How to Stop an Anxiety Attack - Guided Walkthrough of The Activate Method

Therapy in a Nutshell June 19, 2025
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Therapy in a Nutshell

@therapyinanutshell

About

I’m Emma McAdam, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and my mission is to make mental health resources easier to access. I take therapy skills and psychological research and condense them down into bite-sized nuggets of help. As a licensed therapist, one thing I’ve noticed is that most people have no idea of what they can do to improve depression, anxiety, or other mental illness. I’m here to spread the message that while mental illness is real, it’s common, it’s debilitating, it’s also treatable. There are dozens of research-backed approaches to treating depression, anxiety, ptsd, and other mental illness. Change, growth, and healing are possible. Please keep courage! Try one little thing every day to improve your life and health, and things can get so much better! I am not currently taking any new clients, but you can find a therapist with my sponsor: BetterHelp.com/therapyinanutshell

Video Description

Free mini-course on How to Stop Panic Attacks and Anxiety Attacks: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/ending-panic-attacks-and-anxiety-attacks Are you in the middle of an anxiety attack or feeling that rising wave of panic? Your body’s going haywire—shaky hands, racing heart, dizziness, nausea—and it feels like there’s no way out. In this video, I guide you step-by-step through my favorite way to stop an anxiety attack in its tracks. It’s called The Activate Method, and it’s more than just deep breathing or trying to "think calm." This is a guided walkthrough that tackles your fight/flight/freeze (FFF) response head-on using physical movement, emotional release, and practical problem solving. In this anxiety attack relief video, you’ll learn: -Why deep breathing might not work to stop panic attacks when you're overwhelmed -What causes anxiety attacks (spoiler: it's not always what you think) -The exact steps I use to calm down and reset during an anxiety attack -How to burn off stress chemicals through movement -How to do a powerful brain dump to get anxious thoughts out of your head -The one question to ask yourself to break the cycle of anxiety -Why avoiding emotions and stress can make anxiety worse Whether you’re facing panic attacks, work stress, emotional overwhelm, or that “trapped” feeling, this video walks you through how to reclaim control—step by step. 00:00 Intro 00:49 Physical movement to stop a panic attack 01:59 What causes anxiety attacks? 04:25 Panic attack vs anxiety attack explained 04:48 What makes anxiety worse? 05:53 How to brain dump for anxiety 06:48 How to prevent anxiety attacks 09:04 Problem solving to stop the cycle of anxiety 10:04 The Activation Method for managing anxiety attacks 11:06 Free course to stop panic and anxiety attacks Check out my latest blog post on this: https://therapyinanutshell.com/how-to-stop-an-anxiety-attack/ Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell FREE Mental Health Resources: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/free-resources Check out my podcast, Therapy in a Nutshell: https://tinpodcast.podbean.com/ Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 988 or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

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