Dr. Marco Abud, a psychiatrist, shares his personal experience with anxiety attacks and provides four simple and scientifically-proven strategies to help alleviate anxiety crisis. The four steps are:
1. **Remind yourself that the symptom is harmless**: Repeat the phrase "this is harmless" to help calm your brain and reduce the feeling of danger.
2. **Neutralize adrenaline**: Use breathing techniques, such as the 4-2-4 method, or peripheral gaze to regulate your oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, promoting relaxation and activating the parasympathetic system.
3. **Leave anxiety in the passenger seat**: Take control of your actions and decisions, despite the anxiety trying to dictate what you should do. Remember that anxiety is just a feeling, and you have the power to choose how to react.
4. **Make a declaration of courage**: Write down and repeat a phrase that reminds you of your strength and ability to overcome anxiety, such as "Courage is not not feeling afraid, courage is what I decide to do when I feel afraid."
By applying these strategies, you can start to remodel your brain and naturally turn off the anxiety circuit.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Marco Abud is a psychiatrist who graduated from the University of São Paulo.
2. Marco Abud has served tens of thousands of people suffering from anxiety disorders.
3. Marco Abud has experienced an anxiety attack himself at the age of 22.
4. Anxiety attacks are physical and can cause symptoms such as a racing heart, labored breathing, tingling sensations, and a feeling of going crazy.
5. The amygdala is the part of the brain that triggers the body's "danger alarm" and can cause anxiety attacks.
6. Anxiety attacks are a false alarm and are not a sign of real danger.
7. Marco Abud recommends four strategies to help alleviate anxiety attacks:
* Repeating the phrase "this is harmless" to calm the brain.
* Neutralizing adrenaline through breathing techniques or peripheral gaze.
* Leaving anxiety in the "passenger seat" and not letting it control actions.
* Making a declaration of courage to overcome anxiety.
8. Marco Abud suggests writing down phrases or declarations of courage to help remember them during an anxiety attack.
9. The four strategies recommended by Marco Abud are scientifically proven and can help remodel the brain to naturally turn off the anxiety circuit.
10. Marco Abud encourages viewers to try the strategies and provide feedback on their effectiveness.