Dealing with Panic Attacks

Over 60 million people in the United States suffer from panic attacks at some point in their lives. This special form of anxiety is unlike others in that it can come on quickly and without warning. These attacks can seriously affect your ability to deal with life’s easiest tasks and they can also make breathing very difficult. If you are looking for ways of dealing with panic attacks, there are methods that help to control them without medication.

Panic attacks may seem like no big deal to those who do not experience them, but for people who suffer from this problem they are incredibly frightening and often are so extreme that the person having the attack thinks that they are dying.

Almost anything can set off a panic attack, for any reason. Something as simple as driving or washing dishes can trigger an irrational panic attack. Once something triggers an attack it will often happen over and over. These are called phobias and just exponentially make the panic attacks worse.

Everyone has the ‘fight or flight’ response that developed in humans through evolution, but in the case of people with panic attacks this response is exaggerated and often very irrational. The panic feels real even though there is nothing that is actually wrong.

While knowing the why of panic attacks is important, it does not help to solve the problem. Below are some steps you can take to get control of your panic attacks:

– Figure out the warning signs that might mean a panic attack is coming on. At the same time try to figure out what the different triggers are. Knowing these warning signs and triggers will give you a little extra time to utilize the tips below to get the attack under control.

– Try to always remember, even when you are not having an attack, that while your thoughts, feelings and symptoms are scary they will not actually harm you or put you in any danger.

– Recognize the feelings you are having. Trying to avoid them will make them worse. Facing them is beneficial and can make the attack less intense.

– Instead of worrying about what is going to happen, tell yourself that it doesn’t matter. At the same time try to make yourself understand what is actually happening instead of what you think is going to happen.

– While having your attack, tell yourself over and over that the feelings you are having are just irrationally exaggerated reactions to completely normal stressors.

– Try to take deep breaths and count backwards from one hundred. If you can manage to do this your panic attack will most likely slowly fade away.

Combining one or more of the above techniques will often help your panic attacks go away more quickly. Eventually you may even find that you are having fewer attacks and possibly none at all. Being able to deal with panic attacks is very possible, there is no better feeling than learning to control and conquer your panic attacks.

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