If you have panic attacks, it may help to comfort you that you are not alone! You're not even one in a million. In America, it is estimated that almost 5% of the population suffer from some form of anxiety disorder. For some, it may be the infrequent panic attacks that only crop up in particular situations-like when having to speak in front of others, while, for other people, it can be so frequent and recurring that it inhibits them from leaving their home. Frequent panic attacks often develop into what medical physicians refer to as an "anxiety disorder."There are many ways of coping with an anxiety disorder. Some may not work for you, but others just might. It helps to know some of the most common coping techniques for dealing with panic attacks when they begin.Your first step is to recognize when a panic attack is about to begin. When you have enough of them, you start to really pay attention to the tingling sensation, the shortness of breath, and the disconnection from the real life around you.Many people I talk to wonder what that disconnection is like. They have a hard time understanding it. Those of us who have panic attacks are all too familiar with it. It's like you can look at a solid object and see that it is there. You know it's there, but a part of your mind doubts that it really IS there.You may find yourself reaching out to touch that object just to be sure. You feel like you're not a part of the world around you. It's as if you are just a spectator in your own life with no control over anything around you.Believe me, this is a horrible feeling.So how do you start trying to combat your panic attacks? What if I told you the trick to ending panic and anxiety attacks is to WANT to have one. That sounds strange, even contradictory, doesn't it? But the want really does help push it away. Does this mean that you should be able to bring on a panic attack at this very moment? Absolutely not! What it means is that when you are afraid of something - in this case a panic attack - it will more than likely appear and wreak havoc. When you stand up to the attack, your chances of fending it off are much greater. If you resist a situation out of fear, the fear around that issue will persist. How do you stop resisting-you move directly into it, into the path of the anxiety, and by doing so it cannot persist.In essence what this means is that if you daily voluntarily seek to have a panic attack, you cannot have one. Try in this very moment to have a panic attack and I will guarantee you cannot. You may not realize it but you have always decided to panic. You make the choice by saying this is beyond my control whether it be consciously or sub-consciously.Another way to appreciate this is to imagine having a panic attack as like standing on a cliff's edge. The anxiety seemingly pushes you closer to falling over the edge. To be rid of the fear you must metaphorically jump. You must jump off the cliff edge and into the anxiety and fear and all the things that you fear most.How do you jump? You jump by wanting to have a panic attack. You go about your day asking for anxiety and panic attacks to appear.
Posts Tagged ‘Yourself’
Dealing With Panic Attack Yourself
March 29th, 2010 
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Helping Yourself Deal With Depression
March 5th, 2010 admin Millions of people deal with depression every year. There are some things you can do to help yourself manage your depression in order to be able to function normally in your life. One of the first things you can do is to realize you are not alone. One of the main symptoms of depression is the feeling that you are drowning in your problems and that no one understands or can help. It's so overwhelming that you feel is no stopping at. Knowing that others can help and will understand what can be the first step to helping yourself conquer depression.
Talking to friends, or your family can alleviate the stress and help you to realize that the problems you are facing are not as insurmountable as they feel. They can also help you feel loved when you feel most insignificant. Talking out your problems to others even if you know they can't help your particular situation often helps you to deal with it yourself.
If you absolutely can't find someone else to talk to, they can sometimes help to verbalize your problems there by talking it out with yourself. Sometimes our fears and our worries get so bottled up that they built up in our minds to much larger problems than they really are. Talking them out even to yourself can bring things into perspective.
If you feel uncomfortable talking to yourself about your problems write them down to the journal. Sometimes it helps to write out your feelings. You might be surprised at how much you begin to write once you start letting your emotions flow out.
Above all realize that it is okay to express your feelings. It's okay to cry if you have to, it's okay to feel happy, it's okay to feel sad; all of these emotions are normal at expressions of your inner feelings and fears.
Another way to help deal with depression is to look at a situation with realistic goals. Sometimes we play so much stress on ourselves feeling we have to accomplish huge and lofty goals that are above and beyond just about every mortal. Setting realistic goals can greatly reduce the stress in your life.
If you have a large cast to accomplish a can create a lot of stress and tension and bring on depression if it isn't going the way you think it should. Try breaking up your testing the smaller more manageable ones accomplishing each to get to your larger goal.
Exercise more. Exercising releases hormones into your body that helps to deal with stress and tension and alleviates depression. Getting rid of all the junk food and caffeine can also go a long way to making yourself feel good both physically and mentally.
Alcohol and nicotine are major depressives that add to feelings of inadequacy and depression. You can work out in your own home, join a gym, take a yoga class or anything that makes you feel good. And don't forget the importance of getting enough sleep. Sleep also releases hormones into your body that alleviates stress and tension.
If you have a hobby or a long forgotten hobby this may be the perfect time to start it back up again. Having something that you enjoy doing to take your mind off it troubles and after a while make you realize how insignificant those problems really are.
Depression is treatable. There may be times when the above methods can help you deal with your depression and you can get through it on your own. It is important to remember that if your depression lasts for more than a week or isn't alleviated by any of the above helps to seek the help of a Physician.
There's no reason to live with depression. You are not to blame. Others will understand. You can get through it and if you need help you need to ask for it.
