Common Ways to Trigger an Anxiety Attack

There are many things we can do to work on our anxiety. The first is recognizing what it is that we do to ourselves that cause anxiety attacks. Sometimes we feel like they are completely out of the blue, but I bet if you thought about all of them long enough and figured out what you were doing before it happened, what you ate, who you were around, what you were thinking, etc. you would eventually figure out what your "triggers" are. Here are some of most common ones:

Play the What if Game and other negative self talk- Setting Ourselves up for Failure.
Low self esteem- thinking we're not worthy to be around others and be liked for who we are.
Put too much pressure on ourselves to be "perfect" for others or not to have an attack.
Focus on ourselves more than those around us.
Eat poorly, drink a lot of caffeine.
Do not exercise and or meditate regularly.
Full Exposure to our phobias instead of baby steps.
Do not get enough rest at night.
Hold in our feelings.

Overcoming anxiety is no small task. It takes practice and hard work. Utilizing the techiques below, you will slowly gain control over your anxiety and stop the panic attacks from occuring.

Breathing:
As the anxiety creeps up, begin to count in your head. Count 1,2,3,4 - 1,2,3,4 - 1,2,3,4 pausing on the dashes and so on. Practicing really helps a lot. Practice in a controlled environment. Practice before bed. When panic does hit, this self-defense mechanism kicks in without effort.

Control Your Thinking:
When you have negative thoughts, negative things will come into your life. Conversely when you have positive thoughts, positive things will come into your life. The same holds true in moments of high anxiety. It's important during these times to monitor your thoughts and make sure you force calming ideas and images into your head. Always bear in mind that nothing is really as bad as it seems and ten years from now,this particularly stressful situation won't exist - so control your thinking to avoid your mind from falling into a negative thought spiral.