Manage Your Panic Attacks
Don't Let Panic and Anxiety Attacks Ruin Your Life – Take Control
Dec 9, 2008
Australian psychotherapist Carole Kelly says anxiety is a normal response to the demands of everyday life, “Indeed, a degree of anxiety is necessary for us to perform well in situations that require high concentration and skill.”
Ms Kelly works with many people suffering from anxiety and panic from her clinic in the Blue Mountains area of New South Wales.
While anxiety is common, some people suffer from such severe anxiety symptoms that they interfere with their daily life. They may develop episodes of sudden and intense anxiety – panic attacks.
“These attacks may be so severe that they feel like a heart attack or a stroke, because of the strong physical symptoms,” she says.
Panic Attack Symptoms
A panic attack is a sudden burst of acute anxiety that may last from 2-30 minutes, but feels like it is lasting for ever! Afterwards, you may feel weak and exhausted.
Attacks can occur several times per week or even several times a day.
The most common physical symptoms are:
- Difficulty breathing
- A feeling of choking
- Tightness or pain in the chest
- Trembling, weakness
- Sweaty palms and excessive perspiration
- Tingling or numbness in the hands and feet
- Palpitations or pounding heartbeat
- Dizziness, faintness
- Feeling out of touch with your body
- Nausea, churning in the stomach or lower bowel
- Feeling hot and cold or flushed
In addition, Ms Kelly says, “people may experience emotional symptoms or distressing thoughts, such as:
- I am going insane/crazy
- I am going to lose control
- I am going to faint/collapse
- I am having a heart attack/ stroke
- I am going to start screaming and make a fool of myself
“The likelihood of any of these things happening is remote but the fears during the attack are very strong.”
Anyone experiencing these physical and emotional sympytoms should get medical attention, to rule out anything more life-threatening than panic.
Reducing and Controlling Panic Attacks
Once you have a diagnosis of nothing more alarming than panic attacks, you can take steps to control and reduce the incidence of these attacks.
First you need to monitor your attacks for a week or two to establish what your symptoms are and what triggers attacks.
When you’re clear on the how and what of your particular attacks, she suggests a range of activities working together to reduce the your stress factors and the ways your body and mind responds to them.
Like so much else, panic management starts with a healthier lifestyle, focusing on:
• Exercising more
• Better nutrition
• More sleep
Techniques to Manage a Panic Attack
During an attack there are simple actions you can take to reduce the symptoms by dealing with hyperventilation and distracting yourself. By doing these as you start to notice your symptoms, she says, you may prevent a full-blown panic attack.
There are two ways you can slow down your breathing – yoga-style slow breathing, and the brown paper bag trick.
Slow breathing involves focusing on your breath as you breathe in and out, holding your first breath for a count of 10 before you exhale. Relax your shoulders, neck and chest, and breathe from your abdomen, breathing in for a slow count of three and out for a slow count of three until you are calm.
The brown paper bag trick is often seen in movies and TV shows. If you don’t have a paper bag handy when you feel panicky, simply cup your hands over your nose and mouth. Breathe slowly and regularly into the bag until you feel calmer.
“After you have successfully coped with the panic attack, Ms Kelly says, remember to reward yourself!
See also: Use Your Mind to Defeat Panic
See also: Living with Anxiety: Symptoms:
