Here are some of the resources I’ve found helpful in my journey.

Books & podcasts

º I have found the book titled The Anxiety Coach to be extremely helpful. Dr. Carbonell is an anxiety and panic disorder specialist in Chicago and his website is a wealth of information. Since discovering his website, I went on to get the audio version of his book The Worry Trick  and the paperback version of The Panic Attacks Workbook.  I have found them all to be very useful tools.

° When the anxiety is really bad, I have found the Anxiety Slayer podcast  to be like a life-line. Those women are so soothing and so much of what they talk about helps me. To know that they both have battled and occasionally still battle anxiety and panic really helps me. They give wonderful tips and suggestions. I often will listen to this podcast during a panic attack on headphones or while I fall asleep.

º I have found many many useful podcasts on The Anxiety Coach’s podcast. It’s been going for a long time, so there are tons of episodes to choose from. There’s everything from tools, specific triggers, meditations, how to talk to friends and family, how to manage symptoms and more. It is a more informative podcast, although it has soothing elements. NOTE: Despite the name being the same, this is not connected to Dr. Carbonell. This is a podcast hosted by a therapist in Hawaii.

Consumables

º I’m a big fan of herbal teas and these taste especially delicious in addition to containing some beneficial herbal ingredients for anxiety. Yogi teas: Calming and Bedtime. I also like Celestial Seasonings (found at any grocery store): sleepy time (chamomile & mint), chamomile (great for relaxation), and peppermint (for nervous stomach.)

º The Anxiety Slayer podcast recommends drinking warmed almond milk with cinnamon before bed to help with sleep and calm. They also recommend Pukka teas, which I haven’t yet tried. But, I just ordered an herbal sampler which should arrive soon.

º Rescue Remedy drops and spray. I have the regular blend and the sleep blend. The sleep blend you can spray in your mouth again if you wake in the middle of the night with no ill effects in the morning.

º White Chestnut flower essence by Bach Remedies. This one is specific to help dispel repetitive thoughts, which is at the center of anxiety and panic. You just put 2 drops in your beverages through the day. I add the drops to my herbal teas. I feel like this one has really helped, for some reason.

Aromatherapy

º Because I like aromatherapy oils, I have found a couple that I think smell nice and who knows… maybe they help: Panic Button by Aura Cacia, Travel Companion by Wyndmere and Balancing also by Wyndmere. Of course the classic is lavender. I have a lovely lavender & vanilla pillow spray that smells heavenly.

Sleep 

º Weighted blankets are thought to decrease stimulation and cause a sense of safety and relations. I’ve always wanted to try one, but the costs can be fairly expensive. Here is one example I found on Amazon, but there are multiple stores that offer them and they can be found on Etsy as well.

Finding them on Etsy made me think that maybe I could make one myself. Here is a tutorial for how to make a weighted blanket. I haven’t tried it yet (a weighted blanket or trying to make one), but it’s on my hobby to-do list 🙂

º If I wake up in the middle of the night (I go through cycles of this) I do just what they tell you not to do – I get on an electronic device to distract myself. I know the light is bad for sleep. Tonight (I’m adding this bit at 3:30 am) I found an application called f.lux for computers. It automatically decreases the blue light coming from the screen at night. This is helpful for winding down before bed if you are bad about putting the computer down (yep) and for middle of the night if you get onto the computer. F.lux is free, but they accept donations to support their work. Check it out.

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The only thing that can lessen panic attacks is working through them with knowledge, acceptance, practice and understanding… but having some pleasant tools like delicious teas and nice smelling oils can be comforting.

I’ll continue to add to this list as I discover things. – Miranda

If you have resources that work well for you, feel free to share them in a comment. I’m always open to suggestions!