General Anxiety Disorder – How to Cope With Panic Attacks
By Mark B
Here is another article on panic attacks self help that you may find useful
Are you suffering from panic attacks? Well anxiety attacks are terrifying experiences, mainly caused by high levels of stress and anxiety. The most common symptoms of a panic attack are body trembling, heartbeat races, sweating, dizziness and more. Either you are one of the sufferers or someone you know might is suffering.. here is the cure.
Anxiety attacks are frightening experiences, and because you can lose control of yourself, it’s crucial that you first learn how to stop the them before they even hit.
Anxiety attacks can happen anytime, to anyone, no matter their age. .However they are more common in adolescents. Mine came out of nowhere, and made me isolate myself for more than 3 years. I hadn’t had them previously in my life, actually I never had any health problems ever in my life ..one day my first panic attack has been triggered instantly, that was the worst one I ever had. I suffered from panic attacks for many years from that point on. I learned there’s help, but I tried so many different methods, and none of them worked, until I found the Panic Away Program which really made a whole big difference in my life, and finally taught me the systematic ways to stop panic attacks.
Usually you might have panic attacks in public places, public transportation, am I right ? This fear actually feeds the fire, and you end up in a vicious cycle of panic attacks. Did you know that when you recognize the signs and symptoms, you can actually start to deal with them? Sure, you can start controlling them right away, but that is possible if you follow the right techniques.
You need to learn the systematic ways to stop your panic attacks. Life really does not go on this way, and you need to take action.
Stress and anxiety trigger panic attacks, however healthy people may experience panic attacks, but they are no that common. Learning to cope with stress is an important step to your recovery. The problem is when you don’t deal with stress, it builds up, and next thing general anxiety disorder occurs. If you find yourself stressed out, stop what you are doing, take a short break, you need it, health is more important than anything else.
Stop the stress, and break the anxiety cycle.
Learning to face your emotions, and deal with your anxiety is important. You need to be more confident and learn how to keep yourself calm in any situation. I was really good at pushing things away, avoiding my anxiety and not trying to do anything to overcome it, this only made me suffer longer, more than 4 years, which is nearly half of a decade.
Taking a walk in the park, breathing fresh air is a good way to reduce your stress levels, it`s better if you can do it all by your self from time to time. Anxiety attacks happen less often when you learn to control your emotions and become more confident. Anxiety attacks don’t have to be a part of your life, you might not even be able to do much except isolating yourself and avoiding social activities. This is not the way to go through life, you really need to take action, and wait no longer.
I have managed to cure my anxiety and panic attacks using Joe Barry’s Program. Go one and read my complete story and how Panic Away has cured me completely.
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How to Stop Panic Attack symptoms
By Mark B
Here is another article on panic attacks self help that you may find useful
There are many techniques and ways people can stop panic attack symptoms. You must examine and understand exactly what causes a panic attack. In order to stop panic attack symptoms from overtaking you, a good understanding of your body’s stressors and the things that can bring your body’s stress levels considerably down is necessary and helpful. A careful self-examination is key here as nobody knows your own body and mind better than you.
A panic attack is a specific episode in which a person experiences intense anxiety and/or fear that can last for minutes or even hours. Panics attacks manifest themselves in many ways, including but not limited to: shaking, sweating, feeling that your heart is pounding uncontrollably, shortness of breath, chest pain, cramping, dizziness, nausea, hot flashes, chills, choking, and tingling or numbness in your extremities.
In order to stop panic attack symptoms, one has to understand the triggers of a panic attack. The trigger may not be obvious, however, which makes it more difficult to ascertain. You might experience an extreme fear over nothing at all or even a fear of having a panic attack itself. There really is no surefire way to understand the entire scope of what contributes to your panic attack without careful evaluation with a medical professional and possibly a psychologist.
No Reason to be Embarrassed
Many people, however, do not see their doctors or bother with a psychologist because they are embarrassed of the symptoms of a panic attack. Others do not seek professional help because it makes them feel inferior or “crazy” to see a psychiatrist. Pride is not a symptom of panic attacks, but it is a byproduct at times of a person’s desire to remain “normal” at all costs.
Some doctors prescribe medications for panic attacks such as Paxil or Zoloft. In order to stop panic attack symptoms, you may want to consider talking to your doctor about these medications or other methods. Always follow the advice of your medical professional and the regulations set forth by the drug companies as it is important to utilize any medication properly. Never stop taking a medication suddenly without the advice of your physician and never start taking medication without the advice of your doctor, either. As with anything in life and in the world of health, nothing beats the expertise and advice of a qualified medical professional.
I will always recommend you consult your doctor. Do your homework and study everything you can about panic attacks and anxiety. By doing this you have already started the process to ending your anxiety and panic attacks. I recommend a book and audio called “A Guide to Eliminate Stress and Anxiety” I have placed a link at the top of my site where you can take a look at it. This guide has help many.
Feel free to visit some of my sites Stop Anxiety Attacks and Stop Panic Attacks
For full information on Panic attacks self help click here
Symtoms of Anxiety and Panic Attacks
By Mark B
Here is another article on panic attacks self help that you may find useful
If you suffer from…* Palpitations* a pounding heart, or an accelerated heart rate* Sweating* Trembling or shaking* Shortness of breath* A choking sensation* Chest pain or discomfort* Nausea or stomach cramps* Derealization (a feeling of unreality)* Fear of losing control or going crazy* Fear of dying Numbness or a tingling sensation* Chills or hot flashes…then you’ve experienced firsthand some of the possible symptoms of a panic or anxiety attack. If you are reading this page because a loved one suffers from these symptoms and you are trying to understand or help, it’s hard to appreciate what they go through.Just try to imagine what it feels like to experience one, if you can.Here is a typical example:Standing in a supermarket queue, it’s been a long wait but only one customer to go before you make it to the cashier. Wait, what was that sensation? An unpleasant feeling forms in your throat, your chest feels tighter, now a sudden shortness of breath, and what do you know—your heart skips a beat. “Please, God, not here.”A quick scan of the territory—is it threatening? Four unfriendly faces queue behind, one person in front. Pins and needles seem to prick you through your left arm, you feel slightly dizzy, and then the explosion of fear as you dread the worst. You are about to have a panic attack.There is no doubt in your mind now that this is going to be a big one. Okay, focus: Remember what you have been taught, and it is time now to apply the coping techniques. Begin the deep breathing exercise your doctor recommended. In through the nose, out through the mouth.Think relaxing thoughts, and again, while breathing in, think “Relax,” and then breathe out. But it doesn’t seem to be having any positive effect; in fact, just concentrating on breathing is making you feel self-conscious and more uptight.Okay, coping technique 2:Gradual muscle relaxation. Tense both shoulders, hold for 10 seconds, then release. Try it again. No; still no difference. The anxiety is getting worse and the very fact that you are out of coping techniques worsens your panic. If only you were surrounded by your family, or a close friend were beside you so you could feel more confident in dealing with this situation.Now, the adrenaline is really pumping through your system, your body is tingling with uncomfortable sensations, and now the dreaded feeling of losing complete control engulfs your emotions. No one around you has any idea of the sheer terror you are experiencing. For them, it’s just a regular day and another frustratingly slow queue in the supermarket.You are out of options. Time for Plan C.The most basic coping skill of all is “fleeing.” Excuse yourself from the queue; you are slightly embarrassed as it is now that it is your turn to pay. The cashier is looking bewildered as you leave your shopping behind and stroll towards the door. There is no time for excuses—you need to be alone. You leave the supermarket and get into your car to ride it out alone. Could this be the big one? The one you fear will push you over the edge mentally and physically. Ten minutes later the panic subsides.It’s 10:30 a.m. How are you going to make it through the rest of the day?If you suffer from panic or anxiety attacks, the above scenerio probably sounds very familiar. It may have even induced feelings of anxiety and panic just reading it. The particular situations that trigger your panic and anxiety may differ; maybe the bodily sensations are a little different. Or maybe it happened to you for the first time on a plane, in the dentist chair, or even at home, while doing nothing in particular.If you have ever had what has become known as a “panic attack,” take comfort in the fact that you are by no means alone.A panic attack always comes with the acute sense of impending doom. You feel you are either about to lose your mind or one of your vital bodily functions is about to cease functioning and you will end your days right there among the canned goods and frozen food.You are by no means alone; you’re not even one in a million. In America, it is estimated that almost 5% of the population suffer from some form of anxiety disorder. For some, it may be the infrequent panic attacks that only crop up in particular situations-like when having to speak in front of others, while, for other people, it can be so frequent and recurring that it inhibits them from leaving their home. Frequent panic attacks often develop into what medical physicians refer to as an “anxiety disorder.”One of the first steps to regaining control of your life is getting helpful information. This site will give you that, and more.The beginning of your recovery starts here. What you will learn is that there is a very good chance you are about to end the cycle of panic attacks in your life. You will learn not only to regain the carefree life you remember once having, but will also gain new confidence in living. Your answer to living free from “panic” or “anxiety attacks” is at hand.This site demonstrates that the panic and anxiety that you have experienced will be the very key to your courage and success.Begin the road to recovery by browsing through the site. While many of you may have read almost everything you can possibly read relating to panic and anxiety I assure you this site offers something very effective.Did you know…?The key difference between someone who is cured of panic attacks and those who are not is really very simple. The people who are cured no longer fear panic attacks. I’ll try to show you how to be one of these people as well.What if I told you the trick to ending panic and anxiety attacks is to want to have one. That sounds strange, even contradictory, but let me explain.The trick to panic attacks is wanting to have one-the wanting pushes it away. Can you have a panic attack in this very second? No!You know the saying that “what you resist, persists.” Well that saying applies perfectly to fear. If you resist a situation out of fear, the fear around that issue will persist. How do you stop resisting–you move directly into it, into the path of the anxiety, and by doing so it cannot persist.In essence what this means is that if you daily voluntarily seek to have a panic attack, you cannot have one. Try in this very moment to have a panic attack and I will guarantee you cannot. You may not realize it but you have always decided to panic. You make the choice by saying this is beyond my control.Another way to appreciate this is to imagine having a panic attack as like standing on a cliff’s edge. The anxiety seemingly pushes you closer to falling over the edge.To be rid of the fear you must metaphorically jump. You must jump off the cliff edge and into the anxiety and fear and all the things that you fear most.How do you jump? You jump by wanting to have a panic attack. You go about your day asking for anxiety and panic attacks to appear.Your real safety is the fact that a panic attack will never harm you. That is medical fact. You are safe, the sensations are wild but no harm will come to you. Your heart is racing but no harm will come to you. The jump becomes nothing more than a two foot drop! Perfectly safe.
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Drug-free Approach to Anxiety and Panic Attacks
By Mark B
Here is another article on panic attacks self help that you may find useful
It’s quite normal to feel anxious when handling certain situations such as making big decisions or sitting exams, but for some, anxiety attacks occur when handling situations that most of us would just take in our stride.
These can cause so much distress that sufferers cannot live a normal life
Of course there are many drugs and prescription medications that your doctor will be able to provide, but many people prefer natural methods of coping with anxiety attacks.
Here are some top tips for coping with panic and anxiety attacks:
* Breathe slowly and deeply through your nose, not your mouth. It is no longer thought safe to suggest re-breathing into a paper bag; this could cause oxygen starvation.
* Try this exercise: stand near to a wall, put your hand on it and hold your breath, then push as hard a possible, keeping your breath held for as long as possible. This tightens your muscles and can reduce anxiety.
* Most people feel less anxious in the outdoors. Listening to the birds, watching the sea, a river, or even just a pond or a tropical fish tank can be very soothing. A walk in a park or garden smelling the flowers can help relaxation and fight stress. You may even find that a screen-saver using a natural scene is helpful.
* Make a list of your problems, then crumple the paper into a ball and either stand on it, or burn it.
* Yoga is a great stress-buster, which can be practiced by anyone. It will improve mental and physical ability, and boost self-confidence. But you need to go to a class for maximum benefit and to learn the correct techniques.
* Is a poor diet contributing to your anxiety attacks? Caffeine, sugar and diet sodas all contribute to raised blood sugar. Eat less saturated fats, as anxiety attacks are more common in the overweight.
* Find a hobby you enjoy. A creative hobby is better still. The concerns of day-to-day life can melt away when you throw your heart and soul into a hobby you enjoy. Spend time alone and at peace.
* Relax with a good film or a good book. Either can transport you away from the stresses of the world.
* Aromatherapy involves inhaling essential oils, or in some cases applying them direct to the skin. Essential oils can be added to a relaxing bath. Lavender, one of just two essential oils that can be applied to the skin undiluted, has a very relaxing effect. While aromatherapy can be practiced as a self-help therapy, you would be wise to consult a qualified practitioner in the first instance to produce a blend specifically for you.
* Acupuncture targets specific points in the body to promote healing, and has been proven beneficial for anxiety disorders. Unlike aromatherapy this isn’t a self-help technique as you will need to consult a licensed practitioner. Be sure this person is registered with a reputable professional body and will observe good hygiene practices.
* Talking things over with someone trustworthy may bring closure to unresolved worries and resentments. But be careful who you talk to – ideally a completely disinterested third-party, or at least someone completely divorced from the situation that’s causing you anxiety. Counselors or Cognitive Behavioral Therapists are highly recommended to help reduce the occurrence of panic attacks.
* Many herbal products have benefits for panic and anxiety symptoms. Consult a qualified herbalist – this is not an area where self-help is advised.
Before implementing any change in physical activity or diet, check it out with your medical doctor. If he or she is unsympathetic to anything other than medication, consider getting a second opinion preferably from an integrative medicine physician.
For full information on Panic attacks self help click here
Panic Attacks and Anxiety: Derealization and Depersonalization – You’re Not Going Crazy!
By Mark B
Here is another article on panic attacks self help that you may find useful
Two of the most horrifying little goodies that so often accompany panic attacks and severe anxiety are derealization and depersonalization. Both can be absolutely crippling and take you right to the turnstiles of your perception of insanity. This article will discuss what these spooky phenomena are and what may cause them.
Coming from personal experience, derealization is a deep and disturbing sensation of unreality and detachment from one’s immediate world, rather an altered state of consciousness. It’s been described as feeling as though one is looking at the world through thick glass. I mean, you can see clearly, are fully oriented, and can function; however it’s like you’re operating in a very exclusive dimension. It is an absolutely terrifying experience and generally leads to the belief that insanity is at hand - especially if one hasn’t the knowledge as to what’s really going on. As derealization presents, one becomes extremely concerned about what to do and how to find help. See, it’s all about the fear of being, and appearing, crazy - or at the very least, extremely strange.
Now, just as derealization is an environmental perceptual issue, depersonalization is an equally disturbing self-perception phenomenon. During my junior year in college I walked into the house I shared with some buddies and caught a glimpse of a photograph hanging on the wall of the six of us. Though it was only a glimpse, something just didn’t seem right – that quickly. So I stopped, walked back to the photo and saw this person right in the middle of the picture. I knew who he was, yet I didn’t. But it was me! I can’t tell you how frightening that sensation was. Depersonalizaton holds the potential to snatch away your last morsels of identity and security, having any sort of concept of self relegated to the dumpster.
So, what actually causes these sensations? Recent research has suggested that extraordinary and frightening sensations, such as near-death and out-of-body experiences – which I believe are in the same ballpark as derealization and depersonalization – may occur because of stress-induced malfunctioning brain chemistry. For example, a structure in the temporal lobe (lower side) of the brain known as the angular gyrus, specifically the right angular gyrus, is believed to process sensory input in an effort to aid in the perception of our physical selves. Featured in one particular study was a seizure disorder patient participating in a course of electrical stimulation treatment. During a procedure the electrodes were applied to the right side of the patient’s head (right angular gyrus?), and guess what? When the juice was turned on the patient reported an out-of-body experience. Now, this research doesn’t specifically address the cause of derealization and depersonalization; however it begins to point some fingers. At least I think so.
The strange sensation of floating outside of the body during times of perceptual disorientation may be generated by any number of things, including panic, intense anxiety, major life stress, emotional and physical trauma, and brain disease or injury. As it applies to mental and emotional distress, perhaps as life circumstances begin to overwhelm us we become victims of transitioning consciousness as our minds react by generating custom-tailored out-of-body experiences known as derealization and depersonalization. V.S. Ramachandran, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for the Brain and Cognition at the University of California, San Diego, underscores the power of perceptual alteration by proposing there’s a shift in the very boundaries of self-perception when incoming sensual input doesn’t comply with what one perceives and requires as the norm. By the way, do whatever you can to read any of Ramachandran’s writings because it’s absolutely amazing stuff. This guy is the real deal.
As a past sufferer of this hocus-pocus, I view derealization and depersonalization, intense perceptual alterations, as the mind’s self-protective reaction to the ultimate perceived state of overload. It just seems to me that when the mind believes it’s mega-overwhelmed it flips the switch on a perceptual filter, believing even the slightest additional bit of stimuli may lead to various degrees of psychic meltdown. Yes - it’s the mind in a powerful state of defense. Within this theoretical framework, the mind is trying to give itself a fighting chance to sort and process that with which it’s already wrestling, so it chooses to inhibit the sensory messages streaming in from one’s immediate internal and external experience.
Now, unfortunately, the mind’s fear circuitry is chugging along very independently and just as efficiently as its perceptual filter. So off go the alarms because the sensations experienced as a result of the mind’s work to defend itself, which may include derealization and depersonalization, are causing the alarm circuitry to freak. As a result, one flips into all-out panic mode, desperately trying to reestablish a sense of perceptual orientation and comfort. And that only makes things worse because it totally interrupts the mind’s immediate mission of managing thousands of cars at rush-hour. And so one is left with this ever-building traffic jam caused by two vehicles: an overloaded mind on the verge of meltdown and a very agitated and loudly rebellious fear circuitry. Needless to say, no one’s going anywhere.
I might also suggest that derealization and depersonalization may also present as a result of the mind being so consumed by its present overload, it simply can’t deliver perceptual accuracy in response to what the senses are bringing to the table. Don’t ever forget – this is all about how we receive self and the world. And there’s only so much of the mind to go around. Yes – it does have its limits.
Dr. V.S. Ramachandran, from his book, A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness: From Imposter Poodles to Purple Numbers (Pi Press, 2004), sets the table for his thoughts on derealization and depersonalization by mentioning two fascinating neurological disorders. The first, Capgras Delusion, is characterized by the patient being convinced a close family member or friend is an imposter. The patient has no problem grasping familiarity of appearance and behavior; however the relational significance just isn’t there, and the patient is fully aware of the disconnect. Ramachandran then mentions Cotard’s Syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by the patient believing she has lost everything, even parts of her body, and believes she may, indeed, be dead and is walking about as a corpse.
Ramachandran suggests derealization and depersonalization may well be caused by the same altered brain circuitry that brings on Capgras and Cotard’s, even to the point of referring to derealization and depersonalization as rather a “mini-Cotard’s.” In the face of a life-threatening emergency a piece of anatomy in the frontal lobe of the brain, the anterior cingulate (also involved in the processing of physical pain), becomes active. Its ensuing action pulls in the reins on the brain’s fear circuitry. As a result, disabling phenomena such as fear and anxiety fall by the wayside. But it doesn’t stop there, as the anterior cingulate then ramps-up alertness just in case we need to defend ourselves. Well, the bottom-line is we’re left in this emotionally void and hypervigilant state, and Dr. Ramachandran proposes we have but two alternatives to account for what’s happened: “The world just isn’t real,” presenting in the form of derealization, and “I’m not real,” presenting in the form of depersonalization. Go back several paragraphs to my description of my personal experience with depersonalization. One of my statements was, “I knew who he was, yet I didn’t.” Kaboom – what a fit.
I find all of this really very fascinating, especially when you consider that something that feels so horribly frightening, and that holds the potential to cause such major dysfunction, may actually be the mind’s naturally intended way of protecting itself. Indeed, the mind may be saying, “I’ve got a bit more than I can handle here – could someone please help me out?” To me, assigning a personality, if you will, to the mind gives its generated distressing phenomena a bit of softness and gentleness; making them seem so much less abysmal. I mean, it’s like the mind is this living, feeling being to which we can show compassion as it’s hurt, confused, worn-out, and desperately in need of rest and care. I really believe in this relationship with mind, and it’s my opinion the only thing that keeps us from realizing its fullest two-way potential is overcoming our misinterpretations and overreactions to the mind’s naturally occurring protective mechanisms. Yes - as soon as we sense the beginnings of sensations such as derealization or depersonalization, and the alarms sound, we think our way to exaggerated and inappropriate reactions. And it’s this dynamic that causes all the hubbub, not the perceptual alterations themselves.
Well, hey – that’s it for this writing. Hopefully you know a bit more than you knew coming in. And if derealization and/or depersonalization are tearing your life apart, here’s hoping for some insight and relief. Don’t ever forget – you are not going crazy! Keep an eye out for my article, Panic Attacks and Anxiety: Adios! to Derealization and Depersonalization. It’s a great bit of follow-up.
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December 3rd, 2009
