3 Self Help Methods to Stop Panic Attacks

[frmeital]

I haven't seen any discussions here about anxiety and panic attacks...hope that means nobody has them...:)

But just in case, I thought I would share these 3 self help methods to stop panic attacks, they were helpful to me when I needed them:

1. When a Panic Attack Comes – Listen to Your Thoughts
Take a deep breath and listen to your thoughts. Do you like you are going to die? Validate this idea. Does it make sense? Is there any evidence that you are going to die right now? Remind yourself – your difficulty to breath, your chest pain or back pain and your heart racing – is caused by the panic attacks and nothing else! Write it down on a peace of paper a few times.
Now, replace this feeling with positive ideas. This may seem difficult, but if you challenge your anxious ideas and prove them wrong (hey, another minute has passed and you’re still not dying!), they will fade away. Put on the mental brakes and ignore the scary thoughts.

2. Practice Relaxation Methods
You should devote about 20 minutes for relaxation exercises every day. At least at first. These will reduce the stress that often leads to anxiety and panic attacks.
Go to a quiet room, sit down comfortably and take a deep breath. When you exhale, imagine that all your fear and anxiety leaves your body along with the air from your lungs. You can imagine that these thoughts are a swarm of black little creatures that you are releasing from your body.
Next, lie down and beginning with your toes, tense and relax each muscle with your eyes closed. Tense with inhale, release with exhale. These are proven and guaranteed methods for relaxation for thousands of years. Allow yourself to remain relaxed for 5 more minutes, now you can return to your activities.


3. Be Prepared for Your Next Panic Attack
When you’re not in a state of anxiety or panic, make a list of things that scare you. When it’s done, write down reassuring and calming statements that relax you. The exact opposite of your fears. When the next panic attack emerges, take this list and use it immediately. Fill your list with lots of soothing messages.
This will be very helpful to prevent panic attacks. It is very important to stop panic attacks dead in its tracks and this is an easy way to do that.


Anyone tried them? Were they helpful?

[ctg492]

A family member has GAD and is just learning to cope with it. Thank you for sharing. I am going to have him read this. I can now understand how terribly hard on a person this can be, how real it is.

[ButterflyBreath]

I am just getting caught up on posts and have an experience to share and what helped.

I had my first panic attack ever about a year ago. I know what caused it for the most part, but I don't think it warranted a panic attack. Without going into all the details, I basically became very sensitive to any motion, sound, light, etc. The TV and my dad talking were giving me extreme anxiety. I had this feeling where blood rushes around in your body and you get nauseous. I felt like I was literally going crazy. I went out to my car and started chanting "God please help me" over and over. I thought about going to the ER. Then my step mom came home and she prayed for me. I told her I wanted to lay down and sleep. The mystery is how I was able to go to sleep but after taking a benadryl and trying to relax after 10 minutes I fell asleep. I woke up maybe 30 minutes or so later and I wasn't completely back to normal, but I wasn't feeling like it was a serious crisis like before.

SO, I guess my advice would be to try to sleep since it gives the mind a rest, but I understand that this might be challenging. It does work though

[Tenngal]

exercise works wonders on anxiety. When I walk regularly, I am so much more mellow and sleep so well.

[DonkaDoo]

Induce yawning - it's worked for me.

[loosechickens]

One easy thing to do that is helpful during panic attacks is to keep a brown paper lunch bag handy, and when you feel yourself beginning to hyperventilate, crunch the opening of that sucker around your mouth and nose and breathe into that paper bag for a few minutes until you feel a bit calmer.

It doesn't help the panic attack exactly, but it does help tremendously with the symptoms from it that are mostly caused by the shallow, fast breathing that you do when you are afraid.

I've known several people who got panic attacks and that has been a huge help to them. Because sometimes you're just in too big a panic to remember to "slow down, breathe deeply and evenly", and breathing into the paper bag actually achieves the same thing, but all YOU have to do is remember to grab it and breathe into it. I'm not sure WHY it works, but I know that it does. I've never experienced a panic attack myself, but have been there with folks having them, and the paper bag breathing trick worked well each time.

[Weston]

Induce yawning - it's worked for me.
I agree. A related suggestion is to take three, slow, deep breaths. Another quick suggestion is to smile. All 3 of these relate to the fact that stress, anxiety and panic in today's society rarely relate to something life or death, however we haven't evolved very far and our bodies react the same way they did when we were being chased by saber tooth tigers. Yawning or slow deep breaths signal our brains that there is no real danger since if there was we would be running like hell and breathing quickly and shallowly. We also wouldn't be smiling, which explains why the third suggestion also often works.

It also helps to remember that we are reacting that way because of our thoughts and our thoughts don't always reflect reality.

[Mighty Frugal]

One easy thing to do that is helpful during panic attacks is to keep a brown paper lunch bag handy, and when you feel yourself beginning to hyperventilate, crunch the opening of that sucker around your mouth and nose and breathe into that paper bag for a few minutes until you feel a bit calmer.

It doesn't help the panic attack exactly, but it does help tremendously with the symptoms from it that are mostly caused by the shallow, fast breathing that you do when you are afraid.

I've known several people who got panic attacks and that has been a huge help to them. Because sometimes you're just in too big a panic to remember to "slow down, breathe deeply and evenly", and breathing into the paper bag actually achieves the same thing, but all YOU have to do is remember to grab it and breathe into it. I'm not sure WHY it works, but I know that it does. I've never experienced a panic attack myself, but have been there with folks having them, and the paper bag breathing trick worked well each time.

I remember reading that the paper bag technique works because when you are panicking you breathe in too much oxygen. By breathing in a paper bag you take in more carbon dioxide (breathing in what you just exhaled) which balances you out....

[loosechickens]

ah ha.....that makes sense, Mighty Frugal.....thanks!