For people with anxiety and panic disorders, even the smallest changes in routine and stress levels can feel like a crisis. With successful treatment, it is possible to get through these things without symptoms of anxiety and panic. But what do you do when a real crisis arises? No matter how successful our treatment is, the truth is that there is always the chance for a crisis to occur. People get sick, accidents happen, jobs are lost, and natural disasters come without warning. As someone with anxiety and panic, how do you cope when a real crisis arises?
One thing that is important to understand is that feeling anxiety in and of itself is not wrong. While the goal of treatment for anxiety disorder is to help alleviate feeling of anxiety and panic in the absence of a cause, this does not mean that anxiety is always a bad thing. In fact, it is a natural part of your body’s stress response system and it can help motivate you in a crisis to be able to function when your emotions threaten to overwhelm you.
Bad things happen to all of us. Losing a loved one, finding yourself without a job or a home, or enduring trauma can occur. If this happens to you, understand that it is okay to feel anxious. Anxiety is never pleasant, but it can be an important part of handling a crisis. What matters is that you do not let anxiety or panic take control of you.
Remember Therapeutic Techniques
While the techniques you learn in therapy are typically taught to help you manage anxiety in times when it is unnecessary, it is important to realize that your brain doesn’t only respond to them in these times. Relaxation techniques and cognitive behavioral therapies can be equally effective at helping to relieve anxiety and panic whenever you are dealing with a real life crisis. If your symptoms are becoming unmanageable or if they are affecting your functioning and making it hard for you to deal with the crisis at hand, don’t hesitate to employ the things that you have learned in therapy to help you better cope with the situation.
Controlling your breathing and working to avoid negative thought patterns is an important part of dealing with necessary anxiety as well as anxiety that occurs without provocation. Taking the time to slow your heart rate or to remind yourself that your anxiety and panic are not permanent and not dangerous can help you keep a level head so that you can deal with whatever the situation at hand may be.
Put Yourself First
When a crisis occurs that involves loved ones, it can be easy to put your own needs on the back burner. Part of properly dealing with anxiety and panic is putting your own needs first. Focus on what it takes to stop your own panic and anxiety before you start trying to help others cope with their feelings and emotions. Much as airlines remind you to secure your own oxygen mask before helping other people with theirs, you need to ensure that you are safe and that your emotions are under control before you can worry about helping others through a crisis. If you are overwhelmed by panic and anxiety, you are going to find that you are unable to help others and that you may even create panic for other people. Take the time to do what it takes to help yourself first.
Stay In the Moment
In times of crisis, panic and anxiety can always seem like they are just on the verge of erupting. One of the best things that you can do in times like this is to work hard to stay in the moment and to just focus on what is happening in the present. With a crisis, it is common to worry about what the long-term effects will be or what the future will hold, but this sense of worry and anxiety about things to come is not helpful to you. You can’t change the future right now, and staying mindful of the present can help you prevent excessive anxiety and panic.
When dealing with times of crisis, ensure that you are trying to be mindful of what is happening in the moment. Remind yourself that you may be feeling worry or stress right now, but that you are okay. Instead of looking to the future, try to be mindful of what is happening right now, in this very moment. Respond to symptoms of anxiety rather than reacting to them. If you feel your heartbeat starting to race, instead of reacting by worrying, choose instead to respond by changing your pattern of breathing.
If you are having a hard time focusing on the present, practice mindfulness techniques that can help you get back into the here and now. A great idea can be to use your senses to help you stay in the present. Make an effort to find and name five things that you can see in that moment. Name things that you can physically feel in the moment, such as your feet touching the floor or your legs touching the chair, or name things that you can hear in the moment. This will help keep you aware of where you are and keep you from worrying or focusing on the future.
Know Your Limits
In times of family crisis and other emergencies, it is common for people to reach out to others for help. Ensuring that your loved ones are okay is instinctive, but it is important for us to know our own limits. You need to recognize when you are capable of offering support and guidance and when you are too emotionally or physically overwhelmed to do so without causing yourself emotional harm.
Understand that telling your loved ones that you are unable to provide support is not mean. It is a matter of self-preservation. Giving more than you can afford emotionally or physically can make symptoms of anxiety and panic significantly worse.
Don’t Be Afraid to Reach Out
If a crisis is causing you to become too overwhelmed and you find that symptoms of anxiety and panic are not resolving from coping strategies that you have learned or practiced in therapy, don’t hesitate to reach out. Tell a family member or friend that you are feeling overwhelmed, call your therapist, or contact the after-hours number for your therapist’s practice if one is available. You don’t have to deal with a crisis alone, and you shouldn’t stay in a situation that is causing you severe symptoms without any way to help manage them. If you need help, don’t be afraid to seek it. 
There is no shame in reaching out to others, and it can show your loved ones that you are serious about recovering from your anxiety. It can be a wonderful idea to build a contact list of people you can contact in case of an emergency. This list should include friends and family members, your therapist and their crisis number, and anyone else that you trust in times of crisis. Your minister or clergy can be wonderful additions to this list, as well as local and national anxiety and crisis hotlines.
Summary
As much as we would like to think that we will never encounter a crisis, the simple truth is that they can and do happen. Another very important truth to keep in mind, however, is that you can deal with them. A crisis is a temporary situation and it is something that you can overcome. Even when the worst things imaginable happen, such as losing someone close to you, you can move beyond it. Feelings are always valid, but you need to be certain that you do not let anxiety and panic take over when trying to deal with an emotional situation.