Control Panic Attacks With These Self Help Techniques

A Panic Attack can be triggered by several reasons and can cause extreme fear or anxiety within a short time. The onset is quite rapid and usually difficult to control where one does not get the time to register when the attack would happen next. The reasons range from bodily changes to ones in the external environment and are controllable to a great extent if monitored properly. So if you are a victim of Panic Attacks, there is still some hope available in the form of self-help techniques for initial treatment.

Symptoms of Panic Attacks

It is essential to know firsthand what the symptoms of Panic Attacks are, before proceeding to avoid or treat them. Some of these include:

  1. Breathing problems
  2. Increased heartbeat and chest pains
  3. Sick feeling in the stomach
  4. Trembling and shaking of body with numbness in limbs
  5. Dizziness, accompanied by a feeling of surrealism
  6. Extreme abnormal fear with a sense of powerlessness
  7. Extreme nervousness accompanied by heightened hot and cold sensations
  8. Feeling of embarrassment and an urgent need to escape

How To Deal With A Panic Attack?

  • Control your breathing
  • The most common symptom of such attacks; breathlessness can be easily controlled by sensing each breath and slowly counting to make each breath deeper. This can also alleviate other symptoms such as nausea and dizziness that are caused by shallow chest breathing.

  • Manage your behavior and lifestyle
  • One of the best methods for self-control, this consists of several techniques and some changes in you daily life that can prevent the onset of a panic attack. Some of these include:

    1. Avoid eating foods that trigger stomach upsets or release adrenaline in the body.
    2. Make it a habit to exercise and adopt proper sleeping habits.
    3. Since these attacks are triggered by irrational fears so you can seek the help of friends and family. Most of the times, the patients get instantly relaxed on talking and discussing their feelings with their closed ones.
    4. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones as soon as you start experiencing mental or physical discomfort for no apparent reason.
  • Relax your muscles
  • An effective way to combat panic attacks is by relaxing the body muscles through a step-by-step process. To reduce muscular tension you should do meditation or yoga on a daily basis.

  • Record and Monitor
  • A simple self-help technique is to unburden your feelings in a constructive manner. Maintain a diary for this where you can write about the complete experience to identify what caused the situation and how you dealt with it. With this, you can work proactively towards relieving the symptoms and controlling the attack after it starts.

    You can manage Panic Attacks by these simple methods on you own but is best to seek expert help if the Panic Attacks are more frequent and start interfering in your normal life. A specialist can then help you with a combination of these methods, cognitive therapies and medication to successfully deal with Panic Attacks.

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