Overcoming Panic Attacks
It’s been said that as much as 15% of the American public will suffer from some kind of panic assault at some stage of their lives so if you are one of those sufferers how do you go about overcoming panic attacks? Individuals suffering from panic disorder find themselves avoiding particular locations or situations that frighten them for no apparent reason. Added to this may be the fact that as these events are so frightening and dangerous they could lead to other severe conditions for instance depression, alcoholism, drug intake and phobias. Despite this, you can truly stop panic anxiety attacks in less than five minutes if you implement the free advice and tips we provide.
Before we delve into the steps in overcoming panic attacks let’s analyse the symptoms.
Firstly, a panic attack will commence with a rush of adrenaline into your blood stream. This then sends a signal to your brain informing it that there is an emergency! These signals will then manifest themselves into physical symptoms resembling a heart attack – sweating, numbness, breathlessness, palpitations, chest pain, nausea and stomach cramps. However, it is the fear of these symptoms that truly causes a sense of panic and loss of control.
Then how do you stop panic attacks in under 5 minutes? We list the 5 fundamental steps:
1) Call a buddy. They say a friend in need is a friend indeed. Nowadays we all have cell phones so use yours to call a calm, reassuring friend as soon as panic strikes. What this does is provide you with instant support and to take your mind off things and help you reassert control. A good friend will always know what makes you tick and what to say to calm you down.
2) Probably the hardest part is then trying to force oneself to relax. Your body is giving you all kinds of bad messages but you need to look at and calm yourself down. Simply be aware that you happen to be having a panic attack and no real harm will come to you should you fight these feelings. Take slow deep breaths. Think about something or someone that calms you down or makes you feel great about oneself. This really is your primary step to overcoming panic attacks.
3) Your next step is usually to try and manage all of the adverse emotions swirling around your head. Just attempt this. Shout “STOP” inside your head. Turn up the volume of that one word in your head. This will help to curtail the flow of adrenaline inside your body and along with the deep breaths help you control the negative thoughts and feelings.
4) Once you have shouted STOP inside your head, you need to reverse the cycle. This is the point where you start sending positive messages to your brain. Clear your mind of all of the negative thoughts and replace them with favourable messages. Instead of “My heart is pumping so fast I’m going to die!” say to your self, “Stay calm, it’s just a minor panic attack and it’ll be over in minutes. My heart will definitely make it through this.”
5) Your final step to overcoming panic attacks is to accept your feelings as well as the results inside your head. Identify what triggers it. Many people don’t want to think about it but when you confront it and reinforce the positive messages to oneself you can support to overcome anxiety.
What you also need to realise is that fear is a natural emotion and that everybody feels it to varying extents. When the feeling of being scared arrives, it is completely natural to take precautions and also to look after ones wellbeing. By remaining positive and getting into a habit of reinforcing the 5 strategies (it may be tough the first time around but persistence will pay off) you’ll gradually find it acts as a great free treatment in overcoming panic attacks.
