Originally published 18 March 2014.
I had a little anxiety incident today. I’ve had a couple of small ones recently, but this one was a tad more substantial. I was still able to recover fairly quickly, but this time it took around an hour rather than the less than 10 minutes the last few have taken.
In the aftermath of this spike, I realized I don’t actually remember what caused the recent tiny spikes. Panic attacks and major anxiety episodes are easy to remember. The little ones? Not so much. But it’s a good idea to track your anxiety spikes so you can begin to see patterns. What kinds of situations set you off? How long does it usually take you to calm down? What techniques have you tried, and which ones worked? These are all things we can learn from our spikes so we can learn to do better in the future.
To that end, I have decided to start an anxiety journal. I am already doing a (mostly) daily journal on the recommendation of my counselor, but I just record how my day went and how I felt in general. The anxiety journal I plan to start will only record the following:
Date
Time of Spike
Reason for spike (include what happened as well as why it worried you, when applicable)
Symptoms experienced
Length of spike
Techniques used to end spike (note if any techniques worked better than others)
This journal will not be a regular one. Rather, I will record this information whenever I have an anxiety spike. It doesn’t matter how small the spike is. It could be a two-minute spike in which I had a bad thought, had that “heart pounds out of chest” moment, and immediately laughed at myself and talked myself down. It still counts.
I plan to diligently track my spikes and look back at them regularly, with the help of my counselor. We can identify and target major triggers, self-destructive thoughts, and unhelpful behaviors, as well as refine the calming techniques I use in the moment. As soon as I post this, I’m going to find a blank notebook and write my first entry.
Date: 18 March 2014
Time of Spike: Approx. 12:30pm
Reason for Spike: Work computer restarted itself for the second time today (worried there was a major problem that would prevent me from working)
Symptoms experienced: Tight stomach, slightly elevated heart rate, quickened breathing
Length of spike: Approx. 45 minutes to an hour
Techniques used to end spike: Dealt with issue directly (spoke to manager at work and had computer checked out remotely), deep breathing, prayer, took break from work
You know, as I wrote that I thoughts about something else I could have done in the moment, which is also helpful. If that happens, you can add to your journal. Then the next time you have a spike, you might think about what to do more easily. Here is what I will add:
Something else I could have done: The “what if/then” game. (What if it was a major problem? Then it’s a work machine, they’d take care of fixing it. What if I need a replacement and am without a work computer for a couple of days? Then I’d have to either take time off or work only with e-mail on my personal computer until the new one came.)
This is pretty cool! What do you think of the idea? Is it something that might be helpful to you? I’d love to hear from you.
