Stop the Anxiety! A Quick Guide for Overcoming Panic Attacks

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Stop the Anxiety! A Quick Guide for Overcoming Panic Attacks

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Learn tools to overcome panic attacks.

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Distribution Date and Time: 2009-06-04 12:00:00

Written By: Rochelle Melander

Copyright: 2009

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Stop the Anxiety! A Quick Guide for Overcoming Panic Attacks

Copyright © 2009 Rochelle Melander

Right Now! Coach

http://www.rightnowcoach.com

I had my first panic attack while giving a speech. One minute I

was telling a joke and appreciating the reaction of the crowd. In

the next moment, I felt like I was watching myself from a

distance. My heart raced, my body shook, and I could not catch my

breath. I wondered how I'd be able to finish my talk without

anyone noticing. Somehow, I did finish the speech. But the panic

was not finished with me.

Over the next two years, I experienced more panic attacks.

Determined to not shrink my life, I sought help. I visited my

doctor, began therapy, and read every book available on

overcoming panic. Over time, I put together a grab bag of

resources to survive the panic attacks. They worked. More than

ten years after that first panic attack, I am nearly panic free.

When the panic starts, I know what to do to stop it. Do you? Here

are my tips to support you in overcoming panic.

First Things First

No matter how great you are at coping with panic and stress, no

matter how helpful my list of strategies might be to you, the

first steps you need to take toward healing are setting up

appointments with both a physician and a therapist.

Panic attacks can be caused by health problems and by medication

as well as by emotional stress. Your doctor can help you to

discern this and guide you toward taking the appropriate actions.

If your panic stems from past emotional wounds, a therapist can

work with you to heal these. In addition, a therapist can provide

you with coping skills that are appropriate to your specific

situation and personality.

Coping Strategies

The following strategies have helped me cope with stress and

alleviate panic attacks. I hope that they will be helpful to you

in your own journey of healing.

1. Eat Regularly

The Panic Attack Recovery Book by Shirley Swede and Seymour

Sheppard Jaffe, M.D. provides helpful dietary guidelines for

preventing anxiety. They suggest that drops in blood sugar can

induce panic attacks. Eat small, healthy meals every 2 hours

throughout the day. Keep safe snacks with you at all times in

case you get stuck waiting. In addition, keep yourself hydrated!

2. Eliminate Stimulants

Stimulants - simple sugars, caffeine, and cigarettes - can cause

you to feel the symptoms of a panic attack and, for some people,

can actually cause panic attacks. Limiting or eliminating your

use of these stimulants can help to eliminate panic attacks.

3. Breathe Deeply

Learn to breathe deeply. During a panic attack or in the midst of

a fearful moment, people tend to take frequent shallow breaths.

This style of breathing may cause you to experience tingling in

our hands and feet and to feel light-headed. Taking slow, deep

breaths can calm you. Put your hand on your stomach and breathe

in so that your stomach expands. Practice this. After you learn

how, try taking three breaths in this way whenever you experience

stress: breathe in for a count of 8 and out for a count of 7.

4. Learn Creative Visualization Techniques

Creative visualization allows you to escape the stress of the

moment and create a different reality. You can even fool your

body into believing it is experiencing the vision in your head

instead of the reality in the present. Visualize sitting in a

calm environment - at the beach or in the mountains. Imagine

yourself taking a vacation or succeeding at a challenge. Use

these creative visualizations to cope with panic, to image

success in stressful situations, and to provide yourself with a

break from the stress of daily life. As with deep breathing, the

more you practice, the better you will be able to utilize this

tool in the midst of a panic attack.

5. Practice Relaxation Exercises

In my college theater classes, our teacher taught us progressive

relaxation exercises. Now, this and other relaxation exercises

have helped me to survive daily life and childbirth! To

progressively relax yourself, find a quiet corner of your home

and lie on the floor. Beginning with your toes, tense and relax

each muscle group in your body - from your toes to your head.

When you are completely relaxed, take a moment to notice how you

feel. The more you practice this, the better you will be able to

recall this feeling in the midst of a panic episode or a

stressful situation.

6. Exercise!

Participating in daily exercise, such as walking, can relieve

stress and alleviate panic attacks. Make the time doubly

effective by using your walk as a time for prayer or meditation.

Start your walk with a question to God about your life, an

affirmation about yourself ( " I am loved, " " I am okay, " " I am

a survivor. " ), or a simple prayer ( " Thank You, " " Bless this

moment, " " Guide me. " ).

7. Write!

Research by psychologist Pennebaker has shown that people

who used writing to make sense of their traumatic life

experiences had the long-lasting effect of feeling happier and

less anxious. Pick up an inexpensive notebook. Every morning,

take fifteen minutes to dump all of your negative, stressful

stuff into that notebook. Write three pages of this stuff. At the

end of writing about what is difficult, write five experiences or

people or situations that you are grateful for. (For example, " I

am grateful that I am alive, " " I am grateful that the sky was a

beautiful shade of blue, " " I am grateful for the smiles of

children. " )

Carry a small notebook in your purse. Just as you begin to

experience the symptoms of panic or stress, write down the

following: the situation you are in, the sensations you are

feeling in your body, the thoughts you are thinking now and the

thoughts you were thinking before experiencing the first

symptoms, your present feelings and what you were feeling before

the symptoms began. As you do this, remind yourself that what you

are experiencing does not define you - it is simply something

that is happening. You are not the symptom. This exercise can

help you, over time, to pinpoint the causes of your panic

attacks. It can also relieve the symptoms of panic attacks. (I

use this exercise to control my asthma. It comes from the

wonderful book Asthma Free in Twenty-One Days by Shafer

and Fran Greenfield.)

Connect!

New research suggests that connecting with others relieves stress

and increases our happiness. When I first experienced my symptoms

of panic, I isolated myself. That was the worst thing I could do!

No matter how challenging your panic becomes, connect with

someone daily. Join a class or group in a shared area of interest

- such as gardening or crafting. Connecting with others will

lower your stress!

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Right Now! Coach Rochelle Melander teaches people

how to use positive words and practices to transform

their lives and work right now. You can learn more about

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