Ways to Relieve Anxiety Disorders

The core logic for alleviating anxiety disorders that has been clinically verified around the world and covers multiple schools of thought including psychiatry, cognitive behavioral therapy, and psychoanalysis is to "first block the risk of acute attacks, and then reduce the frequency of long-term attacks through personalized plans." There is no universal method that applies to everyone. The most effective plan is often a personalized combination of drug intervention, cognitive adjustment, and behavioral training.

Last week, I bumped into a girl at the door of my consultation room. She was squatting on the corner of the corridor, holding her collar and gasping for air. She said that when she was squeezing in the subway, she suddenly felt out of breath. Her chest felt as tight as a brick. All she could think about was "Am I going to die suddenly here?" She took out her phone three times without unlocking it. This is a typical acute attack of anxiety (panic attack). When encountering this kind of situation, don't think "I have to rely on willpower to get through it." It's useless. The amygdala of the brain has already seized control, and rationality cannot be brought to the line at all. At this time, the advice of different practitioners actually has different emphasis: Most psychiatrists will recommend that diagnosed patients carry half a tablet of short-acting anti-anxiety drugs, such as lorazepam and alprazolam. If they are taken according to the doctor's instructions, they will be relieved in ten minutes. The addiction problem that many people worry about can be almost ignored as long as they do not increase the dosage without authorization and take it as needed. ； Consultants in the CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) school recommend that you carry small objects in your pocket that can quickly awaken your senses, such as roller balls soaked in lemon essential oil, super-sour plum candy, or even an ice pack. When you have an attack, roll it on your temples and bite it. Chewing gum or holding an ice pack for a few seconds can instantly bring your attention back to the present moment when you are drifting in "catastrophic imagination". The two methods are equally superior. If you have already experienced a feeling of death, you must take medicine first. If you have just a hint of panic, you may be able to suppress it by holding a piece of candy.

When the intensity of the acute attack passes, the real tug of war with anxiety begins. I have met many patients who were very panicked when they were first diagnosed. They searched everywhere for "methods to cure anxiety". Some people said that taking medicine is useful, while others said that taking medicine has side effects. The more they read, the more anxious they become. In fact, this matter really does not need to be black and white: if you have been unable to sleep well, restless, and unable to work and live normally for half a month, follow the doctor's advice and take SSRI drugs (such as commonly used sertraline and fluoxetine) for 3-6 months. Clinical data shows that it can significantly reduce the frequency of seizures in more than 60% of patients. You may be a little drowsy and nauseous at the beginning, and most of them will subside in about two weeks. ； If you have infrequent attacks and are resistant to taking medicine, you can completely improve it by adjusting your daily habits. You don’t have to think that “if you don’t take medicine, you don’t take it seriously.”

It’s quite interesting to say that I have seen many people’s methods of relieving anxiety that do not conform to the “standard answers” ​​at all. I once had a male visitor who worked in the backend. He said on the Internet that jogging can relieve anxiety. He forced himself to run five kilometers every day after get off work. When he ran, his mind was filled with whether there were bugs in the code he wrote today and whether next week's version could be launched on time. The more he ran, the more annoyed he became. Then accidentally. I went indoor rock climbing once, and every time I climbed, I could only stare at the rock point, my hands had to find the point of exertion, and my feet had to step firmly. I had no time to think about work. After climbing, I went home sweating and fell asleep. I persisted for three months. The last time I came for a follow-up visit, I said that I had not had an attack in almost two months. Really, you don’t have to force yourself to follow the blogger’s “10 Things You Must Do for Anxiety”, just find something that takes away time to think about it once you do it. Whether it’s building a Gundam, cleaning the range hood, or squatting downstairs to feed the cat for half an hour, as long as it can make you concentrate and forget about “I am very anxious”, then it is the best method for you.

Mindfulness meditation has been very popular recently. Many people say that they should practice mindfulness when they are anxious. However, I have also encountered several clients who became more and more anxious as they practiced. A girl who works in new media said that after practicing mindfulness for a week with the APP, every time the guide said "please clear your mind", she couldn't help but wonder if today's push would be 100,000+, and whether the brand would be dissatisfied. After practicing, she would have a worse headache. Later, I gave her a "crooked trick". She didn't need to clear her mind deliberately. She could just sit on the sofa after dinner and count the hairs your cat dropped on the sofa for ten minutes. She tried it for a week and said it was much better. In fact, the core of mindfulness is "awareness without judgment". It does not mean forcing your mind to go blank. If you become more and more tense as you follow the guidance, you can completely throw away the APP and find your own "way of awareness".

Speaking of which, I also suffered from anxiety when I was rushing to report on a project. My hands were shaking when I stared at the screen while typing. Later, I kept two boxes of super sour tangerine peel candies and a lumpy Wenwan walnut in my drawer all year round. When I was really panicked, I took a candy and turned the walnuts for two minutes, which was much more effective than drinking three glasses of iced Americano.

In fact, anxiety disorder is really not something "hypocritical" or "can't think straight", it's just a temporary glitch in the brain's emotion regulation switch. There is no need to force yourself to "get better soon", and there is no need to be embarrassed and go to the doctor for help. Some people get better by taking medicine, some by rock climbing, and some by feeding the stray cats downstairs every day. There is no standard answer. Your comfort is the most important. After all, compared to "no anxiety at all", being able to peacefully coexist with the occasional small anxieties is already a particularly good state.