Everytime I'm at a demonstration with a lot of police violence like lots of Palestine demonstration I get very nervous, my heart starts racing, my knees get weak and my breath becomes short. I even get it when watching videos of police violence or when I see SWAT team busses outside of demonstrations. I'm not the only one that feels that way but others that I see at every demonstration deal with it better, I feel like. They can get in the zone better. So do you have tips?
That sounds like a panic attack. I get them, but in a different contexts from protests. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has helped me. You don’t have to pay for a therapist, plenty of resources online. I try and pay attention to what I am feeling. Just observe it without judging it/myself. Like, ok I am now feeling short of breath. So I’m just “observing” my breathing. It helps me keep calm and not to spiral towards more panic.