Panic Attacks Are Treatable
Are you trapped in the fear of not knowing when an anxiety attack may come? Do you avoid certain places or activites because you think they might bring on an attack? Do you want to learn how to stop panic attacks? There is a way to break the cycle of the fear of panic attack.
The worst part about panic attacks is that they can come from out of the blue. You can be putting on clothes, eating a meal, driving or even sleeping when a panic attack comes on. It’s hard to imagine the terror of waking up from a deep sleep into a panic attack. A panic attack may start with a feeling of impending doom and dread. Then you have full blow terror, a fast heartbeat, nausea, and sometimes an out of body experience.
Normal panic attacks last about 10 to 20 minutes, but some can last as long as a few hours. Even though the panic attack is relatively short, it takes a while for your body to get back to normal. Many first timers think they are having a heart attack and go to the emergency room. After being seen, they find out that the problem was only in their mind. While you’re in the midst of a panic attack, it seems unbelievable that you cannot die from a panic attack.
A panic attack is your body’s reaction to a perceived threat. The body goes into ‘flee or fight’ mode. This is a natural response when threatened. Because no one truly understands what causes panic attacks, you can’t predict when another will happen. The only problem is that the threat is imaginary. Your body gets ready for a fight by releasing adrenaline. That’s why your heart starts beating fast. Many people notice a tingling in their arms and fingers. This is because blood is moving away from the lesser needed extremities and going to places like the legs and brain.
Since you can’t predict when a panic attack will occur, everything you do starts to revolve around trying not to have another attack. You may stop going places for fear of having an attack. This can lead to other phobias that make it even harder to go about your daily activities. Your safe zone is the place where you feel comfortable, where you feel like you’re safe from a panic attack. If you don’t get help for your problem, your safe zone may get smaller and smaller. Agoraphobia is the fear of going outside. Many people with severe anxiety disorder develop agoraphobia as their safe zone eventually shrinks to the interior of their house.
Stopping your panic attacks may be as simple as lowering the stress in your life. Even if you’re happy with your life, it can still be stressful. Are you going through a major change in life right now? If you’re having trouble dealing get some counseling to help you out.
Regular exercise can substitute for counseling to reduce stress. There are many relaxation techniques you can use. This is the holistic way of eliminating your panic attacks. The best relaxation technique is deep breathing. When you feel an attack coming on, start taking deep breaths in through your nose and out of your mouth. Reassure yourself that you are not going to die, that it will soon be over. Try some relaxation techniques that will take your mind off the increasing fear. Start from the top of your body and go down slowly, trying to relax each limb. Before you get to your feet, your panic attack will be over. You can find many other ways to treat a panic attack.
Panic attacks are treatable. You can learn how to stop panic attacks. Stopping panic attacks means stopping the fear that another will come.