Hi,

I am looking for drug-free ideas to control/reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety. I find that I will get anxious thoughts and then that sets my physical symptoms into motion (mostly increased heart rate and shallow breathing). Then, I begin to worry about my rapid heart rate, worrying that I'm giving myself high blood pressure, even though my BP is perfectly normal when relaxed and still in the normal range when anxious. I try deep breathing, but I am wondering if anyone else has any tips on things they've found to help curb the physical symptoms of anxiety.

Thanks for your input!

Change of scenery. I get up and go for a quick walk just try to get my mind off of the attack.

You have to treat the causes of the anxiety and physical symptoms that come from the anxiety. I was where you are now not too long ago and until you learn to catch the thoughts that are causing your problems and then identify the common thinking errors in those thoughts that are causing the anxiety and come up with more rational ways of thinking and reacting it will be a vicious cycle with more and more symptoms appearing. Try and join a cbt group or read the cbt book by sam obitz and start doing the tea form exercise. I have found that until you treat the cause you will not find any relief treating the symptoms of anxiety.

Exercise. Put some of that anxiety energy to work. God bless:angel:

Learning diaphramatic breathing is really good for anxiety as is meditation. I have learned to bring myself out of a panic/anxiety attack by breathing deeply and slowly. You should practice this when you're not having anxiety so you'll have it in your muscle memory for when you need it. I tend to practice it when I'm going to bed as it helps relax me.

Feel better!

I often do the diaphramatic breathing to meditate before I counter my thoughts in a tea form and exercise is always good.