#panic disorders

[the-label-sanctuary]

Anxiety Disorder awareness flag

・₊✧𝘈 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺｡｡｡ -`♡´- 

✧ A flag for anyone that has an Anxiety Disorder. ✧

✧ Flag based on @beyond-mogai-pride-flags 's Anxiety flag using @the-crystalized-cosmos ' disability awareness flag. ✧

✧ Tagging for all Term posts: @radiomogai ✧

[PT: A pearlescent term has been added to the sanctuary…]

note; all of our terms and flags are inclusive to intradisorders and self diagnosis.

[puraiuddo]

It's so fucking infuriating how anxiety is viewed as some lesser, even illegitimate form of mental health disability.

Just because you have experienced butterflies before public speaking or an interview and have ~gotten over it~ does not mean you now have even an inkling of what living with a severe panic disorder is like.

That shit is not the same as having such a severe neurological reaction to stress that your nervous system is convinced you're dying and is so overwhelmed by stimuli that it is patently unable to process anything outside of all-consuming, irrational panic.

And even when people are capable of conceptualizing that someone may have panic attacks and are sympathetic to that... it's like that's as far as they're willing to take it.

Anything short of a panic attack is suddenly something that can be ~overcome~ or ~powered through~ just like "everyone else".

Ironically, if you view severe anxiety rationally... is it not obvious that if someone is capable of experiencing the same level of a panic over getting a shot that you would experience when being held at gunpoint that... that level of hyperactivity might extend to literally every other aspect of their life?

Many cases of severe anxiety are a function of a defective parasympathetic nervous system. People with severe anxiety are as neurologically incapable of calming down as someone who suffers from seizures (the medications for the conditions literally overlap!!).

Medication, therapy, and coping mechanisms work as well as they do for any other health condition.

If I have to hear "get over it" or "just calm down" or any other idiotic platitude one more time I'm actually going to commit homicide.

[singingowllock]

It seems so much bigger than me lately.

I need to practice this more.

[covidlongbrawler]

*something bad happens*

The anxiety demon that lives in my brain: oh, a new thing to freak out about! Time to have a panic attack!

My body: instantly feels like it's dying

Me: okay, but this isn't the end of the world and we have strategies to cope with this. We know logically it will be fine.

Anxiety demon: okay, okay, but have you considered....

Anxiety demon:

Me: ...

Me: damn, that is a good point.

[prettyish]

Me @ my brain: can you just like, chill, a little bit?? is that possible for us? ever?

My brain,

feeling a sharp pain in my chest:

BROKEN RIB!! PANIC ❗️ PUNCTURED LUNG!!!

the power suddenly going out:

EMP?!?! ☢️ Apocalypse!!! ⚠️ OH MY GOD

absolutely nothing:

L E P R O S Y

[schuylerpeck]

schuyler peck / insta: hiitssky

[moumitaislam]

tips for dealing with panic and anxiety attacks

okay, i have to start this off by saying that i am in no way medically trained in dealing with anxiety/panic attacks. i am not a medical professional. i am a high school student who has been dealing with anxiety and depression for a long time and i have developed some methods of coping that work for me. this is just what helps me, and i hope that something from this list can help you in some way.

1. talk to a therapist

this one isn’t possible for everyone, especially if you’re having an attack at a time where you aren’t with your therapist. i get that. however, if you are showing symptoms of a panic disorder, i would highly encourage you to talk to a professional about it. they can help so much better than a random stranger on the internet. a lot of schools have counselors, and i would recommend talking to them. they can help a lot.

2. call a friend

this also isn’t always possible. it’s always an option, and a good one to have. make sure that friend knows that you might call them, though, or shoot them a text. i’ve found that calling a friend can sometimes be the only way for me to recover from a panic attack. sometimes i need to be talked through it, and that’s okay. i’m very grateful for my friends who help me out when i’m not okay.

3. focus on your breathing

this one sounds a lot more simple than it is, i know. it’s really hard to focus on your breathing when you’re panicking, but try your best. sometimes i need to turn on a metronome (can you tell i’m a band kid? haha) and breathe while i count. i’ll usually start at a higher tempo, and take it down as i begin to control my breathing. i count in for four, hold for two, then release for another four. if i’m panicking too much to hold my breath, i’ll simply hold for four counts then release for another four counts. if i’m on the phone with a friend, sometimes i’ll ask them to count for me or breathe with me. this is probably what helps me the most.

4. ground yourself

focus on your senses. i like to find three things i can feel (ex. someone’s hand on mine, my clothing, my phone, etc.), three things i can smell (ex. a candle, the grass, food cooking, etc.), three things i can hear (ex. my cats playing, people talking, instruments playing, etc.), three things i can see (ex. my hands, the sky, the grass, etc.), and three emotions/feelings (usually nausea, fear, my chest tightening, etc.). this helps bring me back to reality.

5. use apps on your phone

there are a lot of good meditation apps or apps that generally help you get over panic attacks. one that i like to use is called “calm”. if you don’t want to use an app, there are also videos on youtube that do the same thing. i recommend them mostly for when you feel like you’re going to have a panic attack, but aren’t having one yet.

6. think of something that makes you happy

for me, this is often my cats or my friends. it’s also marching, my plans for the future, and my relationships with the people around me. it’s the things that make life worth living.

i really hope that this post was able to help in any way. i highly encourage you to talk to a professional to help develop strategies that help with your anxiety/panic attacks. thanks for reading!

[juniperhillpatient]