Ice And Anxiety Part 1: Stop the Meltdown
Interrupt your Meltdown
DBT teaches an infamous anxiety hack. Having an anxiety attack? Ugly crying, and you can't stop? Fill a large bowl with water and ice. Put your face in it. Hold your breath. Repeat. Viola! Next time you're dissociating, or you just need to get ahold of yourself, try it.
This remedy is called the Mammalian Dive Response, and it works.
Simply by putting your face in cold water, your body reacts like your whole body is submerged in cold water. Your heart rate slows. Blood flow to nonessential organs is reduced, and blood flow is redirected to the brain and heart. And this process, well… it kind of shuts down auxiliary functioning and brings your parasympathetic nervous system online. That part of your nervous system says, "Chill, baby, it's all gonna be alright." Also known as the relaxation response.
Of course, sometimes, when you are having a panic attack, you don't happen to have a large bowl of ice water handy. It happens to the best of us. A few years ago, I was in my office when a panic attack struck. I received some bad news, and suddenly, it felt like the room was spinning.
Like many of us, if I even think I am going to have a panic attack, I get terrified of having a panic attack. Has this happened to you? If you've struggled with chronic anxiety or panic attacks, your brain becomes hypervigilant for any signs of an impending attack, such as increased heart rate, sweat, or shortness of breath. It can become a vicious cycle.
At that moment, I didn't have a bowl to fill with ice water. So, I grabbed a couple of cans of sparkling water from the fridge, pressed them over my eyes and forehead, inhaled gently, and then held my breath for 30 Mississippi's (also known as seconds.) I "came up for air," took another breath, and held it again for as long as I was comfortable. I repeated this three times. And then my mind was calm enough to use other skills.
That's my Dive Response Hack. Cold soda cans are one option when no bowls of ice are handy. You can also carry instant first aid cold packs in your car/your purse/your desk at work/your bedside table. You can stash them anywhere you think you might get flooded with intense emotions.
In DBT, tipping your body temperature with cold water is one of the TIPP skills for overcoming panic or sudden intense emotions.
If you're feeling particularly nerdy, this Ted article about Your Body's Amazing Reaction to Water is fascinating. https://ideas.ted.com/science_of_freediving
