The following are exceptionally annoying suggestions I received from trained professionals regarding how to avoid or stop a panic attack:
1. Take a walk with your dog. I don't know this works for other people, but they must not have my dog - the ones who barks as though rabid at children on bikes, solitary leaves floating by, adults on motorcycles, and anyone who rings the doorbell - even if the doorbell is on TV.
2. Read a good book, such as Chicken Soup for the Soul. This might be one of the few books that I actually would recommend people burn.
3. Volunteer your time with people less fortunate. This made me more anxious because it gave me more details about what life would be like if I was ever so unemployed that I had to move into a shelter.
4. Take a relaxing drive in the country. There isn't anything relaxing about this. Cows in the road. Horses potentially on the loose. Amish people who do NOT want to race you in their horse-drawn buggies. See? No relaxation anywhere.
5. Remember any of the helpful phrases the trained professionals had taught me, such as:
- "No one ever died from fear."
- "Give yourself permission to feel anxiety. It's normal."
6. Counselor: "Have you read any of the Chicken Soup book I told you to buy?" Me: "Well, no, I, er, didn't get around to doing that quite yet..."
