much help you. Even if your pet is not trained to provide you with a service, they can still comfort you by cuddling up with you and helping you to feel less alone.
- Natural stones like rose quartz are good emotional conductors.
Rose quartz is particularly good for sensitive people whom are prone to anxiety attacks as it can store energies, both negative and positive.
If you are having an anxiety attack, hold your rose quarts in your dominant (energy pushing hand) and imagine letting all of the negative energy in your body flowing out from your hand into the stone and staying there.
Also - make sure to “clean” your stones of negative energy regularly so they don’t become too full. (sherry look up how to clean)
- Embracing a loved one releases feel-good chemicals in your brain.
When you touch or embrace a loved one – someone whom you trust, and believe in - you feel safe and loved, even if you are in the middle of a panic attack.
- Try the 5-4-3-2-1 Technique
If you are having a really bad panic attack, try this method of using your sense of touch in a complete way:
• Look around you for 5 things that you can touch that are alive ie. Plants, Baby, Pets etc.
• Go and touch 4 things that are soft, and then concentrate on how they feel. Whether it’s a pillow, your pet, anything that you can touch that is soft.
• Identify 3 things that you can touch that are wet; for instance - place your hand in a bowl of cold water, or stick your finger into a cup of ice cream etc.. Focus on the wet feeling as you do this.
• Find 2 things that you can touch that are warm. If there’s nothing you can touch from where you are, it is okay to go outside in nature to find something. Smooth stones warmed by the sun are good.
• Find 1 thing that you can touch that represents love to you. Do you have something that feels like comfort to you ie. an old t-shirt, or a special gardening tool, or even an apron….If so, pick that item up and feel the love that you have for it as you close your eyes. Take a deep breath and remember why you love this item and how it makes you feel.
The main benefit of these techniques is that they instantly ground you in the present moment while at the same time interrupting subconscious programs translating through your body as panic attacks. You will feel calmness pour through your body – as these toxic patterns are interrupted.
The secret is utilizing your sense of touch in reducing anxiety is to allow yourself to REALLY be touched by what you are TOUCHING. This allows the object of your attention to absorb your panicked-energy-patterns, allowing you to take a breather and feel soothed.
Written By,
Dannie Duncan