Tip for Anxiety/panic attacks

This will probably sound stupid to you, because when I first heard it, I thought it was stupid.. but it works! Try it! My husband has severe anxiety and I do this with him when he is having trouble sleeping because of anxiety. I'm pretty sure this works because it helps him focus on something other than his pain and his panic attacks.

Lay on a bed and lay as still as you possibly can. Try to relax your muscles, and softly and slowly say out loud, "my body is heavy and warm. My body is heavy and warm." Then try it with each body part: "my leg is heavy and warm. My leg is heavy and warm. My arm is heavy and warm. My arm is heavy and warm. My fingers are heavy and warm. My fingers are heavy and warm. My shoulders are heavy and warm. My shoulders are heavy and warm." ... anyway, you get the point.

Yesterday, I added things to help him refocus his thoughts. We are Christians, so we put on some soft calming worship music and I started with the above exercise, and then transitioned into things like, "My God is able to heal. My God is able to heal." And I also quoted Bible verses such as Jeremiah 29:11, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 46:10, and other verses about not worrying. I've thought about making a recording of this so that my husband can just hit "play" when he feels anxious. You can always record something for yourself on a day that you don't feel as anxious, and then when you need it, you can play it. Try it and let me know if it works for you!