How To Breathe Through Your Next Panic Attack
By Mark B
Here is another article on panic attacks self help that you may find useful
If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from panic attacks, you will know that there are a wide variety of symptoms. All of them are distressing and can have a negative impact on how you live your life, maybe even causing you to be constantly worried about when your next panic attack will arrive.
By learning to control how you breathe, you can make a vast difference to your panic attacks and, given time and practice, you may even be able to stop them dead in their tracks.
Initially, it may not be easy to breathe into your panic attack. It is worth practicing these breathing exercises so that they will become a natural reaction for you.
Breathing exercises are a simple yet effective way to deal with your panic attacks.
Learning to breathe from the diaphragm
You need to learn how to breathe from your diaphragm. Once you’ve learned this method, you’ll find that it becomes second nature. Initially it may seem a slightly odd way to breathe. Stick with it and you’ll see some positive results quite fast.
Breathing from the diaphragm is actually the most natural method of breathing. You used it as a baby but, over time, you have learned other, less natural breathing methods. Now is the time to re-learn!
Place one hand on your abdomen (the part of your body that lies between your chest and your thigh) and the other hand on your chest. As you start to breathe, your chest should remain still and barely moving as you breathe in. Instead, your stomach should expand with the air you are breathing in.
Once you’ve taken a deep breath in, slowly start to exhale. Imagine that all the air leaves your body as you breathe out.
The aim of this technique is to slow down your breathing. After a few deep breaths, you should be taking around six breaths a minute. Probably quite a few less than the shallow breaths you are taking at the moment.
Your breathing rhythm should be slow and natural. There’s no need to rush. Your stomach should rise and fall smoothly. Although I suggested imagining that you are breathing all the air out of your body, keep that thought in your imagination. Don’t strain breathing in or out.
If you feel dizzy or light headed when practicing this new breathing method, just stop and relax. Once you are back to normal, start to practice again. Keep up the practice for a few minutes.
Congratulations! Now that you’ve learned this breathing technique, you can simply apply it whenever you feel the symptoms of a panic attack coming along. At the slightest hint of any of the symptoms, start to breathe from your diaphragm. This alone should reduce the risk of hyperventilating when you next suffer from a panic attack.
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The Cause Of Panic Attacks
By Mark B
Here is another article on panic attacks self help that you may find useful
Often panic attacks occur for no apparent reason. Their causes are shrouded in mystery. They can strike unexpectedly, suddenly, spontaneously.
That said, panic attacks tend to occur when your are under stress. They can also crop up when you are about to face a situation that you are afraid of, either consciously or unconsciously. That situation could be real or imagined. For instance, you may have a public speech to give and your mind might be working overtime on the (un)likely reaction of your audience.
Your fears and phobias are often your worst enemy. They can trigger a panic attack when you least suspect it, with no advance warning. The first thing you’ll know is that the panic attack has started. Which isn’t a pleasant situation to be in.
Sometimes panic attacks are associated with hereditary factors. If someone else in your family has suffered from panic attacks then there is a higher chance that you will also suffer from unexpected panic attacks.
At other times, life changing situations can bring on the feeling of panic. Often these situations are associated with distress, such as divorce, loss of your job or even moving house, which is said to be one of our most stressful occurrences.
As well as these situations, there are other things that contribute to panic attacks.
Too much nicotine and/or too much caffeine can both work against you. They are fairly easy to cut down on, although not always as easy to cut out completely. Watch out for withdrawal symptoms, especially with caffeine.
Alcohol is another substance that is worth cutting down if you suffer from panic attacks. If you’re out with friends, try alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. If, for instance, every other drink is a juice or a sparkling water, no-one except you will know that there’s no alcohol in the drink.
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Simple Ways For Stopping Panic Attacks
By Mark B
Here is another article on panic attacks self help that you may find useful
Stopping your panic attacks before they start is the target you should be aiming for. This may take a little bit of practice but the end result will be well worth it. Start to put the suggestions that follow into your daily routine and you will likely reduce the severity of your panic attacks over the coming weeks and months.
Panic attacks don’t just simply appear. Something acts as a trigger to cause the panic attack. Oftentimes there is a long standing cause that is responsible for the majority of your panic attacks. It will pay you to work out what this long standing cause is because once you start to tackle it, you will find you are already on your way to stopping your panic attacks in their tracks.
While you are in the process of looking for this long standing cause of your panic attacks, it will pay you to learn how to relax more.
Becoming a calmer, more relaxed person is one of the best and simplest ways to reduce panic attacks. All you need to do is start to practice a simple relaxation technique daily.
One of the best ways to do this is a breathing exercise. You’re already breathing, so it’s not as though you don’t know the principles involved. But the chances are that you’re not breathing in a way that will help you to relax. Take time out to notice your breathing. Are you taking shallow breaths or is your breathing slow and deep? It’s this second state that you should be aiming for.
Take a long, deep breath. Breath in as much fresh air as you can. Then hold your breath for a second or two. Once you’ve done that, slowly exhale until your lungs are as empty as they can be without causing you any discomfort. Repeat this process several more times. You should notice an almost immediate difference in how relaxed you feel.
Next time you find yourself in a situation where a panic attack would normally be just around the corner, follow the deep breathing technique you’ve just learned. Doing this should reduce the intensity of the panic attack. And once you’ve done that once, you can do it again!
Another thing you should do to decrease your panic attacks is to get hold of some success stories. Read how other people have stopped their panic attacks. Work out what they did. Try out their techniques for reducing panic attacks and see which works best for you. Draw on other people’s experiences – you’ll find it quite liberating that other people have been able to overcome their panic attacks and prevent them from re-occurring.
Think back to the times when you have recovered from a panic attack. Realize that you eventually come through your panic attacks. That they are temporary occurrences and that you already know how to end them (otherwise you’d still be experiencing your last panic attack). Then start to use this knowledge to reduce the length of time that your panic attacks last for. Whatever you did last time to end your attack, you can start to do earlier next time you start to panic.
Medical professionals, friends and family are all available to you. Make sure that you enlist the help of those around you, those who care about you deeply. Chances are they would like to see your suffering reduced. Ask them for help. Maybe even act out a scenario where you would normally experience a panic attack. Since you know it’s play acting, you should be able to play along as well. Then explore ways that you could react differently the next time a panic attack happens.
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Self-Help On Anxiety – How To Take Control Of It
By Mark B
Here is another article on panic attacks self help that you may find useful
An anxiety or panic attack can be one of the most debilitating things to happen to someone as at that moment, nothing seems what it actually is and there is only an overwhelming fear of some imagined impending danger. This attack is more serious than it sounds as it totally overpowers the reasoning powers of the person and physically too, the chest feels constricted and the breath comes in short gasps. It is quite normal for someone to experience an anxiety attack once in a blue moon but if it starts happening on a regular basis it is time to pay attention. People suffering from anxiety attacks get so apprehensive of getting one in public that they may stop leaving home entirely. This can have vast adverse repercussions on the psyche of the person ultimately. Remember, that no one can get within you and help you get rid of the anxiety attack. At the best, you can be advised, cajoled, coaxed, etc. and etc., but in the end it is you only who can take charge of your feelings. You have to do it yourself or take the help of medications. Self-help on anxiety is a fine way to start out when the desire to help yourself is strong and something be done about the problem. One of the main techniques of self-help on anxiety is learning how to relax. Try not to be tense or stressed out all the time. Practicing taking deep breaths during periods of stress will help you calm down and see things in the proper perspective. Regular practice will soon make deep breathing a habit and will come in useful during an actual attack. Any form of regular physical exercise is excellent for tackling this problem as exercise releases the feel-good hormones called endorphins which put us in a relaxed mood. Physical exercise helps to release pent-up energy and nervousness which is responsible for anxiety attacks to a large extent. Yoga and meditation are excellent forms of self-help for calming oneself down. Identifying what sets off your panic attack will help you control them better. It is only when you know in what situations or by what people these attacks are set off will you get a better grip on them. Many people feel claustrophobic in large, crowded areas and hemmed within large crowds gives rise to a panic attack in them. Staying away from places which act as a trigger for such attacks can be beneficial. Movie halls, amusement parks, shopping malls are all public places which can get uncomfortably crowded during peak hours and one of the best way to avoid the crowd is to go there very early or later in the evening when the crowd is sure to have thinned out. This way you will have your panic under control yet not deprive yourself of any enjoyment. If there is a particular time of the day when you feel most likely to panic, avoid being alone during such times. Have a friend or family member with you till the time you learn how to control these feelings. Occupying yourself in a favorite hobby or helping someone else will keep you distracted and take your mind off that particular time. Very soon, unobtrusively this will become a habit and your panic attacks will hopefully disappear or at least lessen. Breaking up the things which you have to do into small, manageable goals will lessen the enormity of doing everything together and consequently, reduce the anxiety factor. Learning what triggers off your anxiety attacks is half the battle won as you can then start taking steps to tackle that problem.
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November 19th, 2009
