It is very difficult to deal with anxiety disorders such as panic attacks. The best way of coping with them is to try to minimize their incidence rather than to attempt to alleviate their symptoms once they have manifested. This article discusses a few tips on how to cope with anxiety.
Analyze your condition.
Set a time and venue in which you can ponder about your concerns and possible solutions. After this session, go on with your day and let go of all of your worries.
When you have the slightest inkling that you're about to have a panic attack, constantly bear in mind that you are in complete control of yourself. Take the time to absorb what is happening to you. Once you have established that you're not dying, going crazy, or experiencing a heart attack, put into mind that your situation is not as grave as how you initially thought it was.
Confront your fears.
First imagine yourself facing your fears. By doing this, you can condition your mind that you are capable of facing up to the things that make you feel anxious before you actually deal with them.
Join a support group.
Talk to people that is facing the same issue. Help may be available in different places, be it online or offline. You can also deal with your condition by discussing it with your loved ones. Talking will get a lot of burden off your chest and you will certainly feel lighter and less worried.
Make helpful lists and bring them with you all the time.
1. Phone numbers.
You should know whom to call when you're experiencing a panic attack.
2. Distractions.
Have a list of things that have helped you deal with panic attacks in the past and update your list as often as needed. Examples of distractions include counting backwards, recalling childhood memories, and so on.
3. Encouraging statements.
Have a list of statements that you know will negate all of your bad thoughts and feelings. Read them out aloud whenever you feel that you're about to panic and even when you're calm to prevent an episode from recurring.
Stick to your therapy.
Your doctor may recommend that you take medications and other therapies like the Panic Away Program, the Linden Method, or Panic Anxiety GONE!. Keep in mind that you have to be religious in doing the suggested therapy so that you'll get rid of your condition faster.
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Read about this condition on Wikipedia
Panic attacks are very sudden, discrete periods of intense anxiety, mounting physiological arousal, fear, stomach problems and discomfort that are associated with a variety of somatic and cognitive symptoms. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders The onset of these episodes is typically abrupt, and may have no obvious triggers. Although these episodes may appear to be random, they are a subset of an evolutionary response commonly referred to as fight or flight that occur out of context. This response floods the body with hormones, particularly epinephrine (adrenaline), that aid it in defending against harm.Bourne, E. (2005). The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, 4th Edition: New Harbinger Press. Experiencing a panic attack is said to be one of the most intensely frightening, upsetting and uncomfortable experiences of a person's life.
According to the American Psychological Association, the symptoms of a panic attack commonly last approximately thirty minutes. However, panic attacks can be as short as 15 seconds, while sometimes panic attacks may form a cyclic series of episodes, lasting for an extended period, sometimes hours. Often those afflicted will experience significant anticipatory anxiety and limited symptom attacks in between attacks, in situations where attacks have previously occurred.
Panic attacks are commonly linked to agoraphobia and the fear of not being able to escape a bad situation. Many who experience panic attacks feel trapped and unable to free themselves.
The effects of a panic attack vary from person to person. Some, notably first-time sufferers, may call for emergency services. Many who experience a panic attack, mostly for the first time, fear they are having a heart attack or a nervous breakdown.
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