Help For Panic Attacks – 5 Self-Help Tips For Overcoming Panic Attacks
By Mark B
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Looking for help for your panic attacks? Here are 5 good tips to help you overcome them. If you’ve already suffered an attack, and been diagnosed, then you’ll know that the symptoms are terrifying. For sure you’ll want to prevent another. Now, no doubt, you’ll have been prescribed medication by your doctor, which can work well enough for many folks. But there are natural ways to overcome panic attacks that more and more sufferers are using. You’ll discover 5 of those here.
Reduce Stress in Your Life
Stressful events happening on top of high levels of general anxiety can trigger panic attacks. Learn to recognise the factors, situations and events that are causing you stress. Pinpoint those that are unnecessary or unimportant, and then avoid or eliminate them. You need to ask yourself what’s important in your life and what isn’t. If some things or people aren’t important then why worry about them?
Keep a Positive Frame of Mind
During a panic attack, it’s beneficial if you stay positive. You can do this if you know what the symptoms are and that they won’t cause you any harm (see below). By focussing on this positivity, you’ll be able to handle an attack better, so that it’s length and intensity is reduced.
Recognise the Symptoms of a Panic Attack
Even although you perhaps have already had an attack, get to know the various symptoms, and try to recall them during an attack, so that you can have a more positive outlook (see above). The typical symptoms are; shortness of breath, hyperventilation, racing heart, palpitations, tightness in chest and / or throat, shaking, tingling fingers, dizziness, wooziness, feeling of being detached from reality, feeling of impending doom, feeling that you may be having a heart attack.
Use Controlled Breathing Techniques
During a panic attack, try to get your breathing rhythm back to normality. But not too deep breathing, as this can have the opposite effect, just gentle, slow, controlled breathing. And, very important, breathe using the diaphragm so that all your lung capacity is being utilised, not just their tops as happens when you only breath using your chest. During an attack focus on your breathing.
Understand What Causes Panic Attacks
By understanding how panic attacks are caused you’ll know that they cannot harm you. The underlying cause of attacks is a pre-existing higher-than-normal level of anxiety that persists over a long period of time. A panic attack is triggered when a stressful event or situation is encountered, that pushes an already high level of anxiety to a point where your body reacts in a ‘flight or fight’ mode. This primeval response is used to protect humans (and animals) in dangerous situations, by either priming them to fight the danger or escape it.
But, of course, there isn’t any danger, just an irrational fear arising from elevated anxiety and some stress ‘trigger’. Your body can’t differentiate between the two and reacts as it has been programmed to do. So you can see that the symptoms of panic attacks are just your body’s reaction to a perceived threat that doesn’t in fact exist. In other words, a panic attack can’t cause you any harm.
And while we’re on the subject of ‘fear’, one of the critical factors in panic attacks is the actual ‘fear’ of having another one. Because the symptoms are so frightening, the fear of a repeat is so great that it is imprinted on your psyche. This adds to the already heightened general anxiety, so that when a simple stressful event occurs, an attack is triggered. This ‘cycle of anxiety’ (anxiety > fear > panic attack > anxiety > fear > panic attack > etc.) must be broken in order to stop further panic attacks, and, cure your general anxiety.
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Self Help For Panic Attacks-Stop Panic Attacks
By Mark B
Here is another article on panic attacks self help that you may find useful
Chronic sufferers of anxiety often benefit very much from self help for panic attacks. They learn to Stop Panic Attacks very effectively. But is it really effective?? Let’s take a look at some of the most common techniques to stop panic attacks. The top most common self help technique is Deep Breathing but is it really effective? Have you ever tried to deep breathe in a crisis situation? It’s almost impossible. The problem, as you well know, is that once the panic attack begins and that heightened state of fear starts, it is very difficult to calm yourself down. In order to restore calm you actually need the brains mental activity to change.
This is the reason why deep breathing is so ineffective in helping people control a panic attack. Deep breathing does is to try and restore calm to the body. Trying to mentally calm the body is like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. Now some people are able to do deep breathe effectively and my hat goes off to them as the saying goes. But is it effective?What about Exercise? Some people say regular exercise is good. I’ve heard that rigorous exercise helps cure a panic attack because it gives our bodies a sample of what it is like to put your body into an exerted state just as if you were having a panic attack. This way you can learn to become comfortable with the heightened state of exertion without fearing that your body will not be able to handle it. What about relaxation exercises? Do they work? How about Yoga? Yoga is not just about being flexible. Mostly, it’s a way for you to bend and stretch naturally, which releases tension and eases muscle pain. When it comes to self help for panic attacks, this technique not only eases pain, but it also helps you feel calmer and more in control.Negative thinking is one of the primary causes of panic attacks. The more frightened you become, the more your thoughts spin around in circles, chasing endless what-ifs and disturbing possibilities. If you live in the now you will eliminate a lot of these feelings. How many of us could benefit from living in the now? I know I could.Let’s Focus on the sights, sounds, and smells around us. Find pleasure in small things, such as the blue sky or the feel of the wind. By rooting yourself in the present, you prevent yourself from worrying about the future.How would you like a tried and true method for living panic free? Many have conquered their anxiety disorder without the use of medications. Find out more information at http://www.squidoo.com/whataresometreatmentsforanxietyandpanicattacks I know you can do it. Many others have been here and gone on to panic free lives. You can to.
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Self Help Tips for Dealing With Panic Attacks
By Mark B
Here is another article on panic attacks self help that you may find useful
If you are a chronic worrier, you have come to the right place as this article will share with you some practical tips you can use to help yourself take any anxious situation or even panic attacks in your stride. Practice the tips regularly and they will prove to be useful in helping you to remain calm and in control of your anxiety. Identify Your SymptomsThe self help techniques for panic attacks will be more effective if you could start by identifying the symptoms or triggers that cause your anxiety level to rise unexpectedly and lead to panic attacks. Try your best to record down the events and feelings that you were going through when panic attacks struk. The idea here is to identify the chain of events so that you could find ways to cope when they happen again. Self Talk to Curb Panic AttacksChronic worriers always have unnecessary negative thoughts or negative self talk that can trigger anxiety and panic attack. If you are the type of person who tends to put yourself down or never gives yourself the benefit of the doubt, you’ll tend to trigger an unnecessary anxiety. It would then lead to extensive worry or even depression. And the next thing you know you’re having a panic attack; can’t do anything right and feel hopeless. Instead of beating yourself up, why not try to talk yourself up? Tell yourself that things are going to be fine. In fact, most of the things we worry about would never happen. Learn to look on the bright side of life; learn to focus on the solutions instead of problems.Learn to Breathe ProperlyProper breathing can help calm your mind and body. And it’s very easy to do; just put your left hand on your stomach and start to breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose, then out through your mouth. You will feel that your hand moves in and out as your stomach expands and contracts slowly. As you let your body takes in the oxygen it needs slowly and steadily, your mind and body start to calm down. When you become anxious, you’ll notice that your breathing rate increases and you start to take short breathes. This will make you feel panic and more anxious. By slowing your breathing and concentrating on it, you will be able to control your mind better and keep panic attack at bay. Countdown from 100Counting down from 100 is another useful self help tips for panic attacks. The idea is similar to the breathing technique. By counting down, you will be able to focus on something other than those that make you feel fearful and worry. Learn to RelaxClosing your eyes and picturing yourself in a faraway place that is peaceful and relaxing can help calm your mind. Another relaxation technique is to focus on muscle relaxation; close your eyes and focus on your arms, repeatedly tell them to relax. Repeat the process by focusing on your legs and other parts of your body. If you practice these relaxation techniques often enough; they will become your second nature and you will be able to use them more naturally to calm your mind, slow your heart rate and stabilize your blood pressure. These are just some of the self help tips you can practice and use to combat panic attacks.The Internet or online guide such as Panic Attacks Guide is a great place for you to learn and pick up some self help tips to cope with anxiety and panic attacks.
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November 10th, 2009
