Welcome to part 3 of the series! If you haven’t already had a read of Part 1 (where I go into what panic attacks are, how to identify them and also touch on agoraphobia) or Part 2 (where I share a whole bunch of my favourite tools and tips) then please head on over! Today in Part 3 I want to share with you a super helpful resource as well as some information about who to get in touch with and your options when seeking help. Panic attacks are scary! There is no doubt about that. BUT please don’t let anyone tell you that they happen for no reason or that you are stuck feeling this way for the rest of your life!

Below I introduce you to the 5 Ws. This is a great resource and habit to get into. Understanding your anxiety, thoughts and physical symptoms on a whole new level of awareness is a big part of changing your relationship with anxiety. When you change your relationship with anxiety you become less fearful of it. So lets take a closer look at the 5 Ws below..

 

The 5 W’s are a great way for you to break down what in the world just happen! Whether it be a panic attack, a behavioural response to something or someone or even just reaction to an overwhelming situation. We often skip these steps and focus primarily on the outcome. The outcome and response only escalates anxiety and leaves you in a tonne of confusion.

 

Get to know your triggers! Sometimes they may not be direct triggers, or harder to find but that’s ok. What we really want here is to amp up the awareness. Taking note of what is happening!

 

Notice the physical sensations in your body. What are you feeling? For how long? and where?

 

What Automatic Negative Thoughts are you having? These thoughts often pop up without you even noticing. When you are in autopilot mode the specifics of these thoughts go out of the window and we often miss so much of the substance and themes that are running within the thought process. understanding the thought process when it comes to anxiety is super important! It really lays down the ground work of what steps to take next. Writing them out helps you become more aware as well as put things in perspective as I spoke about in part 2 of the series.

 

Once we become more aware of the thoughts it is then important to start questioning them! Just because they came out of your head it doesn’t mean you have to take them as a given. As you know (and I often say) the majority of your anxious thoughts are liars! Yep! Liars! Many are based on things that have been said to you in the past, memories, limiting beliefs or things you have picked up along the way. Our belief system about ourselves and the world starts at a very young age!

 

Often we are well aware that our anxious thoughts are far fetched.. BUT we still shrug our shoulders and kind of convince ourselves that they must be true based on the response our body has to them. It’s hard to break that cycle of anxious thoughts, It is easier said than done, I get all of that. and I totally agree. BUT it can be done by changing the relationship you have with them. Ask yourself what evidence you have to back up these ‘far fetched’ thoughts and beliefs? What about asking a trusted friend or family member for their perspective? Start looking outside the box, challenge yourself and those thoughts don’t just accept them.

I think 2 of the biggest takeaway’s from the 5Ws is:

1) Questioning your anxiety and all that comes with it

and

2) Having the Awareness behind it.

 

What Help is Available?

Help comes in many forms! Lets take a closer look at some options..

•  Mental Health Professional :- Seeking help from a mental health professional can seem daunting for many people, especially if you have never been down that road before. For those of you who have seeked help in the past you may have found that they weren’t the right fit for you or you didn’t gain as much from the sessions as you had liked. And that’s totally ok. I’m a firm believer of ensuring your mental health support is someone that you feel comfortable with and that you have good rapport. You want to be able to trust them as a professional and feel comfortable talking about issues that are close to your heart and at times a little out of your comfort zone. I would suggest writing out some questions and calling up a couple of places prior to choosing who to work with. It might be questions about the therapeutic process, questions about the flexibility of hours or even whether they offer phone/skype sessions as well. If you have seeked help in the past and it wasn’t the right fit for you please don’t let that discourage you from trying again and finding the right person for you.
• Dr. or GP :- Talking to your Dr. about the way your feeling and asking for recommendations for mental health professionals and chatting about your options can often give some people clarity about where to start.
• Working with me One on One: I offer 1:1 sessions via phone and skype worldwide! Not only is it convenient working from the comfort of your own home but also important to work on a holistic level when dealing with anxiety. I ensure your sessions are tailored to suit you and your needs. Check out my sessions and package options HERE .
• Support Network: Ensuring you have a good support network is essential when working on you! This could be in the form of family/friends/partner or even a like minded community. This could be an online community or even a community catch up that might meet regulary. Sometimes support comes in the simplest of forms, it could be just having a shoulder to cry on, someone to have regular chats with or even someone that offers to pick the kids up from school every once in a while! Your support network in all the forms should be people you trust and lift you up!
• Some Important Numbers and Organisations:

LifeLine Australia 13 11 14 (open 24/7)

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

Headspace 1800 55 1800

The Mindspot clinic 1800 61 44 34

Suicide Call Back Service (24/7 support) 1300 659 467

PANDA (perinatal anxiety and depression) 1300 726 306

I hope you have found this information helpful!

Much Love