So I (20, M) had my first ever anxiety attack this year which sort of sent me spiraling. There was a solid 2 weeks where I was either fighting off or getting through an attack after that first one. A lot of my friends were super supportive and offering their advice on what meals anchor them, what things they practice... etc. None of them worked for me- not even the mindfulness class I was in (it was extra credit) helped out.

What *did* help me though was actually the *opposite* of all their recommendations! Many of them were about reducing stress and staying calm and happy, but for me I found my anxiety was at it’s lowest when I was stressed and emotional! I actually was having an anxiety attack on the day of a math test, this test took 2 hours and believe it or not the test actually helped me get over the attack!

Now, I have two main techniques I use when I feel an attack:
- I stress myself out with a high pace, high intensity game and VERY loud music- I’m talking PvP games with loud rock and metal music.
- Or, I cry! I found out that if I get myself to sob uncontrollably for 5-10 minutes it’s like it “short-circuits” the anxiety and gets me back to “default”. 

Now, they aren’t long-term solutions (which I’ve been working on! I sadly had to say goodbye to non-decaf coffee and tea), but they’re weird quirky things I can do for myself as a back-up plan. I noticed though all of my friends think it’s super weird that’s what I use to calm down, so I was interested in hearing what things you all do too!