If you are one of the millions of people globally who suffer from panic attacks, also called anxiety attacks it is serious illness. Panic attacks can debilitate you, keep you from doing things you want to do, affect your self-esteem and relationships, and generally make your life miserable. Fortunately, controlling them and even overcoming them is possible if you understand how and why they happen and follow come basic rules to control them. As always, check with your doctor to make sure that you have no physiological reason for your panic attacks and that you do not require medication to control them. In some serious instances, medication may be well advised so always follow the lead of your medical professional.

Overcome Panic Attacks effectively!

Our ancestors were hunters and gatherers. They needed to have a well-developed flight or fight response for their own protection. In the days of “mega fauna”, there were lots of huge creatures walking around like wooly mammoths and over sized bison that could take out a village if they took a notion to. With no emergency response units to call like the police or fire department, our ancestors had to develop a finely tuned internal warning system that was triggered by a perceived threat.

In some of us, that warning system is still on high alert even though we no longer need it as we once did. Oh sure, there are still things to be afraid of and even run from, but we do not encounter them with the frequency our ancestors did. If your internal warning system doesn’t know that yet, now is the time to adjust it. When you feel that familiar rising panic deep in your tummy, remind yourself that you are reacting to a perfectly normal situation. Take a deep breath, and start mentally making downward adjustments to your panic gauge.

Try to remember that you are not facing a mega beast with only a spear. It may sound crazy but that is exactly what your body thinks is happening. Lamaze breathing techniques, taught to expectant moms to control labor can do wonders for panic attacks. Because deep breathing can control your tendency to hyperventilate which occurs when you expel carbon dioxide too quickly? This is a common occurrence during a panic attack. Deep breathing, conversely, turns on our relaxation response instead of our flight or fight response. The parasympathetic nervous system controls this critical reaction and tells your mind to calm down and relax; there is no imminent threat from which to recoil.

Overcome Panic Attacks effectively!

It is also known that certain aromas induce relaxation and calm. One of the most effective is lavender. You can purchase lavender oil or inhalers at most health food stores to carry with you at all times. Both Bach Remedies and Soul Elixirs have specially formulated deep relaxation oils that are easy to use and carry with you. Bach’s Rescue Remedy is one of the best known and most effective very natural blends for just this purpose. You can also make your own by combining such essential oils as lavender and chamomile for inhaling or by using natural flower essences taken orally.

Take care to avoid stimulates such as caffeine and tobacco, smells like peppermint, eucalyptus, or situations that you know ahead of time will cause stress for you. Most of all, take mental authority over a panic situation by remembering to breathe deeply and slowly, acknowledge to yourself that you are not in any danger and realizing that it is you who is in final control, and not your ancestral reflexes.

Overcome Panic Attacks effectively!

Panic Attack?

Heart failure? You’re sweating, gasping for breath, suffocating. Your heart’s pounding. You feel dizzy and sick, and your hands and feet tingle. Are you’re dying? Maybe you’re going insane. The fear intensifies, swells into unbearable paralyzing terror…

Do you recognize those symptoms? Have you experienced panic attacks? Do you know why? More importantly, do you know what, if anything, you can do to prevent the attacks in future? Maybe it’s not you having the attacks, but someone close to you: a friend, a daughter or son, a spouse, a parent. It can feel just as bad, watching someone you care for suffer, as having the attacks yourself. So let’s see what we can do to help each other.

Say Goodbye to Panic Attacks!

Causes

Sometimes there isn’t any apparent cause. It’s possible to wake up from a peaceful sleep to find out you’re having your first, and perhaps only attack. But more often than not, there is an underlying and reoccurring reason; the attacks are repeated, and in turn give further cause for anxiety, until the fear of having a panic attack makes the attack more likely.

The defense system within the brain will seek to identify the triggers of the panic attacks, and to then avoid such situations. But it can make mistakes, and can generalize or go too far, leading to phobias, such as agoraphobia, i.e. because you had an attack while you were outside, the outside must be to blame, so your defense mechanism keeps you locked inside your home.

A more rational examination will show that it tends to be intense stress or emotional upheaval that triggers attacks. The first instance may be brought on by life-changing events such as a death or birth in the family, and subsequent stresses then cause further episodes. Some people are more vulnerable than others, maybe due to genetic make up or life experience. Whatever the reasons, the one thing that won’t help is being told to ‘pull yourself together’.

Know what you’re dealing with

The first and most important reaction to the onset of panic attacks is to ensure they are just that. The symptoms often feel like a heart attack, so make sure it isn’t a physical, life-threatening disorder.

Once you are sure of what the attacks are, try to keep them in proportion. While extremely unpleasant, an attack will tend to reach it’s worst within ten minutes and have faded away entirely within an hour. Bear that in mind – it will soon pass.

Panic attacks are treatable and curable, even if the underlying causes are unavoidable. You can’t eliminate all stress and emotional upset from your life, but you can, with help, retrain yourself to react to them without panic.

Measure to take

Don’t deliberately seek out situations that are certain to cause panic, at least until you have a better control of your reactions. Stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine can make you more vulnerable to attacks, so avoid those too.

When you do feel an attack coming on, reassure yourself that it will soon pass. If you are in public, don’t be embarrassed. Most sensible people, if they notice at all, will understand that you are experiencing difficulty and will respond with sympathy.

Learn how to control your breathing to prevent hyperventilating (that feeling of gasping for air). Taking long deep breaths in and out will calm the entire situation down. This is the best single thing you can do for yourself or for anyone suffering from hyperventilation. You may have even seen people told to breath into a paper bag, which will help providing it is only about ten breaths inside the bag in between taking several outside.

Where possible, talk about your anxieties with friends and family. It does help to share your fears and to have the support of people who care about you. Most importantly, seek help from the experts. Remember, panic attacks are treatable and curable.

Expert help

If you have to wait for a suitable therapy, such as the process outlined below, your doctor may prescribe medications to tide you over in the short term. Antidepressants may subdue attacks but only after you have taken them for a number of weeks, whereas Benzodiazepines are useful for relieving an attack once it is under way. Neither is suitable as a long-term solution.

Recent studies have shown that the best possible treatment for panic attacks is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Just a few sessions with a therapist can give you a clearer perspective on your anxiety and help you build strong coping mechanisms. The therapist will, in a safe and relaxed environment, show you how to deal with your symptoms as well as understanding the triggers and consequences. Facing up to your fears in this way will reduce them to a much more manageable level and put you firmly back in control.

Say Goodbye to Panic Attacks!