Experience with anxiety teaches that it is never helpful to say “it’s only a panic attack” to somebody suffering through one. In addition to causing shortness of breath, muscle pain and vomiting, a panic attack can mimic cardiac arrest and other serious health problems. Emergency room patients are often brought to the hospital unnecessarily, honestly afraid that their unpleasant and frightening symptoms are indicative of impending death, rather than emotional distress. Being aware of the symptoms and learning how to cope with panic attacks will make it easier to stay out of the emergency room.
The first step to curing panic attacks is to recognize the sympoms that come with the onset of an attack. While knowing it is happening won’t make it go away, understanding that it is not a life threatening crisis will help alleviate some of your concerns Hormonal reactions to stress include flooding the body with what it needs to defend itself in a dangerous situation. This hormone increases heart rate, flushes the skin and can cause heavy perspiration. Chest pain and queasiness are also common signs of anxiety. Believing that you are ill, dying or going crazy are psychological symptoms that often accompany a panic attack.
In the event of an anxiety attack, it is important to take a moment to find a safe, quiet place to spend a few minutes. No matter what anybody has told you, your emotions belong to you. Acknowledging, accepting, or even welcoming them, will help you move on to the next step where you may begin doing something to make them go away. As you sit peacefully and come to terms with your experiences, remember that you should never feel guilty or ashamed about your emotions. Negativity will be of no use as help for curing panic attacks.
Without having useful tools to know how to cope with panic attacks, many people react by imagining that increasingly unpleasant things are going to happen. For example, somebody afraid of public speaking may have concerns about perspiration and blushing in front of an audience. After dwelling on these fears, he may go on to being afraid of being laughed at. Believe in your ability to ignore the “what if”, as these questions rarely lead you to useful information. Let logic safely guide you, even if the anxiety is giving you conflicting instructions. Acknowledge that the chances of a seated audience member many feet away is unlikely to see your flushed cheeks and moist palms, even if it seems glaringly obvious to you.
Ask a trusted friend to help you explore your fears. If your friend reassures you that your triggers are harmless, choosing to expose yourself to these experiences in small, controlled amounts can help you to become more desensitized to their hold over you. As you do, accept that the fear is a valid expression of your emotions, but that these are not based on facts. Trust yourself to be able to work through these feelings and come out in a better place. Picking up some tricks for facing your fear may make it easier to get through. If claustrophobia is a problem, having a handheld fan to blow cool air in your face may help you learn how to cope with panic attacks.
Calm breaths are not effective for curing panic attacks, however, breathing exercises may help reduce the hormone rush that triggers them. Deep breaths that come from our belly and fully expand your lungs will help reduce the effects of hyperventilation. There are many red face causes and most of them can be helped with these breathing exercises. Close your eyes and imagine your body being filled with life giving oxygen, filling your lungs and spreading to your extremities and relaxing your limbs. An added bonus of controlled breathing is to distract you from falling into the trap of dwelling on what else can go wrong, accidentally adding to the list of things you are feeling afraid of.
If you are interested in curing panic attacks, it is critical to be patient with yourself. You didn’t develop this disorder overnight and you’re not going to learn how to cope with panic attacks quickly either. Rejoice in every small step forward and accept that there will be steps backward along the way.
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