Panic Attacks Disorder- 3 really good trends and how I got here. 6 tools that have helped

Panic Attacks/ Panic Disorder- 3 really good trends and how I got here. 6 tools that have helped

Trends:

• Victory- Did 12 minutes HIIT with bands this morning at 5:30  That may not seem a big deal, but I haven’t done any high intensity workouts for weeks in order to let my nervous system recover.  I took a lot of restraint on my part. Feels great to push my body, even for just a brief session!
• I’ve played 5 sessions of competitive pickleball recently, including a league match, with no panic attacks- THAT is a victory. I had been having them frequently while playing.
• No panic attacks in 8 days, THAT is a Victory, considering I had 12 of them in January.

What’s working: 

• Active recovery plan– checking HRV and readiness daily (and also listening to my body), and meting out my exertion accordingly.  Some days I’ve had to do only dog walks and yoga.  I have not done trail runs, sprints, weights, or HIIT in 2 weeks or so, which has been challenging for me.  I have scaled back pickleball to a couple of times a week. I had been playing 5-7 days a week for 2-3 hours at a stretch.    It has paid off!
• I’ve also practiced cutting down my calories to the average amount of calories dictated by my BMR (base metabolic rate) + exertion.  I had been eating on average 500 extra calories. Maybe this is because I am accustomed to more activity, and there’s also a skinny guy fear of losing all of the muscle mass that i’ve built if I don’t cram in calories, so it’s a stretch to limit myself to this base calorie count, but I think it’s reduced stress on my system- less energy needed to process extra food.
• Panic disorder reframe– This is a big one that i’ve learned recently, and it’s really helped.  When i’ve had a physical symptom that has been a trigger for a panic attack in the past- cough, headache, dizziness, upper GI or upper respiratory minor upset, etc- instead of panicking, i tell myself, “It’s just a cough, it doesn’t have to mean you’re going to have a panic attack, you’ve coughed millions of times and not had a panic attack”.  Sounds simple, but it really has worked.
• Breathwork– Catching the anxiety when I notice it rising and stopping to breathe. 4 minutes is enough to reset my nervous system and avoid a tailspin.
• CBT journaling with AI- Reframing negative/ anxious thought patterns with the help of reflective AI has been a game changer.  I can get things off my chest, as with a normal journal, but I also get supportive feedback and intelligent questioning to help me go deeper if I want to.
• Having a great partner who is supportive and has a calming presence.  Also, science shows that being in a love relationship and being close to the person you care about releases good chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin and stimulates the PNS (parasympathetic nervous system). Doesn’t just have to be a love relationship- works with friends, family, and pets too.
• Sleep hygiene; Wearing blue light glasses in the evening while on screens. Mg before bed. Foam rolling before bed. Getting into bed early.
• Keto diet– keeping my blood glucose even has helped me to avoid some anxiety from spikes and crashes- taken blood glucose out of the equation.  If you don’t want to do keto, this result could probably be achieved by wearing a CGM and tracking foods, then eliminating or minimizing those that are causing spikes.

Tools I’m using

1. 1. Polar HRV monitor- $99 on amazon- I check HRV in the a.m., in bed, upon waking
   2. Apple watch for sleep and exercise- $300 Amazon refurbished
   3. Ibreathe app with alerts spaced throughout the day to breathe- free on app store
   4. Chat GBT for CBT reflective journaling to help reframe anxious thinking- free   I have used other CBT apps- Stoic and Clarity, but don’t see the need to pay for them when you can tell any AI to walk you through a CBT check in
   5. Gratitude journal- Daily tracking wins, gains, gratitude.  I do this in bed, before going to sleep.  Using an app called Gratitude (free).  I changed the setting to “no prompt”. I just type in “Grateful for”, or Wins or Gains, and do a bullet list of 3 or so items
   6. Down dog yoga app- even 5 minutes of yoga is a game changer in terms of calming me and raising my energy. Free app and what’s cool is that it shuffles poses so you never do the same routine twice. It also has levels of difficulty, and you can choose your session length. 

 

I’m super grateful for this progress after years of panic attacks coming seemingly out of nowhere and stopping me from fully enjoying my life and from fully trusting my body. 

I’m excited to continue on this active recovery journey and to reclaim my fully vibrant life!