If you are suffering with panic attacks you will know how
debilitating they are. Anyone who has experienced a panic
attack will generally say that it is one of the most
intensely frightening, upsetting and uncomfortable
experiences of a person's life. Panic attacks can be as
short as 1-5 minutes, whist other times they may sometimes
form a cyclic series of episodes, lasting for an extended
period, sometimes hours.
Panic attacks are sudden, discrete periods of intense
anxiety. They are often experienced in conjunction with
anxiety disorders and other psychological conditions,
although panic attacks are not always indicative of a
mental disorder, nor are they uncommon. Panic Disorders
are strikingly different from other types of anxiety
disorders in that panic attacks are often sudden and
unprovoked. They have also been found to run in families,
and this may mean that inheritance genes plays a strong
role in determining who will get it.
During the hyperventilation stage you might find you are
experiencing some pretty scary symptoms and you could be
heading towards a full-blown panic attack. The more
experienced sufferers amongst you may be able to completely
ride out a panic attack showing very little or even no
obvious symptoms to those around them. Whilst others,
notably first-time sufferers, may even call for emergency
services. Many people who experience symptoms of a panic
attack for the first time will fear they are having a heart
attack, as the symptoms can seem very similar. Even health
care professionals who have not seen one before can be
mistaken.
So you have panic attacks but how can you help yourself?
Well my 5 tips are:
1./ Your Breathing - During times of stress we neglect
correct breathing. Around 60% of all panic attacks are
associated with hyperventilation. Hyperventilation (over
breathing) makes panic attacks worse. When you
hyperventilate your body takes in too much oxygen, even
though the sufferer believes they can't breath. For the
oxygen to work correctly in your body you need the correct
mix of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Hyperventilation knocks
the mix off balance. It has been common practice to advise
people to take long deep breaths but this will only make
you more anxious to relax you should inhale fully, staying
relaxed, and then proceed without pausing to exhale slowly.
Repeating as many times as possible. One of the other
things panic attack sufferers have been taught is to
breathe in and out of a paper bag. The idea behind this is
that by breathing in and out of a paper bag you are
inhaling more CO2. It does work but not as quickly or as
effectively as some doctors think.
While it is not harmful to hyperventilation sufferers, it
hasn't actually been shown to help them either, what they
do though is hurt sufferers of dangerous medical
conditions that look like hyperventilation. Heart attacks
and asthma can be commonly mistaken for hyperventilation.
2./ Posture - Posture effects breathing more than people
think. As we get anxious and stressed we retreat into
ourselves and almost start to physically curl up. It is
totally a subconscious movement but its result is to
compress the bodies internal organs. This means we take
shallower breaths and the mix between CO2 and oxygen
changes. You need to work at keeping a correct posture, get
friends and family to remind you and look at how you are
sitting at work.
3./ Diversion methods -
Talk to someone to take your mind off your thoughts.
If a panic attack comes on through the night don't lie
there thinking get up and do something, keep moving, eat,
drink, watch TV.
Try not to sit down keep yourself active and walk around.
Tell yourself over and over that the panic attack can't
hurt you and it will subside.
Try to do something that occupies your mind, sing out loud,
add up and subtract in your mind, recite nursery rhymes,
anything to keep your mind working.
Splash your face with cold water.
4./ Familiarise yourself with panic attack symptoms.
5./ Check your beliefs about panic attacks, to see if you
are fueling your panic attacks unnecessarily.
Hopefully some of the tips above will help you in your
quest to manage your panic attacks.
----------------------------------------------------
Rachel Harding is a qualified nurse. Do you want to be free
of your panic attacks? Then go to
http://www.beatingdepressionandanxiety.com
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