For those of you with panic attacks, life can be a bit of a nightmare sometimes, always wondering when the next one will strike. It's often hard to just relax and just have fun. In this short guide I will try and provide you some helpful tips and tricks to help you with dealing with panic attacks. Now some of these tricks will work for you and others of course won't--it's never 100% of course. But at the very least if you read through this short guide you should have at least one or two weapons to combat your next panic attack. 1. So everyone knows that a big part of is going to be calming yourself down in some fashion. One good option is to cup you hands over you face, try and cover your mouth and nose. Then begin to try and breathe slowly. Everyone always says breathe into a paper bag and while this works for sure, it's quite embarrassing. This method will help with dealing with panic attacks and allow you a little dignity at the same time. 2. Talk to someone, preferably a friend or family member, call them up on the phone or talk with instant messenger, it's always easier to calm down when you are talking to someone you consider close and trust. This should help you quite a bit, you might also hug your significant other, or even just a friend the physical touch can help calm you down rapidly. 3. Distract yourself watch TV, or a movie, or anything that you generally watch when you are relaxing before you go to sleep at night. Since it is familiar it can sometimes help calm you down. 4. Try not to drink anything that will make you more anxious--anything with caffeine, such as coffee, or energy drinks. This will generally only make you feel worse and should be avoided. 5. Get some fresh air, when I am feeling overwhelmed I often feel much better when I get a little fresh air, not only does the colder wind help me feel better, but it makes breathe feeling cleaner and easier for a lot of people as well. Well you have it you are now armed with a few quick solutions to help you when dealing with panic attacks. If you found this information useful, or would like to find out more about dealing with panic attacks. Please visit my blog at: Help For Panic Attacks (http://help-for-panic-attacks.blogspot.com/)
Archive for the ‘Panic Attacks’ Category
The Key to Curing Panic Attacks
September 6th, 2010 
admin Copyright (c) 2008 Steven Magill
You would be surprised at how many people visit the emergency room because of a heart attack when the reality is they are only experiencing a panic attack. That will give you an idea of how intense the symptoms of a panic attack can be.
First let's look at the different physical symptoms that indicate you might be having a panic attack.
Shortness of breath
Trembling or shaking
Sweating
Tightness of the chest
Inability to focus or sit still
Chills or hot flashes
Not only do people experience physical symptoms with panic attacks, but there are psychological symptoms as well. Here is a list of the most common psychological symptoms people experience when having a panic attack or experience while expecting a panic attack to happen:
Fear of losing control
Fear of dying
Agoraphobia or fear of public places
Feelings of unreality
Depression
Potential tendency to turn to substance abuse
For people dealing with recurring panic attacks it can be difficult for family members or loved ones to fully understand what you are going through if they have never experienced a panic attack before.
Sometimes you may feel like you are forced to face the panic attacks alone because your closest friends and family may think you are simply trying to get attention or may quickly lose patience with you because they don't see it as a big problem.
It's important to understand that you are not alone in your dealings with panic attacks or anxiety disorder. Many people commonly experience these types of symptoms throughout their lives. Some more than others, but you are not as alone as you may think you are when dealing with these type of problems.
Rest assured panic attacks are not as life threatening as some people think them to be. The cure for panic attacks lies in how you handle the panic attack symptoms. Controlling your thoughts is the key to controlling the power the symptoms have over your mind and body.
If you are unsure whether or not the symptoms are from a panic attack it is a good idea to visit your doctor to get checked out. Even if you are absolutely sure you are experiencing a panic attack it doesn't hurt to have a doctor investigate the symptoms you are experiencing.
Most importantly remember that panic attacks can be treated without the use of medication, and most people just need someone to help guide them in the right direction.
Panic Attacks – the 6 essential rules to aid success
September 2nd, 2010 admin In my life as a hypnotherapist I am often telephoned by various individuals and asked if I can help them deal with panic attacks, I usually smile and say "if I didn't, I probably wouldn't have a practice".Helping people with the issue of heightened anxiety, usually referred to as a panic attack was, and is, by far the most common problem I am asked to solve, and neither is it a preserve of the female side of the population, the condition affects either sex, although in fairness I treat more women with the condition than men.It didn't take long to realise that virtually everyone I first met with this issue were all inadvertently exacerbating the situation and were therefore, without realising it, making my job of eradication or reduction much more difficult.I devised a set of rules which the recipient had to agree were an important and integral part of the treatment to deal with panic attacks and they had to promise to adhere to them. I explained that the main part of the treatment would be enhanced and rendered more likely to work if these rules were applied and followed. There were six in total and these are as relevant now as they ever were. The rules are:1.Stop visiting therapists, friends or G.Ps and discussing the situation. With all three, all that occurs when you seek help via tranquillisers or to 'off load' onto your friends, is you reinforce the belief that you have a problem, you pigeon hole yourself as suffering from 'panic attacks', it acts as a constant reminder, certainly consciously but more importantly sub-consciously that you have a problem, and trust me, if you think you have a problem, you do. Accept responsibility that you and you alone will solve this issue, stop talking about it to friends or colleagues and take action to put an end to the misery.2. Stop researching, by that I mean stop visiting Google, or reading books on how to deal with panic attacks, yes I know it is human nature to be curious, but for the reasons given in '1' above it will prove counter-productive because all it succeeds in doing is reinforcing the belief to your subconscious that you have a problem - why else are you reading or researching?3. If you are already on tranquillisers talk to your G.P about coming off them, obviously going 'cold turkey' is not being suggested here, your G.P knows your history, I don't. Stick to their advice, I'm only suggesting that you take action, because subconsciously it's important to know in your own mind that you have had enough, enough of suffering, or of talking about the subject, the time now is to take action, to make a positive decision to at least discuss reducing the medication, but strictly on your G.Ps advice.4. Diversion. Most people if they feel anxious quite understandably focus instantly on how they 'feel', and the more they focus on their breathing, heart rate or overall fear, the worse they become - changing ones 'focus', diverting your thoughts, even momentarily can have a dramatic and positive effect on how quickly those feelings dissipate.5. Let go of the past, what I mean by that, is that human beings tend to live in two states; past or present; sufferers of panic attacks tend to talk and think about there' last' attack, or perhaps their 'worst' on a regular basis. To a hypnotherapist that is in the past - the past by definition is in the past - it's gone - no longer there or relevant,so rule number '5' is to acknowledge that talking about what used to be, or what has occured in the past does not help the situation, all that matters is NOW and how you feel at this exact moment in time.6. Use only one method, you don't need several, or a mixture of different techniques, ultimately it is you that will solve this problem, what is required is one method that suits you, and more importantly, a method that you are prepared to give 100% commitment to. Stick to these foundation stones and the rest of the 'building' work will be much, much stronger.
Hot Flashes And Panic Attacks
August 29th, 2010 admin In our body a gland named hypothalamus acts as a channel between the thalamus and the pituitary gland. It acts as a regulator and controls the temperature of our bodies. It regulates the body temperature with the help of a hormone named estrogen in case of women. Before menopause this particular hormone in women decreases and this problematizes the normal working of the hypothalamus which results in a rise in body temperature and hot flashes in women. Hot flashes can be compared to panic attacks though there are certain differences. Hot flashes and panic attacks can be characterized by symptoms such as rapid breathing, excessive sweating, increased heart rate, nausea, headaches etc. There are different factors which trigger panic attacks such as pressure at work, emotional stress, lack of sleep, unhealthy life style, depression, thyroid imbalances, chemical imbalances etc. Hot flashes can trigger off a panic attack if there is an over reaction to the symptoms. Once it is realized what are causing the panic attacks, it will be easier to cure panic attacks. When a panic attack occurs one should not try to suppress the process but go through the entire process. This way one can learn how to tackle it when it happens next time. As one of the most common triggers of panic attacks are phobias, people tend to try and avoid the situation but when they can not avoid it this can cause the panic attack to be even stronger . The same thing happens in case of stress, depression etc. the best way to deal with it is to try relaxation. Avoiding focus on the cause of the problem and shifting ones focus on something else can help. To cure panic attacks the best way is to lead a healthy lifestyle and maintain a proper well balanced diet. The key is to avoid inorganic foods and include lots of organic fresh green vegetables and fruits in ones diet. Fried and oily foods and products rich in caffeine should be excluded from diet. Cigarettes and alcohol should be strictly avoided. To treat bouts of panic attacks one should follow strict regimen of workouts and exercises. Meditation and yoga are great ways to deal with panic attacks. Generally medications are avoided in the case of panic attacks as medicines only relieve the pain for the time being and the person tends to get depended on the medicines. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a therapy which teaches one how to treat panic attacks and deal with its symptoms. The best way to cure panic attacks completely is to be in control of yourself and not to let the tension of having another panic attack take over you.
3 Reasons To Avoid Prescription Medications For Panic Attacks
August 29th, 2010 admin Panic attack medications are not all that they are cracked up to be. If you are looking to cure yourself of panic and anxiety you are a lot better off opting for a natural cure. Many times a doctor will try to prescribe you panic attack medications then just send you on your way. There are numerous reasons that you should try to avoid them.
Here are 3 good reasons to avoid panic attack medications:
1) The medications are addictive. If you ever decide to stop taking the medications you will need the help of a doctor. These powerful medications are not something that you can decide to stop taking alone. You have to wean yourself off slowly under the close watch of a physician. Is this something you want to ingest into your body daily? A drug so physically addictive that you can actually die from complications when you stop taking it.
2) If you don't stop taking the medications you are going to need to keep increasing the dose. Most people's bodies start to adjust to the medications that they take. When this happens you have to take more of the drug to help you stop feeling anxious. Before you know it you're taking higher and higher doses of extremely addictive drugs. This increase in dose makes it even harder to stop taking them; your addiction just gets worse!
3) Panic attack medications don't actually fight your real problems. The medications do a good job in drugging you but they really are not effective in treating your real problems... your actual fear and anxiety. As soon as you stop taking the medications you are going to be right back where you started. The only real way to fight panic is to change the way you react to stress and anxiety. Taking panic attack medications only masks your problem and your symptoms.
A doctor will likely tell you that panic attack medications are a miracle 'cure' for you. And they do sound good at first... just take a pill and all of your troubles go away. It's extremely tempting to try to go down this road afterall you do not need to do much ... but make sure you research the anxiety medications you are considering. The probably are not as good as they are made out to be.
The best way to treat panic and anxiety is to really get to the root of your problem and modify your behaviors so you react to anxiety in a productive way. There are tons of exercises you can do that help you get your panic attacks under control. These are all natural safe and more effective than taking panic attack medications.
Posted in Panic Attacks 
Tags: Anxiety, Attack, Attacks, Avoid, Dealing, Medications, Panic, Prescription, Reasons, Tips 
No Comments »How to Cure Panic Attacks
August 25th, 2010 admin Panic attacks are there to be combated and overcome. If you are suffering from such medical and mental conditions, it would be helpful and appropriate if you would lean the correct and effective means of dealing with panic attack. You have to learn several techniques and instill in yourself several realizations so that you could finally overcome and emerge from the disorder.
Dealing with panic attack requires understanding what panic attack actually is. To begin with, a panic attack should be defined. The case is an onset of abrupt episode of fear that is so intense, your heart beat is racing, you have shortness of breath and you are experiencing paranoia. A panic attack usually happens for no reason at all. You can just become fearful without actually fearing anything. If you are frightening yourself during panic attacks, also remember that people around you might also be in states of panic. That is why you should further be careful and controllable.
While in the past, panic attacks were classified as stress or nervousness situations, these days, the disorder is considered a medical condition. In that way, there is a need for medical and expert intermission and assistance. Panic attacks affect overall quality of life because they come unexpectedly, at times causing major embarrassment.
Handling panic attack
Dealing with panic attack is very easy, contrary to common beliefs and perceptions. First of all, realization and understanding of panic attacks is really needed. Once you further understand the condition, you would realize that you would feel less fearful when an onset of an attack comes in. when that happens, you become less afraid and paranoia can be effectively curtailed, if not totally prevented.
Taking the right and prescribed medications and therapies is also one effective way in dealing with panic attack. You could abruptly stop panic attack by taking in prescribed medicines, usually depressants, like serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazpines and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Such depressants help lower the rapid heart beat that is greatly contributing to further onset and possible setbacks of panic attacks.
Relaxation and self assurance
Overall relaxation is essential especially if there is faintness, shortness of breath and muscle tensions caused by the major and usual onsets of panic attack. Dealing with panic attack requires acquisition and development of relaxation techniques and strategies within yourself. While this may sound easy, take note that however easy you look at it, during onsets of panic attack, it may seem hard to relax. This is when your will power would be tested. If you strive and successfully emerges to relax, you are dealing with panic attack effectively and more appropriately.
Panic attacks may last a few minutes to as long as several hours. To ensure yourself, it would help if you would seek medical and expert help. Doing so is not just ensuring safety but is also psychologically giving assurance that everything will be alright. Often, panic attack patients mistake their attacks for something else, probably a heart attack. This suspicion might further affect and worsen the condition. If an expert or doctor would give assurance that the condition is only panic attack, the patient may be more assured that everything is controllable. This equates to a better strategy dealing with panic attack.
On the other hand, if you are seeking prevention of panic attack, there is no way the onset of the condition can be avoided. However, dealing with panic attack better and more effectively would help combat the condition and avoid any possible setbacks and disastrous possible effects. Regularly consult your doctor or appropriate experts for treatment and therapies. Dealing with panic attack can surely be easy if you know how.
Diagnosed with Panic Attacks
August 21st, 2010 admin Once you've finally visited your health care provider and you have been diagnosed with panic attacks stemming from a panic disorder, you will be provided with a suggested course of treatment. In order to make sure the treatment has the best chance of succeeding, here are some tips to keep in mind.
Participate in your treatment, do not sit back and wait for relief to come by itself! You must remain very active and aware of your mind and body's reactions to your treatment. Be ready and willing to ask any and every question and to address every concern you have with your health care provider. Open lines of communication will go a long ways towards increase your treatment's chance of success. Be patient while many patients respond within weeks or sometimes even days to treatments for panic attacks, no one responds the same. Furthermore, no known treatments for panic work instantly. Be prepared to spend at least a full two months following your initial course of treatment before you start judging its effectiveness.
If you still haven't experienced the improvement you were seeking, you can always work with your provider to adjust your treatment plan then. Be Alert To Side Effects If part of your treatment involves medication, you will likely start with a small dosage and work your way up to the level your doctor is recommending. Of course, be sure you know exactly what your dosage is and how often you are to take it. Make certain your doctor explains to you any side effects you might expect. Usually they diminish with time as your tolerance increases, but make sure to let your doctor know if you are uncomfortable. Your doctor may begin lowering your dosage, have you stop taking the medication or suggest trying an alternative. Join A Panic Disorder Support Group These can be a great source of support, relief and information for those who suffer from panic attacks. Usually a group of a dozen or fewer patients will gather weekly to talk about their experiences, their treatments and coping tips. If you are diagnosed with Panic Attacts just keep these tips in mind and putting them to use during your treatment may help make you feel much better and increase your chances of treatment being effective.
How to Deal With Panic Attacks While Driving? 3 Tips to Help You Overcome Your Panic Attacks
August 17th, 2010 admin If you happen to be one of the millions of people who knows how to drive but can't because of panic attacks, there are things you can do to overcome this problem. After all, driving is fun and could be a form of relaxation, if there is no traffic. Driving is also dangerous, there is no room for mistake or you'll end up in a hospital or morgue.
First and foremost at what time do you actually feel the anxiety building up? If the panic attacks only when you are driving, then what you actually have is driving anxiety disorder. It's a classic case of disorder wherein, it can hit you anytime without any sort of warning. A good example is when you are already driving but suddenly became fearful of traffic jammed, driving in tunnels and bridges. All thoughts came to your head that you can no longer continue your driving.
To overcome your anxiety, it is imperative that you recognize first where your fear actually came from. The best way to handle your fear is to schedule an appointment with a therapist. They can help you identify where your fear is coming from. Don't mind the cost of therapy, which is nothing compared to what you are missing out. Plus, not to mention the risk of driving when you have anxiety disorder. It may be expensive, but your life and the life of other drivers are more precious and cannot be paid.
Fortunately, there other ways and means to overcome anxiety disorder as well, without the need of paying expensive therapist. But you have to understand that if you are driving for yourself; know that driving is well thought-out as an essential to life. Your life is not the only one that you should consider, if and when you had an accident the person's life is in your hand. So if you are ready to finally overcome your anxiety disorder, here are my 3 tips that would hopefully let you drive with peace of mind.
1. Focus on your goal, emphasize that you need to drive because you have to work, pick your children from school, buy groceries and so on and so forth. Focus on those things and not on your driving skills to help ward off your panic attacks. It is vital that you condition the body and senses.
2. When driving makes sure that you stay calm and take occasional deep breath. In addition, don't worry too much, those scary thoughts exist only in your mind and they cannot hurt you, unless you allow them too.
3. Don't fight the feeling of anxiety it can only make you more agitated. Let the panic attacks flow, so it can pass away quickly. Confront the fear head on by driving, and then you will suddenly realize that your fear is basically for nothing at all.
When you finally get the hang of driving, you may still occasionally experience panic attacks, nevertheless it won't matter anymore if you know that those fears is just a product of your wild imaginations. Stay focus on you're driving, the fear will just go away by itself.
Posted in Panic Attacks Tags: Attacks, Deal, Driving, Help, Overcome, Panic, Panic Attacks, Tips No Comments »How To Deal With Panic Attack Symptoms
August 16th, 2010 admin Imagine you are going about your daily activities when all of a sudden you are literally seized by a white hot fear that stops you dead in your tracks. Your heart begins to race a mile a minute; your respiration increases until you can only manage quick, shallow breaths - feeling as though you are not getting enough oxygen; your arms, hands and legs begin to tremble and possibly go numb; you begin to sweat; chills overtake your body and you feel wave after wave of nausea - you feel as though you may actually die and it is frightening. In many cases, you are likely experiencing panic attack symptoms that have been triggered by some kind of fear, anxiety, or anticipation of an impending event in your life. In any case, these symptoms are very real, they are very scary and they can be very painful.Afflicting millions upon millions of people all across the country, panic attacks are among the most common reasons people go to the emergency room; they are also the leading reason people begin to make excuses for avoiding things in their lives that they once enjoyed. People who suffer from the debilitating effects of panic attack symptoms will also begin to develop more fears than their friends who don't and will often feel as though they are alone with no one to turn to for help. It is easy for a person who doesn't have panic attacks to just say "calm down", but those people do not understand the terror of feeling like everything is spinning out of control, nor do they feel the horrible physical symptoms that often accompany panic attacks. So in many cases, that alone feeling is quite justified, which often leads to additional fears and avoidance of situations where the sufferer thinks another panic attack might be likely to occur. Unfortunately, these additional fears are born of the fatigue a person with panic or anxiety attack disorder feels in just trying to get through their day to day life.Thankfully, there is help for those who are in this situation. There are solutions to help you regain your life, take control of the situations you may find yourself in and gain authority over the anxiety and panic triggers that send giant waves of panic attack symptoms like those mentioned above washing over your body. For so long, though, the fix for panic attacks were drugs - synthetic chemicals that posed a health risk of their own, whose side effects were sometimes not much better than the panic attack itself. Fortunately, as research in to panic attacks and their causes has grown over the years, much as been discovered about drug free treatments, cognitive behavior modification and the retraining of yourself to identify the things in your life that would set you off, and, more importantly, how to deal with them. So if you are among the millions who are constantly battling just to make it through the day, and you want to find a positive alternative to conquering your panic without pumping your body full of chemicals, there is hope for you. You can have faith that your days of avoiding the things that once made you happy can be yours again.
Controlling Panic Attacks – 4 Tips For Learning How To Deal With Panic Attacks
August 13th, 2010 admin Controlling panic attacks is possible provided that the right courses of actions are taken to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks. Here are some tips you can use to help reduce panic and anxiety attacks.
Anxious thinking
People who have successfully learned to eliminate panic and anxiety in their lives have invariably learned to change the way that they think. Whether intentional or unintentional, these people have learned to think in a more positive way rather than thinking in a negative way, which can facilitate anxious thoughts that can provoke panic and anxiety attacks. Thinking in a more positive and constructive way can help alleviate symptoms of panic and anxiety attacks by giving you greater control over situations that may have previously created feelings of anxiety or panic.
Controlled Exposure
At some point, people who have started controlling anxiety have had to address the scenarios in which their symptoms of panic and anxiety are greatest. It is helpful for some people to keep a panic diary to record the nature of their panic attacks in order to find out what the potential triggers or their anxiety may be. The next step is learn how to handle panic attacks in high-risk situations by creating a plan of action to systematically tackle each trigger one by one until you are confident you can control any feelings of anxiety.
Diet
The food that you eat can have an important impact on the level of anxiety that you may experience and therefore is it critical to understand the effect that food can have on your mood. A balanced diet is important in order to stabilize your mood and create a strong relationship between what you eat and how you feel. There are certain foods that should be avoided in your diet whilst other foods are effective at stabilizing your mood throughout the day.
Exercise
Exercise is often overlooked when trying to find natural ways to control anxiety and panic attacks. Apart from the obvious health and relaxation benefits from regular exercise, it also gives you an idea of what it is like to put your body into an exerted state of stress similar to when having a panic attack. This way you can become more accustomed to this state of exertion and learn to cope better by knowing that your body can handle the heightened level of exertion. This is an important consideration for your mind to make and will allow you to gain confidence in better understanding how your body deals with stress.
These tips for controlling panic attacks require some lifestyle changes. However, implementing them will greatly help with panic attacks and may go a long way towards reducing feelings of anxiety or panic that can have a negative impact in your life.
Posted in Panic Attacks Tags: Attacks, Controlling, Deal, Learning, Panic, Panic Attacks, Tips No Comments »
