8 Things You Can Do During An Anxiety Attack At Work
An anxiety attack during work is a nightmare for employees. One can never tell when it happens, and sometimes it can fall on a day when you need your sanity the most. There are many ways you can prepare for a sudden onset of anxiety, but those who are caught off guard here is a list of anxiety first aid for those experiencing it right now:
1. Go to a safe space
Go to a pre-determined space that is safe, quiet and away from co-workers that might not understand your need to be alone to deal with your emotions. Physically distancing yourself from your triggers and other people can help quiet the voices around you and in your head and help you go through the motions of what’s happening at your own pace.
2. Practice grounding
When you cannot leave your work station or go to a safe space, try to look at 4 things around you. Focus on one thing at a time, count slowly from 1-100 before moving to the next object. Then, close your eyes and try to listen to 3 different sounds. It can be the sound of the door opening and closing, the clock ticking, the distant conversations in the background. Isolate each sound, and focus on that and count 1-100. Slowly touch 2 things with different textures, one at time. It can be the fabric of your clothing, the smoothness of a table, the roughness of a wall, and so on. Run your fingers through or on top of these textures and repeat while counting 1-100. Lastly, focus on your breath and do breathe exercises.
3. Do breathing exercises
Close your eyes and focus on the space between your eyebrows. Breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Take in what you’re feeling, and let it out with your breathe. Acknowledge that right now you are not feeling okay, but you will be soon.
4. Secure an anxiety management tool
Different people have different manifestations of anxiety whether it be withdrawing, fidgeting or hyperventilating. Find a tool that works to deal with your kind of manifestation. If you fidget, get a fidgeting cube (you can find these on Lazada for less than Php400). If you withdraw, make a playlist with music that calms you down. If you feel like you can’t move, have a pen and paper ready so you can write lists.
5. Make lists
If your attack is triggered by a feeling of being overwhelmed, writing lists can help you sort out your feelings. The Pareto Principle talks about how 20% of work can give you 80% output. If you have 5 things that you have to do, pick the number 1 priority and just focus on that. Give yourself room to breathe and repeat the cycle of choosing just to do few things well.
6. Tell yourself that you’re excited
There are some times when the attack is less intense that talking to yourself and convincing yourself that you’re actually excited works. This is especially useful for people that are used to doing something and suddenly feel like you can’t do it all of a sudden.
7. Think of everything in 5 seconds
This was something I picked up from the TV Show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Although it wasn’t portrayed as a good long term solution, it does work for temporary situations that seem unbearable. If you’re stuck in a meeting with a boss yelling at you, think of it in intervals of 5 seconds. If you can tolerate 5 more seconds, keep repeating the cycle until you can go to your safe space and manage your experience.
8. Call a a friend or help hotline.
If you’ve made preparations and have a friend, family member or significant other on standby for moments like these, call them the moment that you already feel the initial symptoms.
If the people you care about are unavailable and you desperately need someone to talk to you can call theNGF (Natasha Goulbourn Foundation’s Line (02) 804-4673 (HOPE), the In Touch Community Service’s Crisis Line (02) 893 7606 or the Manila Lifeline Centre (02) 896-9191.
It’s important to remember that each person copes with anxiety differently. Knowing the most effective way for you to deal with your anxiety ahead of time is important so that you can manage it properly. If you find that you are constantly impaired and can no longer cope with your anxiety problems, please seek medical assistance from a mental health professional.
