I meant to add this to the authorâs comments, but Iâll post them here now too:
Some strategies to use when having an anxiety attack:
1) Remind yourself that you are having an anxiety attack. Knowledge is power and understanding your body can go a long wayâŠduring an anxiety attack your âfight or flightâ system is turned on. Remember that your body WILL calm downâŠ~*homeostasis*~
 2) Belly-breathing. Breathe in through your nose, hold your breath, and breathe out through your mouth. Helps to bring down the âfight or flightâ response and turn on the ~*MELLOW*~ responseâŠboth systems cannot be on at the same time! (for more scientific names, these systems are your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems).
 3) Muscle tension exercises. Tense muscles around the body and hold it for 5 seconds, then release. Try it with your jaw, your fingers, hand, toes, feet, knee, stomach, etcâŠhas same affect on the body as belly breathing. Also helps if you are having sensory overload, which means your body is taking in too much sensory infoâŠyou might crave pressure or the absence of certain stimuli like touch.
 4) Visualization techniques. Imagine yourself somewhere calm and add sensory details. Immerse yourself in this scene. For example, you are at a beach, you can feel the grainy sand crunch beneath your feet. The waves hitting up against the shoreline, coming up, going back down.
 What to do when someone is having an anxiety attack:
1) Remember that what is happening to this person is out of their control. Their muscle spasms, hyperventilating, screaming, repetitive speech, rockingâŠit is not something they can control and in fact for some people, these can be coping mechanisms. Remember that anxiety is a brain thing.
 2) Use limited language with the person. When anxiety is up, it is hard to process information. Use visual cues and body language to communicate.
 3) Be present for them. A person having anxiety is going to have more anxiety that you are witnessing them having the anxietyâŠlet them know that you are not leaving them and that you do not judge them.
 4) Understand that mental illness in general is complicatedâŠthis person is a person and should not be reduced to âbeing crazyââŠbecause they are NOT crazy. Everyone is different, with different backgrounds and biology: practice empathy and reduce judgement.
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