Anziety and panic attacks of a night

Hey there, thank you for sharing this. This sounds really tough and you're definitely not alone in feeling this way. Night-time panic can be really overwhelming.

Some people can find slow breathing, grounding exercises, or getting up briefly to do something calming can help when anxiety kicks in. Sometimes it's about finding what works best for you to reduce those anxious feelings.

You've welcome to share more about your experience if you would like, this is a supportive space and people do care 🌻

@Nw I think having a consistent wind down routine has worked for me, although not straight away, you have to keep at it. Before that, I would always just start panicking before I even went to sleep, knowing to expect anxiety, and then of course it arrived because I was already anxious of the anxiety and the flashbacks. Now I usually start one hour before I go to bed, a relaxing piece of music (I like Insight Timer app for this), while having a cup of sleep herbal tea in the kitchen. Then I will light a candle in my room that has a nice aroma and make my room feel like a calm and safe space (some people like to have fluffy toys in bed or a weighted blanket or a calming smell such as lavendar or whatever works for you). Then I brush my teeth, just focussing on that sensation, being in the moment. Then when I go to bed, I usually sit on the side of the bed first and look around and state what I can see, hear, smell, taste and touch (this doesn't work for everyone and can be a trigger, so you will have to see what could work for you). Then I will lie down and I will repeat that "I am safe in this room". Again, it's about what works for you, though. After that I will usually leave a long bedtime meditation on, something that goes for about one or two hours and practice that. It has really helped me a lot. The times where it still doesn't help, I usually find getting up and just turning the light on or moving to another space to do light reading or make tea or something simple to focus on has helped for the short term. Or a light yoga routine, like yoga nidra.

I find that having a wind-down routine helps me. I have an ADHD/PTSD diagnosis, and I'm recovering from a painful breakup - so I'm no stranger to panic attacks. I aim to sleep at 10pm, so my wind-down routine begins 2 hrs prior, at 8pm. I put my mobile phone on charge in another room, but connect it to bluetooth and put on some relaxing/soft music. I dim the lights in my bedroom and do some journal writing, a bit of a brain dump. I'm just present with myself there, some grounding exercises, deep breathing, try and connect. And most of all, have self compassion. The emotions can be overwhelming, but its best not to fight them, or not to hook onto them, just let them be there. Remember you are the sky, not the clouds. And clouds will always clear.

Hope this helps