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Mental Health

Technology: The Reason You are Stressed, Depressed and Bored

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“In Tibet you would send a letter and not expect a reply for six months. Now if people send an email and don’t get a reply in 30 seconds they get angry.” – Tai Situ

How long can you go without checking your email? If you find a juicy bit of gossip do you have to Tweet it to everyone you know? Do you SMS more than you talk? Most of us do.And it is making us stressed, depressed and utterly bored with life.

In this post I want to talk about how I believe technology is causing us a lot of problems. In particular I hope the parents reading this will carefully consider the impact all this technology is having on their children.

What technology?

I am going to refer to “technology” a lot in this post so I thought I should clear up what I am talking about. Basically I am referring to media like Twitter, Facebook, iPhones and iPods, Blackberrys, etc. Technology that is providing entertainment. I am not referring to advances in medicine, international travel, etc.

The iPhone, the cafe and addiction

A few days ago I was sitting in a cafe waiting for a friend. I noticed that a lot of people were sitting alone and almost every one of them had an iPhone or Blackberry. Every new visitor to the cafe sat down and within 20 second was flipping away on the phone looking for apps, news or Twitter.

This, to me, is the epitome of the problem with technology – we cannot live without it. This media has become so addictive and we have come to rely on it so much, we wouldn’t know how to live without the constant stimulation. And therein lies the problem.

Technology and its links to stress, depression and boredom

Boredom
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We are constantly stimulated by technology. We are constantly in need of a “hit” and over time that need escalates, just like the need for a drug. We are addicted to technology and it is causing stress, depression and boredom. Here’s why:

Technology and stress
The reason I believe technology is causing us to be stresses is simple – we are speeding up too much. Our lives are lived in a constant rush and this is majorly caused by advancing technologies. Think about the news; 10 years ago if you wanted news you had to wait for the evening report or the paper in the morning. Now if you want news you go on Twitter to see if there is any Trending Topics or you jump on your mobile to see what the latest news app is saying. Its fast.

And while I can see the upsides to this (great access to information, etc.) I am also acutely aware that it is causing people problems. They cannot go for very long without an update. They feel like everything has to be done at a cracking pace. And they get stressed when they haven’t had a hit in a while.

Leo Babauta over at Zen Habits has a new eBook out which is all about living simply with minimal clutter. This is what he is talking about. All the technology and speed that we have in our lives is making us stressed and the sad thing is, we don’t need to be.

Technology and depression
The relationship between technology and depression is more subtle but I wanted to write about it because I have experienced it myself. I would love to hear some reader feedback about this one.

As my long time readers will know, I used to be a bit of a gamer. My brother and I would spend hours play Call of Duty, Counter Strike and even World of Warcraft. But after a while we both started noticing something – we were depressed. There was a really empty feeling that just wouldn’t go away. After a while we linked it to the games because we realized that we were so overstimulated and when the games were off we hit a low; kind of like a sugar hit that inevitably leads to a crash. But it was more long lasting and powerful.

And media and technology are like that. We are constantly Tweeting, Facebooking and listening to music that when it all stops at the end of the day we feel depressed. Our senses finally get a moment to relax and we feel terrible. We feel alone. I think that technology is making a lot of us depressed.

Technology and boredom
The last one is obvious as it is closely tied in with the other two. Technology is making us bored. Why? Because we need bigger and bigger hits. Listening to music is no longer exciting, we need a massive show or an LCD screen in our music player. The addition to stimulation is escalating.

I actually think this phenomena is quite dangerous as the younger generation now needs bigger hits to be entertained. The simple pleasures in life are no longer enough because they have experienced amazing things all the time from such a young age. I think it has a lot to do with why drugs and alcoholism are so prevalent. But I could be wrong.

Next time you have a break from work become aware of what you want to do. I am betting you shy away from relaxing and sitting back and grab for a phone, a TV or some Facebook action. Being still and alone is no longer enough for us.

Creating a need, not solving a problem

The interesting thing about this media and technology is that the new innovations do not solve a problem or need, they create one. In the old days marketing firms would sit down and think about some problems that people had and then try to create a technology to solve that problem. Not anymore! Now they create technologies and make us feel like we need it. In fact, I now think that these things create more problems than they solve.

What do you think?

Originally posted on September 15, 2009 @ 11:36 pm

Say “No” to Television: Why TV is Your Worst Habit


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Television has become like sleep; you just can’t do without it. Every day hundreds of millions of people around the world sit down and spend time watching their favorite shows. In fact, people love TV so much they might even spend a few hours watching programs that they don’t even like! No where else does this happen. No body goes to a baseball game if they hate baseball. But people will watch bad TV just because they love TV.

In this post I want to show you why TV is your worst habit. I want to talk about why I think millions of us will regret the day we ever turned that thing on. Hopefully someone out there learns to say “no” to television.

How much TV do you watch?

Before I get into the meat of this post I want to ask you all how much TV you watch. Now be honest. Take a good look at your week and think about how many hours you have spent laying on the couch just watching whatever is on. Did you catch the news at six? Did you make it up til Letterman? Did you catch Lost or Scrubs or any of those prime time shows? Perhaps you got them all?

Once you have figure out how much TV you watched last week I want you to leave a comment and tell us. Be brutally honest. How many hours of TV do reader of The Daily Mind watch per week?

Why TV is your worst habit


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Now that you have established how many hours you are watching I would like to give you a few reasons why I think TV is a bad habit. If you agree with me or disagree with me please share your thoughts.

1. You can’t get that time back
Life is short. It is fleeting. You have no idea when you are going to die and with that uncertainty comes a real sense of urgency. You will never get that time back. All those days you decided to just watch a few more programs are gone forever. Those hours of your life are gone.

2. It takes away from important tasks
All throughout my childhood my father watched a lot of TV. I remember getting up every morning and getting ready for school while he sat and read the paper and watched the finance news. Then he would come home around 6pm and turn on the new again. We’d eat dinner and I’d go to bed. The whole day I would spend no more than 20 minutes with my father.

And then I moved out. Now I never see him. Maybe twice a month in a good month. And I know he regrets it. He has actually told me that he wished he turned the TV off and just want to a game with me or played some chess. Now we never see each other and he regrets it. You will too.

3. It is never ending
Television is very addictive. You get to sit on a comfortable couch with a nice drink and some snacks and do exactly nothing while the networks get better and better at keeping you there. During the good TV shows like Scrubs and 30 Rock you get commercials for the crap that is going to be on afterward and so you sit there instead of going to bed. And then you are too tired to get up in the morning and do something useful.

But it doesn’t end there. Television stations suck you in for new TV programs that are about to be launched. So instead of being satisfied by a good TV show you are now thirsty for the next thing that is going to be on. TV watching is never ending. You are never satisfied.

4. It makes you numb
Television makes you numb. And it makes you numb because you have spent years now watching everything that has ever been invented. You watch comedy, drama, movies, reality TV, documentaries, porn… everything. Any human experience that you can think of you have already seen it on the TV. And now you are numb. Things don’t excite you as much. Life doesn’t give you the same innocent buzz that it used to. The media has killed that buzz and replaced it with an urge to sit and do nothing.

Your brain is less active when you watch TV than when you sleep. It is numbing. It is relaxing. But you never really get more relaxed. You just want more.

5. It makes you lazy
Television, more than anything else, makes you a lazy person. Going to the gym seems like climbing Mount Everest because you have spent so much time sitting there with a numb mind doing nothing. And when you finally realize that you are out of shape and quit unhealthy you are too lazy to do anything about it. Sad.

I believe there is a direct relationship between how much TV you watch and how much you accomplish in life. The more TV you watch the less you will achieve. Whether it is a happy family, a good career, a fit and healthy body or a loving marital sex life – TV compromises all of those things. And it is not just because it takes up all of your time, it is because all of that stuff seems far too hard.

6. It changes your personality
How many times today have you quoted Bart Simpson or said something from your favorite TV show? My best friend and I are constantly quoting Scrubs lines. When something good happens we say, “Eagle!” like Turk and JD and when I answer the phone he calls me Vanilla Bear. I often wonder what we would talk like if we had never watched Scrubs.

Television changes your personality. You absorb so much of the characters on the screen that you forget to think for yourself. You just mirror what they do. You might be cynical like House or funny like Liz Lemon or witty like David Letterman. But where are YOU in all of that? Where have your own original thoughts gone? What about your political opinions? Are they are own or are you just mimicking Bill O’Reilly or some other talk show host? TV changes your personality to the point that you forget to think for yourself. And that is scary.

Say “No” to television for one week

I am proposing a radical plan. Turn off the TV for one week. Just for seven short days. See how much more you get done. See how much more exercise and sleep you get. Feel how much happier and healthier you feel. Discover how much more you can do with your time on Earth. At first you will feel the separation anxiety. The TV will call you. Resist it and find out how strong you really are.

Will you do it?

Originally posted on April 9, 2009 @ 3:26 am

How to Let Go of the Past and Not Fear Your Future – PART 2


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“When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.” – John M. Richardson, Jr.

A few days ago we looked at how to let go of the past; the first article in our two part series on letting go of the past and facing the future. Today we are going to go over part two – learning how to not fear your future. I hope something I write is helpful to someone out there.

Letting go of the past is necessary before you face your future

The reason I spent the first article talking about letting go of the past is because it is necessary to do so before you can face your future with any real sense of fearlessness. Those people who have accepted their mistakes/failures and moved on from times gone by are much better equipped to deal with what is going to happen in their future.

If you are really serious about learning to face your future with bravery you need to let go of the past. Accept your failures and mistakes and let go of that baggage.

How to not fear your future


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I have always found it extremely interesting how some people are caught in the past while others are terrified of the future. I don’t know why, but it always seems as though we are trapped in one extreme and never balanced in the middle.

When you fear the future you are unable to truly live in the present moment. You destroy your chances for happiness because you spend all your time worrying about what is going to happen instead of enjoying the life you actually have. Here are some suggestions that might help you move away from fearing the future. If you can apply these to your situation you will, hopefully, be able to find some happiness.

1. Understand that the future is uncertain
If you think that something bad is going to happen down the track you need to realize that this is uncertain. No body knows what is going to happen even a few hours from now, let alone ten years down the road.

If you find yourself worrying about the future it is important to remind yourself that it is uncertain as to what is going to happen. Your situation might not be as bleak as you think. In fact, what you understand that the future is uncertain you will be well equipped to understand the second point.

2. The future can be created
Your future is in your hands. No body is going to make anything happen for you unless you go out and try to achieve it yourself. Now, instead of being depressed by this fact it is important to realize that you are in an extremely hopeful place. You are living in a time and a place where opportunities are everywhere. At no other time in history have human beings been able to give up their livelihood and search for something new or something better. But we can.

Why fear the future when we have control over it? Why worry about the next few days or weeks when we know we can do something about it now? And while everyone tells you to live in the present moment you still need to make preparations for tomorrow. That is fine as long as you do it with mindfulness and awareness.

3. Realize that things change slowly
When I was in India a few years ago I was staying in a Buddhist Monastery where a very powerful Tibetan lama was staying. People often reported that being near this particular lama caused powerful emotions to arise and you could either deal with them or let them scare you away. Well, I decided to deal with them. True to legend I started having very emotional thoughts about the future. I was scared. Panicked even. I was worrying about where I was going to be, who I was going to be with and whether I’d ever be happy.

After a few hours of this emotional mess I had a bit of a breakthrough. Although it wasn’t anything like a sudden realization or awakening moment, it has stayed with me my entire life. I understood that things change slowly. It does not all happen at once. You do not wake up one day and all your friends are dead and you have no one to talk to. Things change slowly. When you understand this fact you give yourself a lot more room to move – it is not as scary.

4. Meditate on mindfulness
Mindfulness meditation is one of the premier ways to deal with a fear of the future. Why? Because it brings you in touch with the present moment better than almost anything else. And when you can do that you will find that all of your fears and worries dissolve of their own accord.


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Again, I want to point you to this article on meditating on mindfulness. It is simple to do and extremely effective. As soon as you notice that you are becoming worried about the future begin the meditation. Focus on the breath going in and out of the nose. Count the breaths. Relax. Once you become expert at this you will find that your thoughts no longer control you as much – you learn to see through their illusion. Perhaps your idea of the future was just a false concept that you cooked up?

5. Remember you are not alone
Community is a very important thing. Human beings are social creatures and, more often than not, they need the love and affection of other humans. This is important to remember when you are thinking about the future. You need to remind yourself that you will always have people who love you.

Let me give you an example. A few days ago I was getting quite uptight at the possibility that I might have to leave my home town to go and live in another city. The idea really frightened me – leaving my friends and family behind. But, after a while I realized that a lot of my good friends are now overseas doing other things. We stay in contact on email or sms and usually see each other once or twice a year. Furthermore, I realized that I could always call home or book a flight back for the weekend. No matter how lonely your prospects of the future might seem remember that you are never alone.

And, if worst comes to worst, you can always chat to me on Twitter. I will be happy to be a shoulder to lean on.

6. The future is the same as the monster under your bed
The final thing that I want to say is that worrying about your future is the same as worrying about the monster that was under your bed when you were four. Essentially, us grown adults, are worrying about something that doesn’t exist. The future has not come about yet. It is not a solid thing that will hurt you.

The future is like the monster under your bed – recognize that it is a concept created by your own mind and you will have a great deal of power over it.

Conclusion

Letting go of the past and not fearing the future can be hard. But it is important to try and do it. If you can learn to live in the present moment your life will be a lot more spontaneous and joyful. It will be a lot lighter and spacious and you will feel less stressed and trapped.

If anyone has any other tips on how to not fear the future please leave a comment. I would love to hear what you have to say.

Originally posted on March 20, 2009 @ 4:50 am

17 Simple Mantras to Get You Through Christmas Angst


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Did you know that there are more suicides at Christmas time than any other time of the year? Did you know there are more runaways, family arguments and violent domestic acts on the 25th of December than any other day of the year? This supposedly joyous time of year can actually be quite devastating. Many people experience a lot of angst, anxiety and family related stress.

In this post I want to give you 17 simple mantras that you can use to help you get through your Christmas issues.

1. Today is only 24 hours long
2. Tomorrow will be better
3. Everyone here is doing their best
4. These people are my family, I should give them a second chance
5. I should try to be an example for everyone here
6. Do it for the children
7. Christmas is not about gifts
8. Patience is the most powerful retaliation
9. Compassion can get me through anything
10. Anger only results in more anger
11. Everyone has their own problems that made them this way
12. I did the best I could
13. I don’t dislike that person, I dislike their behavior
14. I will love each person like my own mother
15. There is no shame is responding with humility
16. This person will be gone one day, is this argument worth it?
17. Just be happy

I know these mantras are nothing special. However, sometimes when you are feeling anxious or angry you need a little mental reminder to keep you on track. For all of you out there who feel like Christmas is a horrible time of year, please remember that it won’t last forever. Try to have a good day.

From the bottom of my heart I wish all of my readers out there a fantastically Merry Christmas! I hope your day is generous, positive and extremely love-filled. I hope that tomorrow you reconnect with your family and friends and put aside your differences and squabbles and just enjoy the opportunity to be together.

Merry Christmas!

Originally posted on December 24, 2008 @ 7:31 am

5 Ways to Destroy Your Daily Depression


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We all know the feeling of daily depression. It is that sh$%house state where you feel depressed for no particular reason. You can’t seem to get excited or happy about anything and you feel boxed-in, trapped and alone.

In this post I am going to show you 5 simple ways to destroy those feelings of daily depression. Everyone can use these suggestions and I promise at least one of them will make a difference in your life.

Daily depression vs clinical depression

Before I get into the meat of the post I want to qualify some terms. Daily depression is a phrase that I came up with to describe that general feeling of being down in the dumps. We all get it occasionally – it might be related to work or marriage or your life in general – but it is basically just feeling down for no real reason.

Clinical depression, on the other hand, is a more serious issue. This type of depression can severely affect the way you live your life and requires treatment from a doctor or counselor. While daily depression might be a symptom of a more serious type of depression, this post is more about how to destroy those down-and-out feelings that we all get sometimes.

The idea of destroying feelings

I want to talk about something important here. The idea of “destroying” your feelings is an interesting one. The idea is based in Buddhist thought and my interest was sparked when I read a quote by the famous master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche who said this about his ego:

“I don’t like you. I am going to destroy you.”

The idea here is that his ego is the source of his problems and as such he is going to do everything he can to cut that ego off at the root. We can do the same thing for our depression. We understand that it is causing us problems and as such we are going to try to eradicate it.

Now, I do not think that “destroying” necessarily means violence and explosions and angry retaliation. You are never going to solve your depression that way. What it does mean is that you are going to take certain steps to ensure that you conquer it. Think of this destruction as coming about through peace treaty, not war!

5 ways to destroy your daily depression


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Now that I have done a little bit of in introduction I would like to get into the main part of the post. Here are five ways that you can start destroying your daily moods of depression. See how they work for you. And don’t forget, if I miss anything out please leave a comment and let us all know.

1. Get into some wide open space
I work from home. I sit in a nice little room with my nice little laptop. My cat sits next to me on a blanket and watches me all day as I type away. It is quite lovely. But every now and then I get a massive case of cabin fever. My mood changes and I feel depressed, cooped up and down for no real reason. When this happens I find that wide open space cures me.

So, I grab my laptop, get in my car, stop off for a coffee and head up to a spot about 10 minutes from my house. It is a beautiful lookout area that overlooks my entire city. Here is a photo I took for you all today:

View of my city

The place is chirping with birds, buzzing with bees and there is a serene breeze that comes down the hill and washes over the whole area. I open up the windows of my car, turn on my lap top and work while the wind blows over me. There I am, in the center of wide open space, working away.

Depression destroyed.

Wide open space is actually listed in many ancient Buddhist texts as a way to destroy feelings of depression. When you are in the middle of space you feel alive, invigorated and full of energy. Your mind slowly starts to loosen up and you lose those feelings of captivity – captivated by work, money, mortgages and stress. When your mind loosens up into the space you become free, open and calm.

If you want to destroy your daily depression I highly encourage you to find a place where you can go and just sit in space. It might be the middle of a super large football field or it might be a lookout like mine. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you take time to relax and open up into the space. Let your mind loosen up into its natural state.

Actually, I discovered the power of wide open spaces when I was in India. I wrote about it in this post on my rock high in the Himalayas.

2. Meet with some healthy friends
Time for something a little bit more scientific. I recently heard about a study which involved a whole bunch of depressed people. The study gave them each a different method for dealing with their depression and in the end it was found that associating with people was the most effective method. However, it was the method least engaged in because quite often you don’t feel like seeing anyone when you are feeling depressed.

Human beings are, for the most part, very social creatures. We are built that way. We live in communities, marry other humans for (ideally) the long term and we raise big families that last lifetimes. We love socializing. So it makes sense that being around other people is going to make us happy.

However, there is a danger here. Quite often human beings choose to socialize with the wrong crowd. We pick people that give us instant gratification, take us out for big Friday night benders and ultimately lead us down a self-destructive path. What I would like to propose is that instead of picking just anyone to connect with, you connect with healthy friends and family.

Here is my reasoning. Once I was in India attending a teaching of a very great lama. This lama was teaching about how to safeguard your ethics and he started the teaching by saying something very profound:

“A crystal reflects whatever color is around it. Put white paper underneath and it turns white. Put black paper underneath and it turns black. Be careful who you associate with. Put a rose in a bag of fish and soon the rose will stink too. Be careful who you associate with.”

I was quite struck by his words and it immediately hit me that our friends and associates have a massive effect on who we are and how we behave. If we hang out with criminals we are probably more likely to be involved in a crime. But, if we find healthy, happy, compassionate and loving friends it is more likely that their positive influence will rub off on us.

If you are experiencing feelings of daily depression it is a great idea to meet with some people that live a healthy and happy life. Go out for lunch or meet up to watch a DVD. The very act of being around a compassionate person will benefit your mind in so many ways. It is very rare that you leave feeling worse than when you arrived.

3. Eat food that accords with your mood


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Food is something that we need to choose carefully. It is not just something we eat to fill our hunger, it is our fuel, our lifeblood, our energy. Choose the right food and you can feel energetic, healthy and awake. Choose the wrong food and you can be left feeling depressed and heavy.

The idea of choosing foods that suit your mental state is not one often heard of in Western society. We are mostly concerned with low carb, low calorie, low fat or some other health kick like that. But in the East they often pick foods based on the season and how their mind is behaving.

For example, if you are feeling sleepy, depressed and tired it is a good idea to eat light foods like fresh fruits, fruit juice and other natural produce. You want to avoid heavy things with lots of fat in them. On the other hand, if your mind is going a million miles and hour you might want to try eating some heavier foods like wholegrain bread sandwiches, free range eggs and milk. This will help to slow your mind down a little bit.

On the whole I suggest that everyone should eat a diet based mostly around natural foods. This does not mean you have to go organic or anything like that, it just means you should avoid man-made foods like pasta, baked goods, candy, bars, soda, etc. and replace them with fruits, vegetables, free range eggs, etc. A healthy body often leads to a healthy mental state.

Here is another post I wrote about foods that make you stressed, anxious and depressed.

4. Shift your perspective
Quite often daily depression comes about due to a negative perspective. Instead of seeing all the positive things in life you focus on the bad things. Instead of seeing the potential in your situation you focus on the doom. One way to destroy your depression now and in the long term is to shift your perspective.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama often talks about how important it is to shift your perspective. If you can shift your perspective you can turn your the worst hatred into the best compassion. For example, let’s pretend that a drink driver crashed into your car causing you to go to hospital. It would be easy to hate this person. But, if you use logical thoughts you might be able to shift your perspective from hatred to love. Perhaps the person was drinking because their partner just cheated on them? Perhaps the were drinking because they had a terrible upbringing and are suffering from severe depression. What if they spend all day and all night regretting what they had done to you? Would you still want to be angry?

This is just one example of how you can shift your perspective. The same can be done for any situation that makes you depressed. If you are thinking a lot about how much your work sucks then make a shift to thinking about how lucky you are to even have a job after the latest financial crisis. If you are worried about being an angry person make a shift and think about how fortunate you are to be able to recognize that there is work to be done. Simple shifts like this can go a long way.

Remember, the mind can be trained. You are in control of that training. It might not seem like it at the moment but the more you work with your mind the more responsive it will be. After a few months of shifting your perspective you might find that the negative one never arises at all!

5. Start helping others with their depression


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One of the most meaningful and powerful ways to destroy your daily depression is to start helping other people with their depression. This is a fail safe method that will enhance the quality of your life and make you feel like you are doing something worthwhile.

Helping others with depression does not mean going and getting a psychology degree and sitting people down on a big couch and listening to their life problems. It is more than that. It is a lifestyle, a mental attitude, a commitment to be of assistance. Did you ever have a person you could go as a teenager where you always felt safe? It might have been your best friend’s dad or a sporting coach. Do you remember how that felt? It was like getting a bear hug from the universe! Whatever you were doing and wherever you were you always knew you could go to see that person.

Well that is what I am talking about. Being like that for other people. When they are down and in the dumps they can come to you knowing that you care. This is one of the greatest gifts you can give a person and it is one of the most rewarding ways to deal with your depression.

I would like to finish this article with one of my favorite quotes of all time. I think this quote perfectly sums up the sentiment of this final point. I read it often.

“For as long as space endures,
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I, too, remain
To dispel the misery of the world.”

– Shantideva, The Way of the Bodhisattva

Originally posted on December 17, 2008 @ 5:19 am

Dealing With Panic: How to Calm Down During a Panic Attack


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If you have ever had a panic attack you will know how bad they are. Your heart rate goes up, you feel like throwing up and you just want to figure out a way to calm down. It is terrible and it often feels like there is no solution.

A few years ago I had a series of panic attacks and during this time I learned some pretty simple ways to deal with them. In this post I want to share with you my simple but seemingly effective ways to calm down during a panic attack.

Are you sure it is a panic attack?

Panic attacks look different in everybody but they have some common threads. During a panic attack you will feel dizzy, nauseous and your heart rate will increase. Quite often you feel like the walls are closing in and you don’t know what to do or where to turn. This feeling of hopelessness often makes the whole situation worse.

Panic attacks are said to be one of the most frightening things a human can experience.

The most important thing that you can do is go and see your doctor. If your panic attacks are occurring regularly you need to get some professional advice as it might be related to another physical or psychological problem. In the meantime you can use these suggestions to help calm you down.

How to calm down and deal with a panic attack


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1. Sit down and breathe into a paper bag
The first thing that most panic attack experts will tell you to do during a panic attack is breathe. Sometimes they will tell you to breathe in to a paper bag. This is a good idea.

When you have a panic attack your heart rate will go up. You will start to breathe faster and this elevates the level of oxygen in your blood. Not a great thing. When you have too much oxygen in your blood you will be tricked into thinking you are short of breathe but in actual fact you have too much breathe! Breathing fast causes your body to hold on to too much oxygen and not enough carbon dioxide and as such you start to feel dizzy and short of breathe.

Breathing in to a paper helps balance this mess out because you are breathing in mostly carbon dioxide that you have already exhaled. This will slow down your hyperventilation and rebalance your oxygen levels.

2. Go outside into the open
After my first panic attack I was left feeling terrified and vulnerable. I had heard about panic attacks but I had never realized how bad they could be. One of the scariest things about the panic attack was that I felt completely confined and unable to escape the situation.

So the next time I felt a panic attack coming on I raced outside and down the road to the local park. This park near my house has a great big creek running through it and lots of trees and birds. It is very relaxing. I soon started to feel more open and spacious and no longer felt trapped by the panic.

Getting outside in the open is surprisingly effective. Often when we are having a panic attack we are indoors and alone. Going outside might seem like the last thing you want to do but I am certain that it helps.

3. Take a shower
As I mentioned, sometimes during a panic attack you can feel dizzy, sick and very panicked. I found that taking a nice hot shower really helped to calm me down.

Now this tip is not going to be for everyone. Some people like showers, other people don’t. If you are feeling the symptoms of an attack it might be a good idea to strip off and jump in the shower. The hot water, the repetitiveness of the water drops and the steam are all really good ways to slow down. When I had my panic attacks I used to sometimes sit down in the shower for five minutes while my mind settled.

Showering is nice because it is something physical. You get the bodily sensations as well as the mind relaxing. This body/mind combination can be really powerful – especially if you combine it with some slow breathing.

4. Practice some breathing meditation
The last thing you will feel like doing during a panic attack is sitting down and having a formal meditation session. However, I found that a simple breathing meditation really helped to calm me down.

The first thing I would do is remind myself that this panic attack was a good opportunity to learn to master my mind. If I could meditate during a panic attack surely I would be able to deal with anger, pride, attachment, etc. during normal life. This put me in good stead as I saw the panic attack as an opportunity instead of a negative event.

This is Buddhist master Mingyur Rinpoche talking about his many battles with panic and how he dealt with the panic using meditation so I thought I would let him do the explaining. Check it out:

5. Call a friend
Sometimes the best thing during a panic attack is to hear somebody’s voice. They reassure you that everything is going to be okay and they remind you that there is some perspective. Calling a friend can be a wonderful help.

However, there is a downside to relying on a friend. If your panic attacks become re-occurring events it might become tempting to call that person every time. You might make the mistake of thinking that you cannot get through the ordeal without them. This is a very bad thing. You do not want to become dependent on anyone else for your own happiness. It is important that you become strong on the inside.

Relying on a friend is fine if you need that support. Do not feel guilty about calling a friend – they will not mind – that is what they are there for. But do be careful about developing any unhealthy habits. This won’t help anyone.

6. Realize that you are going to be okay
One of the most important things to do during a panic attack is realize that you are going to be okay. Panic attacks do not last forever. You are not going crazy. You will be alright in a few minutes.

Panic attacks are thought to be caused by the part of the brain that governs our fight or flight reaction. If it feels threatened it will pump chemicals into the body that cause you to panic so you will get out of the harmful situation. This is all well and good if there were a threatening situation but most of the time panic attacks seem to come out of the blue or after a not so threatening situation.

Seeing as the panic attack is caused by a chemical reaction it is going to take some time for your symptoms to ease. Your body has just been flooded with hormones and you will not feel better immediately – even if your mind has calmed down a bit. Give yourself time and remind yourself that it will all be over soon. This goes a long way to reducing the severity of the situation.

7. Listen to some slow, rhythmic music
Music is a very powerful tool. It has the ability to change our moods in an instant. I found music to be a particularly useful tool when I was trying to deal with a panic attack.

The best music to listen to during a panic attack is something that is graceful, slow, melodic and rhythmic. I really like to turn on some Vivaldi or Mozart and listen to the happy and joyful songs of the violin and piano. Hip hop and other tracks with a bouncy and catchy baseline can also be beneficial.

See what works for you. Spend a few weeks listening to some new music and see what calms you down. Play that music during the times that you are feeling happy and relaxed (like in the bath) and then when you have an attack you can turn the music on and go back to that place.

Can you help?

If anyone out there has experienced a panic attack and has some suggestions or hopeful stories I would love you to share them. Please leave a comment and tell us what you did and what did/didn’t help. Your comment might really help someone who is going through these dreadful experiences.

Originally posted on December 2, 2008 @ 3:29 pm