Bad Day

It's the first time I had a panic attack. I walk with my wife and daughter through the city center, sunny, beautiful day, and I start feeling some strange dizziness, my tongue becomes numb, chest pain, head pain... heat, cold... am I dying? I rush to the hospital thinking it's a stroke...

The ER checks me and says, "It might be a panic attack."

What causes it? I don't live a very stressful life.

But stress accumulates day by day, year by year. That day, my brain sends a message that is hard to ignore.

There are a few things that help me fight anxiety and stress, which I want to share with you. They might help you. They are free.

1  Breathing Exercises

I won’t say that I meditate, but I do breathing exercises every day. In the morning while doing light stretching and when I go to bed.

The one that helps involves breathing in through the nose for 4 seconds, holding my breath for 4 seconds, breathing out for 6 seconds, pausing for 1 second, and repeating the cycle.

After 10 minutes, I feel much calmer.

Breathing Exercise:
Breathe In through nose, count 2-3-4
Hold Breath, count 2-3-4
Breathe Out through nose, count 2-3-4-5-6
Pause 2
Repeat.

2  Stretching

I sit a lot. Long hours working on my laptop cause neck and back pain, which trigger migraines, which cause my brain to freak out.

After I start to stretch and walk outdoors, my migraines reduce by about 80-90%.

I do a maximum of 10 minutes of stretching.

3  Walking Outdoors

This is the main cure. I try to walk 10,000 steps. But it takes a lot of time. Yet, my intuition tells me that this is the main thing that reduces my anxiety.

The weather in the place I live is not very friendly. Sometimes we don’t have sun for an entire month. But light walking boosts my mood. I do these walks with my wife. Sometimes I take my headphones and stroll alone. Sometimes it’s 5,000 steps. But I really encourage you to do this.

Go to the park. Forest. Make it your habit.

4  Music

I always have issues falling asleep. It’s like my body is out of energy, but my brain can’t switch off.

What really makes a change is listening to the album “Weightless” by Marconi Union. The band worked with sound therapists to write songs that would reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and heart rate. 

According to Mindlab International, the group behind the research, the power of this song is outstanding compared to any other song they have ever tested. “Weightless” induces a 65% reduction in anxiety and a 35% reduction in usual physiological resting rates.

I put my earbuds in, play that album, do the breathing exercise, and just pass out for 6-7 hours. It really works for me.

5  Planning

Planning shouldn’t be a pressure tool. You don’t need to finish all tasks.

The goal of creating a plan is to create clarity and define priorities.

I make an “I-can-do” list to rethink my priorities, and define what should be my next step. 

This helps me calm down a bit, and convince myself that I’m on the right path.

Try It