Tips needed for taking attention away from anxious thoughts

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DavieB

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Hi,

I am trying my hard not to listen and distract myself away from the thoughts that start of my anxiety cycles. At the moment I am really just trying to concentrate on what I am doing at the time but it is really hard and I feel as if I am not making much progress. Does anyone have any tips to help? My concentration is not great anyway due to my anxiety.
 
Yeah - this part is hard. I try two things. One is breathing - getting enough oxygen :) I try to take even breaths by counting them. I'll draw in a breath and count to 4 and then exhale and count to 4. As I get calmer, I can spread it out - up to 7 seconRAB. It's funny though because I can be up to 7 - have a fearful thought hit me and then I can't inhale that deeply again and have to start back over at 4.

Also, I read something I really liked recently and I think on it a LOT when I'm fearful. It said "Courage is being afraid and doing it anyway". I've come to learn that I have a lot of courage and somehow, over the long haul, it sort of gives me strenth :)
 
I am suffering from the same thing you are at the moment. My doc put me on zoloft and xanax thinking it was going to make me feel better, but instead it made matters worse. Recently my anxiety was triggered by an ear infection I am still recovering from, but just like you the thoughts started to flood my mind so much I had to stop what I was doing and focus on getting a grip. First things first, just remind yourself that this will pass and you will be fine once the episode is over. I'm actually in the middle of a mild anxiety/depression/nurabness spell from the zoloft withdrawl at this moment(thankfully I only took it for 3 days, or else I can only imagine how much tougher the withdrawl would be). But I keep reminding myself that although it's very overwhelming to me now, it WILL pass. Every moment that passes gets me closer to being back to my old self. Just focus on where you want to be, relax and take some time to calm down. different things work for different people: watching something funny on TV or listening to music. Playing a video game helps others, myself included. But as many people would tell you, if it persists to the point where you can't function at all for days at a time, then visit your doctor, or preferably a licensed therapist. Remeraber you will get through this. :)
 
Thanks. I've tried thinking of things I will be doing in the future before but I guess I just need to percivere a bit more. To improve my concentration I am trying to slow myself down and do one task at a time.
 
Been a sufferer for quite a while now guys and my panic attacks are quick and the symptoms pass quickly. I have taken medication before and have come off them and feel much better for it. Do you ever have thoughts about a situation where you have panicked before, say, hours beofre you go into that situation or just before it? These are thoughts I want to tackle as they really hold the key to beating it. My panic is mild now and usually very short lasting.
 
Ah, I see where you're coming from. For me, what has worked is visualization and distraction. When I was working as a sales rep, I would worry about presenting new products to a customer, or presenting my sales figures to the sales department. I would just think about how smooth my presentation would be and that it wouldn't last forever. Remerabering that I am the one in control of the situation helps. And if that didn't work I would focus on something positive that I would be doing afterward, or something I would be looking forward to in the near future. I know obstacles are placed in our lives at all times, and often times we are our own worst enemy/obstacle. Remeraber to take a moment to collect your thoughts, remind yourself YOU are the one in control of this situation. Empowering yourself is the biggest key to conquering your anxiety. Hope this helps a bit. :)
 
See - that's why that quote on courage speaks to me so well. It's these situations that give us the opportunity to be courageous.

Another quote that I like is "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. ~Arabrose Redmoon"

I try to take these opportunities where I would typically be fearful (of things like a panic attack) and turn it into something positive for myself. Exercise is a big one for me. I have a lot of anxiety surrounding my heart - so pushing my heart rate always scares me, even though I've been working out hard for over a year now. I still have to tell myself while I'm working out "you are not going to pass out and die". Lately I've been trying to tell myself just how courageous this makes me. Where many people would just say "no - I can't do it, it's too scary", I just keep pushing myself. I think it's the same with any situation that we are fearful of. I also used to get VERY fearful of flying - but I'm not going to let that fear keep me from living my life, you know? And some anxiety is to be expected.

Anyhow - just keep after it. Keep tweaking your thoughts and thinking positive things... you are sure to find yourself in a good place.
 
Taking things slow is a great way to regain control of yourself and a situation. I also agree very strongly with zekat's quote on courage. Fear is such a powerful (de)motivator that it can overwhelm us instantly. I find people's strength does lie in their ability to acknowledge that fear is there but we have to do what neeRAB to be done. I'm a person so paranoid and anxious any little ache twitch or "odd" feeling can set me off. But I have to get a grip constantly, even though often times it doesn't take much to regain control. You'll find your balance and once you do, you'll find these issues will taper down.
 
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