Calming the Rush of Panic (7 page)

We used tooth brushing as an example, but you can apply a mindful approach to any routine morning task. Each habitual action is an opportunity to be more mindful and more engaged with your physical body. When you practice mindfulness during these tedious but necessary tasks, you deepen your awareness of the present moment, the only moment in which you’re truly alive and can make changes in your life.

Wash Away Your Panic

Have you ever had a panic attack in your sleep? One woman told us that on many mornings she’d wake up trembling in a cold sweat. On these occasions she ached for a long, hot bath before starting her day, but she never had the time.

Few people have time for a long soak in the bath before work. A brisk shower is the best most of us can hope for to wash away sleep and pull ourselves together for the long day ahead. And sadly, showers can also be another part of a mindless routine, a task that we do simply to get it over with and get on with our day. Everyday activities are perfect opportunities for cultivating mindfulness. Perhaps you might consider each shower as a cleansing ritual, approaching it as a symbolic act of washing away the panicky sensations trapped in your mind and body. In this next practice you’ll do just that, step by step, breath by breath.

1. Before you run the water or get in the shower, take a few breaths. Each breath links you closer to the present moment, right here and now.
   
2. Set your intentions for this mindful practice. You may say aloud or to yourself:
   May this shower bring me into my body. May this shower help me be with things as they are and ease my body and mind.
   
3. Once the water temperature is set to your liking, step carefully and slowly into the shower. Experience this moment with all your senses—touch, taste, sound, smell, and sight. What does the water feel like on your face, arms, chest, back, and legs? What sounds are coming from the water? What fragrances do you notice from your soap, shampoo, or shaving cream? Notice the steam collecting on the curtain, mirror, or glass surfaces.
   
4. Remember to tune in to your breathing while you continue to shower.
   
5. On your next inhale, recognize any feelings that your body is trying to relay to you. You may experience fear tightening your throat, making it hard to swallow. If so, allow the water to wash over your neck and be conscious of your intentions from step 2. You may experience anxiety making your lower back tense. If so, take this moment to let the warm water wash over and loosen those aching muscles as you breathe out.
   
6. For the rest of your shower, continue to pay attention to your body in this mindful and attentive manner, listening in on what your body needs. By doing so, you’re fostering a new kind of relationship with your body and your body’s experience of panic.
   

Let morning showers be your special time for you to mindfully check in with yourself, each warm droplet of water replenishing and healing to your mind and body.

Drive with More Ease

A panic attack can occur at any time and without warning. You may panic at inopportune times, such as while driving: going into a tunnel, crossing a bridge, or heading into a busy intersection. If this often happens to you, when you feel your heart pound in your throat and you start to clutch the steering wheel tightly, it’s okay to pull over for a bit. Find the nearest freeway exit or otherwise safely get off the road or highway. Then, take a break for a little mindful breathing. Practicing mindful breathing at such times will come in handy, even for the times that you struggle with panic when you can’t safely exit or park your car someplace. At those times, simply bringing to mind the memory of an episode in which you used mindful breathing may help. The instructions below are for you to practice ahead of time, while you’re not operating a vehicle.

1. Find a quiet place to sit or stand in silence. Turn off your cell phone, computer, TV, or any other distractions. Acknowledge to yourself that this is your quality time for self-reflection. Be alert and pay attention to your posture, finding a comfortable position for your body to support itself. You can keep your eyes open or close them, but remain alert and focused.
   
2. Take this time to focus on your breathing. Notice what’s happening with your breath. Are you short of breath or breathing steadily? Are you breathing from your mouth or nose, your chest or your belly? The chest is where you typically breathe when you’re panicked or feeling anxious. As you begin to pay more attention to your breath, try placing one hand on your chest, one hand on your belly, and then practice returning your breath to your belly. The belly is where you’ll find release from stress in the body. Follow each breath in and out, in and out again. Feel your lungs fill with air and empty of air, filling and emptying over and over again. Notice the rise and fall of your hand on your belly, rising and falling with each breath. Belly moves up on the inhale. Belly drops on the exhale.
   
3. When you notice that thoughts arise or something distracts your attention, acknowledge where you went and bring your mind back to your breathing. This is a good time to notice your responses, reactions, and sensations and then return to the present moment through your breath or perhaps by focusing on a single sound or object. You may hear the laughter of kids on the street, you may hear the rain on your roof, or you may notice a chill in the room or an old favorite sweater left out. Sometimes your mind will want to wander, and that’s normal; simply notice what your mind is focusing on and then gently return your attention to your breath—in and out, rising and falling, on and on.
   
4. You may say aloud or to yourself:
   With each breath, I am acknowledging any sensations that arise, without judgment. With each breath, I am observing how all sensations come and go. With each breath, I am learning to ride the waves of my panic and let be.
   

Diaphragmatic breathing, as in mindful breathing, is a beneficial form of deep relaxation. We encourage you to practice breathing from your belly several times a day, until it becomes a natural way of breathing. The next time panic strikes while you’re driving, remember that your breath is all that you need. You carry it with you wherever you go, wherever you are. Befriend your breath as a tool for helping you through your next moment of panic.

Give a Worry-Free Presentation

If your job requires making speeches or giving presentations, your panic may shoot through the roof on a weekly basis no matter how many times you rehearse. You may feel on edge, startle easily, get butterflies in your stomach, feel jumpy and unsettled, or sweat profusely. Mindfulness can be a powerful antidote to the panicky feelings that may precede every speech or presentation. This next mindful practice will help anchor your mind and body in your breath in order to build concentration and focus before you have to perform in front of an audience. Go ahead and try it now.

1. First, settle into a comfortable and quiet space and sitting position. Be aware of your posture, sitting tall and alert.
   
2. Think of your panicky sensations as being somewhere on a dial. At one end of the dial, the panicky energy is expansive and high volume. At the other end, the panicky energy is diminished and low volume.
   
3. Take several thoughtful, slow breaths and then just pay attention to your breathing. Your lungs naturally expand and contract, filling and releasing with air, of their own accord. As you proceed, return to the breath as often as you can, which will help your mind focus and be present.
   
4. In terms of your experience of panic in this moment, you may be at various points on the dial at different times. Check in with yourself on where your sensations of panic are showing up on your dial. Where do you fall on a 0 to 10 scale, if 10 is the highest volume and 0 is the lowest volume? Are you at a 3 or a 5 or an 8?
   
5. Once you’ve selected the number that best represents your degree of panic in this moment, on your next inhale, say aloud or to yourself:
   I am acknowledging any sensations that arise in my body.
   Exhale:
   I am aware that each sensation is neither good nor bad; it simply is.
   Inhale:
   I am observing and experiencing the coming and going of each sensation and letting it be.
   Exhale:
   I am noticing how sensations are not permanent states of being, but always passing and changing.
   Try this for four to eight breaths.
   
6. One of the challenges that you may experience before you perform in front of an audience is restlessness. Your body may grow agitated, unable to relax and be still. This is your mind’s way of distracting you, preventing you from being fully engaged in the present moment. If you’re feeling stirred up and restless, simply acknowledge this sensation and observe it. There’s no need to suppress or change it. Once you acknowledge it, you take away its power over you and you gradually return to being present again.
   
7. Take this moment to fully inhabit your body in the silence around you. Take this time to acknowledge your mind and body that writes and prepares speeches and presentations. When you’re ready, move ahead with your presentation with enhanced concentration and focus.
   

Get Grounded

Panic has a way of throwing off your sense of connection and feelings of groundedness. People often express feeling disconnected, numb, or unsteady during times of panic. When you feel ungrounded because of panic, you might benefit from a walking meditation.

Before or after a meal is an ideal time for this mindful practice. Walking is an excellent way to get you feeling grounded and help you tune in to your body and mind. Gentle movement, such as walking, is soothing and helps quiet the mind. With regular practice, it can become a simple and supportive routine in your life. If you can walk barefoot, that’s ideal, but it’s okay with shoes as well. You can walk indoors or outdoors. What distance you walk isn’t really important. You can walk down a hallway and back, for example, or you can walk around the block.

1. Set your intentions for your walk. Say aloud or to yourself:
   I am walking to feel grounded and balanced. I am walking to make time for listening to and expanding my awareness of my body.
   
2. Stand still and tall and strong, but also stand comfortably and at ease in your body. Your arms should be loose at your sides and your face forward. Your feet should be hip-distance apart. Tenderly shake out your shoulders to release any tension in them, and then take a few deep breaths.
   
3. Pay close attention to your feet on the ground. Notice the pressure under the soles of your feet. Gently shift your weight from left to right, and take a moment to feel your weight in your body. Your body may sway forward or backward, or side to side. Notice how this feels. Start to steady yourself until you’re still and find your center again. This center is where you’re strongest and most grounded, like a firmly rooted tree.
   
4. Begin to take your first few steps, moving into a slow walk. Acknowledge how your feet feel with each step. What sensations are you experiencing in your toes? In your heels?
   
5. Become aware of what walking feels like in other parts of your body. What’s happening in your ankles and calves? Your hips and torso? Your neck and arms?
   
6. Pay attention to your stride, your pace, and the rhythm of your walking.
   
7. If your mind starts to get distracted by various thoughts and worries, gently bring your attention back to your body and what feelings are arising during your walk.
   
8. When you’re ready to complete your walk, return to a standing position as before. Feel the stillness in your body. Take a deep breath and send a warm blessing of gratitude to your feet.
   

When you take time to tune in to the physical sensations of your body—before, during, or after a panic attack—you deepen your appreciation for your body. You become more mindful of the needs of your body. Your body has a voice, and it craves attention and nurturing. Practicing mindful walking daily will keep you grounded and help you stay connected to your body so that you might listen to it better. Set an intention to walk mindfully to your car or to work or to the bus stop each day.

Find Balance

There’s nothing worse than having a panic attack in public, like during a meeting at work or when you’re waiting in line at a market or gas station. Your panic may inflame your body like a raging inferno. Physically, you may feel dizzy or reel with fear and bewilderment. Some people have described a sensation of vertigo or disorientation in their body at these times. The impulse to run out and get as far away from people as possible during a panic attack is undeniably real. You may experience a strong urge to postpone a transaction and rush frantically back to your car or your work station or even a vacant bathroom stall. That’s okay. Just remember, you have other choices, and this book will teach you new ways to cope with the impulse to escape.

The following version of the S.T.O.P. practice will help you reclaim your sense of balance and strength to follow through with the task at hand, whether you’re surrounded by strangers or people you know. Again, S.T.O.P. stands for Stop, Take a breath, Observe, and Proceed and be present. Try it now.

1. Begin by taking a pause and giving yourself permission to stop what you’re doing. This is your special time to listen in and nurture yourself.
   
2. Pay attention to your breath. You may notice that you’re holding your breath or that your breathing is constrained. If so, just let yourself breathe, without forcing it or changing your breath. Gradually, your breath will return and you’ll connect with it more readily. When your breathing begins to feel more natural, normal, and steady, bring your breath into your belly. You may become aware of how your belly expands and contracts, pushing out against your clothing on the inhale and then deflating on the exhale. Take a few belly breaths.
   
3. Observe, acknowledge, and allow any and all sensations that are coming up right now in your body. Are you feeling the urge to race out or to stay put? Are you dizzy or light-headed? Are you feeling more connected with your body or less connected? Acknowledge the feelings that your body is sharing with you. By allowing these sensations to surface and run their natural course, you’ll start to settle down and recognize that you have more control than you often think. When you recognize the sensations percolating in your body, you create space for change and a way to work through these sensations, breath by breath, moment to moment.
   
4. Remember to breathe and return to being fully present in the now.
   
5. Move gently forward in your day. (“Move gently” is a common phrase used in mindful practices from yoga to meditation. Panic can make a person move about mindlessly and without kindness toward the body. Be tender; move your body with kindness and awareness.) Be compassionate toward yourself when panicky feelings arise. They’ll come and go, rise and fall, similar to your breath, and to the clouds overhead, and to the ebb and flow of the ocean.