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Anxiety and panic are often accompanied with body symptoms such as increased heart rate, shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, upset stomach, muscle tension, trembling, and headaches.
That said, before making the assumption that these symptoms are related to anxiety, it is important to visit a medical professional to rule out any medical conditions that may have similar symptoms. Once any medical conditions have been ruled out, you can take comfort in knowing that these symptoms are related to anxiety (which can be managed), and take measures towards changing your response to anxiety.
When we experience anxiety or panic, it is often our thoughts that accompany this experience that make it feel the most unbearable. These thoughts often stem from our tendency to catastrophize our body symptoms that occur alongside anxiety and panic.
How do we change our thoughts?
We start by educating ourselves and increasing self-awareness. Let’s gain some insight by looking at 5 of the most common myths about anxiety and panic.
Mythical Thought #1: “I’m going to die.” or “I’m having a heart attack.”
People don’t die from anxiety or panic attacks.
What people may be experiencing are heart palpitations, or rapid heartbeat, which is something that they think might feel like a heart attack. If we can just notice the changes in our heartbeats without attaching the myth of dying to it, we can tolerate it without adding more anxiety to the anxiety.
Mythical Thought #2: “I’m going crazy.”
You are not going crazy. You are experiencing anxiety.
Again, you may have thoughts of trying to escape the source of anxiety that might make you think you are crazy, but if you notice that these are just thoughts and not reality, chances are you aren’t going to jump out the window, even though that idea might appeal to you in the moment.
Mythical Thought # 3: “This anxiety/panic attack is never going to end.”
Even the worst feeling panic attacks start to subside after about 20 minutes. You just have to hang in there and tolerate it. Changing your self-talk and practicing self-regulation techniques during those 20 minutes can make all the difference in the degree of unpleasantness that you experience.
Mythical Thought # 4: “I’m losing control.”
Again, you may be experiencing body sensations that you cannot control (for example, rapid heartbeat, sweating, shortness of breath, etc.) but you do have control over your thoughts.
The first step to feel like you are in more control is to stop telling yourself that you are out of control. Instead, try to root your thoughts in reality by saying something like, “My heart is beating quickly right now but it will slow down. This is just anxiety. It will pass. I am not in danger.” Sometimes replacing the word “anxiety” with “excitement” can be helpful as well, because excitement and anxiety are essentially the same thing in your body; it’s just that our minds attach a negative meaning to anxiety, and a positive meaning to excitement.
Mythical Thought #5: “There’s something wrong with me.”
There’s nothing wrong with you! In fact, if you didn’t experience anxiety I would be more worried about you, because that would probably mean that you are a psychopath.
We all experience anxiety sometimes. It is a part of life. Stop fantasizing about an anxiety-free life. It doesn’t exist. Your response to anxiety is what makes it so darn traumatizing, not the anxiety itself.
Be Mindful: Which mythical thoughts do you attach to? Which body symptoms bring forth these thoughts?
Homework:
Now that you are aware of which mythical thoughts you attach to, create an anxiety plan. List some counter-thoughts that are rooted in reality and not in the myth.
How can you remind yourself that you are safe, that this experience will pass, and that you are in control?
What are some things that you can do to calm your nervous system? Do you need to call someone? Go for a walk in nature? Is there a self-regulation technique that works particularly well for you?
Keep your anxiety plan in a place that is easily accessible and refer to it when you start to notice anxiety thoughts or symptoms. You will find that by practicing ways of tolerating the anxiety, the anxiety will eventually have less of an impact.
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