Your heart is racing. You can't breathe. You feel your chest tightening. You have a sense of vertigo. You think you are having a heart attack, but you come out of it in about 15 minutes or less. What was that? You ask yourself. You have just experienced a panic attack.The medical explanation is your adrenaline goes into overdrive. The historical explanation is that as cavemen we needed this adrenaline rush to protect ourselves from predators. The basic explanation is that we are running the 100 yard dash while not moving at all. Anxiety or panic attacks are more common than most people would believe. It is the body's way of reacting to an over abundance of perceived or unperceived stress. The stimuli that sets off such an attack can be simple to explain or deep rooted. Living through a panic disorder can be terrifying. And though it can never be cured totally, the symptoms can be managed throughout a life time.
Here are some basics to an anxiety attack. Write them down. Keep them near you until you can recite them by heart!
1. No one has ever died of a panic attack! You are not dying!
2. Millions upon millions of people have had panic attacks. You are not alone.
3. Panic attacks usually last 2 - 10 minutes and go away about as quick as they come on.
4. You can never be cured of panic and anxiety. It is always with you. It is up to you to deal with the severity.
5. Find out what trips your panic switch and offset that place, person or behavior with some kind of replacement.
6. Use visualization to calm yourself down before an episode takes hold.
Here is a great visual exercise:
Close your eyes and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth 3 times. Hold your breath for 10 seconds on your last breath and release that breath to a slow count of 10. Now imagine to mountains with an ocean between them. Most anxious people will visualize the waters being rocky or wavy, just calm the waters and make them glass like and serene. You will have actually calmed down your mind by doing that exercise. Relax.
7. The Worry Hour! Devote just one hour of your day to worrying. This is best around the time you wake up in the morning. Get down on yourself, visualize your problems and obstacles in your life all for one hour. That's it. The rest of the day you can not think about your problems. You will have to store and save them for your worry hour tomorrow! After awhile, your worry hour gets shorter and shorter until it is just a few passing thoughts that irritate you. You have managed your worrying day by day.
8. Laugh! When did you send the kid inside you off to their room? When we were kids we played, we laughed, we had fun. When did all that get replaced by drugs or alcohol or the coolness of being an adult? It's time to get back in touch with the kid inside. They have been missing you. If you can't laugh and play, get a hobby, meet new friends or just change your karma altogether!
9. There are people who have suffered with panic attacks. But there are a lot of people who have not. Don't try to explain your disorder to people who feel helpless in helping you because they can not comprehend or understand the nature of the disorder. There are people and groups out there willing to listen and share experiences with you. Don't complicate or stress yourself out by looking for help from someone who can not walk you through steps 1-6.
10. Is there medicine? Sure! Paxil is one. Buspar is another. But don't think you are going to resolve your issues with just a pill. You need to balance out the chemicals with a counselor or therapist. Talk therapy is the best way to resolve many issues. Confession is good for the soul. Shutting the adrenaline valve is where it should take you.
When all else fails, re-read all of this when you feel worrisome and remember this... I suffered from the disorder for 20+ years until I learned the secret of just how these steps really work! I have now been worry free for over 20 years! You can do it! I did!
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