Saturday, September 20, 2008

Ways To Stop A Panic Attack

Look For Positive Ways To Stop A Panic Attack

I have experienced one or two panic attacks over the years, and believe me when I say it is an experience so terrifying and sickening that I would not even wish it on a person I truly despised.

There are various ways to stop a panic attack. The method that works most effectively for you ultimately depends on who you are and what is triggering your anxiety. Nevertheless, some of the ways to stop a panic attack eventually do far more harm than good.

What Not To Do

Even if your panic attacks are so severe that you often feel you would rather die than experience another one, always avoid using drugs or alcohol in the endeavor to self medicate. The last thing you need is an addiction problem, since this will make your anxiety worse in the long run and could even ruin your life and the lives of those that love you.

There are much better ways to stop a panic attack than to turn to substance abuse. There are other ways to stop a panic attack that I would advise you to avoid trying. For example, some people make a point of avoiding all people or situations that they believe trigger their panic attacks. Running away from your problems does nothing to resolve them.

Helpful Things You Can Try

If you believe you have suffered from a panic attack, the first thing you should do is consult your doctor. He or she may deem it necessary to prescribe legal FDA approved medication such as an anti-depressant like Prozac or Xanax.

Another of the more effective ways to stop a panic attack is to amend your diet and lifestyle. Make sure that you eat regular meals and take plenty of exercise to get rid of any excess energy. You should also make a point of avoiding stimulants such as drinks that contain caffeine.

People with a severe problem who are looking for effective ways to stop a panic attack should also consider setting up an appointment with a counselor or psychotherapist. Although therapy sessions can be rather expensive, a counselor can teach you various strategies to overcome your fear. You can start using these techniques to help you the next time you feel the onset of a panic attack. Bear in mind that by finding healthy ways to stop a panic attack you begin to gain power over your fear and in doing so your anxiety no longer has the power to rule your life.

Stop Panic Attack Now

If You Want To Stop A Panic Attack Now

I'm aware that the title of this article is somewhat ironic. People who want to stop a panic attack now generally don't peruse the web for relevant articles at the time that it occurs. It's a little difficult to control a mouse and keyboard when you are experiencing a feeling of intense fear combined with heart palpitations and hyperventilation.

To 'stop a panic attack now' takes practice and effort. First time panic attack sufferers are generally powerless to do anything about it, which makes the experience even more terrifying. To stop a panic attack now involves recognizing the situation and reacting to it accordingly.

Don't Fight The Fear

Your ability to stop panic attacks now largely depends on how you react to it. Fighting the feelings of anxiety will only make the situation worse. Instead you need to acknowledge that you feel fearful yet at the same time tell yourself that the feeling of panic will pass and will not cause you irreparable harm. When you want to stop panic attacks now, you should also keep telling yourself that although you are frightened there is no real reason to be afraid.

Techniques You Can Use

Once you have acknowledged that you are afraid and told yourself that your fear is irrational and will soon pass, you can try various ways to stop a panic attack. If, for example, you find that you are hyperventilating you should try to concentrate on how you are breathing. Hyperventilation is actually over-breathing or breathing too rapidly. Therefore you should focus on deliberately breathing more slowly, which will help decelerate your heart rate and give you something other than your fear to consider.

Take Control Of The Situation

Panic attacks are a dreadful experience for anybody who suffers from them. If you want to stop a panic attack now, it is important to do as much research as you can so that you are better able to recognize what is happening to you and why it occurs. It stands to reason that your panic attacks will become easier to deal with over time if you are fully aware of what is happening to you.

Communicate With Others

Realizing that millions people all over the world share your illness will not help you to stop panic attacks now, but it will make you feel better about yourself. Talk to your family and friends about your panic attacks, and seek help from your doctor and therapist. You might also find it helpful to join an online forum or support group to learn more about the techniques other sufferers use to stop their panic attacks.

Stop Anxiety And Panic Attacks

Useful Advice To Help Stop Anxiety And Panic Attacks

Most of us will suffer from anxiety on at least one occasion during our lives. For example, it is normal to feel anxious before or during situations such as making a public speech, a first date, an exam, or a job interview. However, only some of us are unfortunate enough to have experienced severe anxiety or panic attacks. If you are among those who suffer from severe anxiety or panic attacks, you will know the difference between the symptoms you have experienced and mild everyday anxiety.

Sadly there is no quick fix to enable you to stop a panic attack right now. Learning to control your anxiety takes considerable effort. However, there are many different methods people rely on to stop anxiety and panic attacks, some of which are more beneficial than others.

Avoidance Will Not Help

If you give it some thought, you should be able to determine exactly what triggers your anxiety. For example, because I'm naturally shy I find that having to interact with strangers can make me feel very anxious. In the endeavor to stop anxiety and panic attacks, I could make a point of avoiding people that I don't know so that I wouldn't be forced to interact with them. However, circumventing dealing with the problem of my awkwardness around strangers would not help me in the long run. In fact avoiding strangers and giving in to my fears would effectively stop me from being able to enjoy a normal, healthy life.

Face Your Fears

As horrifying as this may sound to any sufferer, the only effective way to stop anxiety and panic attacks is to gradually put yourself into situations in which you are forced to deal with your fears. Of course if open spaces trigger your panic attacks it would not be wise to visit a rural prairie region of the mid west straight away. The key is to expose yourself to the thing that triggers your attacks gradually. Hence the agoraphobic could begin by making the effort to walk around in his backyard for a minute or two.

While trying to stop anxiety and panic attacks by facing your fears, it is important to ride the feeling out while at the same time acknowledging that the fear is temporary and will not do you any real harm. It might be helpful to find something that distracts you from the situation so that you are focusing on something other than your fear. For instance you could try an exercise such as counting backwards from fifty to zero.

Stop Having Panic Attacks

Is It Possible To Stop Having Panic Attacks?

I have read articles and testimonials written by people who claim that they have managed to stop having panic attacks. Others think it is impossible to stop having panic attacks altogether. However, most people who suffer or have suffered from panic attacks agree that there are certain things that you can do to control them or minimize their effects. If you suffer from the condition, it is worthwhile researching some of the techniques you can use to stop having panic attacks or at least reduce their severity. By taking measures to stop or reduce the problem you can lead a more normal life and engage in ordinary activities without worrying about the possibility of an attack.

Why People Have Panic Attacks

If you wish to stop having panic attacks or reduce their effects it is important to understand what they are and why people have them. A panic attack is a feeling of intense fear and anxiety accompanied by certain physical symptoms such as shaking, sweating, heart palpitations and hyperventilation.

Panic attacks occur when the body's 'fight or flight' reaction is triggered without there being any actual danger. Unfortunately the exact cause of panic attacks is not known at this time, though some scientists think that bereavement, physical illness, stress and even certain medications can be contributing factors.

Of course none of us are able to avoid triggers such as stress or grief, since they are all a part of life. However, there are numerous strategies you try if you want to stop having panic attacks or reduce their severity and frequency.

Steps You Can Take

If your problem is a mild one, you can stop anxiety and panic attacks without the help of a psychotherapist. One of the most basic but practical techniques you can use to stop having panic attacks or reduce their effects is to learn how to breathe correctly. By placing your hands on the top of your stomach and gently pressing down on it as you breathe in and out, you can help yourself to gradually calm down.

Another technique that you can use to stop having panic attacks is to keep telling yourself positive things. For example, if during the onset of an attack you repeat an encouraging phrase such as "There is absolutely nothing to fear," it may help you.

If your panic attacks become more severe over time, or if you feel you need support to help overcome your illness, contact a psychotherapist who can help you learn more advanced techniques that you can use to counter the problem.

How To Stop A Panic Attack

Learning How To Stop A Panic Attack

If learning how to stop a panic attack were an easy process, then chances are that nobody would have more than one or two in their lifetime. The truth is that some people never learn how to stop a panic attack because they can do not take the time to figure out what triggers them in the first place. The problem is that all of us are unique and we all have different life experiences. Therefore we are inclined to react differently to any given situation. Something that triggers a panic attack in one individual may have no effect on another, and vice versa.

Find The Trigger

A good psychotherapist can help you learn how to stop a panic attack by helping you determine what actually causes them and training you to react differently to the cause. Unfortunately, not everybody can afford to pay a psychotherapist on a regular basis. The good news is that, with a little tenacity, you can actually learn how to stop a panic attack by yourself.

The first step in learning how to stop a panic attack is to think back on previous occasions when you have had one. You need to figure out where you were, what you were doing and what you were thinking and feeling right before you had the attack. Hopefully a pattern will begin to emerge that provides clues as to what could be causing your panic attacks.

Change Your Reaction

There is more to learning how to stop a panic attack than simply identifying what triggers them. There is no use knowing what causes your attacks if you continue to react to it in the same way. Let us suppose that you have figured out that coming into contact with big, fierce looking dogs is causing your panic attacks. In such a case, you need to think of a different way of responding if you are to stop having the attacks.

For example, instead of giving in to your fears and hurriedly crossing the street to avoid the dog you could try walking past it at a distance while telling yourself that you are not scared. On subsequent encounters with dogs, force yourself to walk past it at a slightly nearer distance, again reminding yourself that there is absolutely nothing to fear so long as you do not allow yourself to feel frightened.

Don't Expect Miracles

Learning how to stop a panic attack is not a simple process. It requires time, patience and determination. If you want to stop having panic attacks you cannot give up when you encounter a set back.

When you feel the need for courage or support, remember that you are not the only person who is trying to overcome the problem of panic attacks; there are millions of others in the exact same situation. Furthermore, there are numerous online support groups you can join in order to interact with other panic attack sufferers.

Stop Panic Attacks

You Can Stop Panic Attacks

Do you suffer from panic attacks from time to time? If you have ever experienced a panic attack, you definitely aren't alone. Over four million people living in the United States today have suffered from at least one panic attack at some stage in their lives.
A panic attack should not be confused with the general feeling of anxiety or stress that most people experience on a regular basis. A panic attack feels infinitely worse than a general feeling of anxiety.

When a person experiences a panic attack they are overwhelmed by a sense of fear and terror. Symptoms of a panic attack can include feeling as though you are unable to breathe, an accelerated heart beat, sweating, trembling, giddiness and nausea. During a severe panic attack you may even fear that you are about to die.

Anybody who has experienced a panic attack knows that it is a truly horrendous experience. The good news is that with medication and therapy you can stop panic attacks.

Getting The Right Medication

If you would like to know how to stop having panic attacks you should first consult your doctor. He or she will start by prescribing medication to help you deal with the physical symptoms of your panic attacks. Beta blockers, for example, can help with the heart palpitations and you could also ask about medication that will reduce the anxiety you feel during an attack. Although medication can reduce many of the unpleasant symptoms you feel, it cannot stop panic attacks altogether. To stop panic attacks once and for all you need to address the root cause of your problem, and that requires psychotherapy sessions. Therefore your doctor will probably refer you to a psychotherapist.

Overcoming Your Fear

Psychotherapists rely on one of two types of therapy in order to help their patients stop having panic attacks. Some psychotherapists use cognitive therapy in order to help sufferers identify what causes the panic attacks. The second step with cognitive therapy is for patients to learn how to change their reaction to the things that generally trigger the panic attacks.

psychotherapists rely on behavioral therapy to stop panic attacks in their patients. With the behavioral approach patients learn how to take specific actions during an attack in the endeavor to stop it. For example, breathing into a paper bag can stop a panic attack sufferer from hyperventilating.

Unfortunately there is no magical cure that can stop panic attacks overnight. As with most things, stopping panic attacks requires time and effort.

Anxiety Panic Disorder

What is an Anxiety Panic Disorder?

Panic attacks happen to many of us at one time or another. For some, one or two attacks will occur over a lifetime and that will be the end of it. For others, panic attacks can occur with a degree of frequency, affecting how they live their lives and diminishing quality of life overall. In these situations, frequent panic attacks may be a sign of an anxiety panic disorder. The good news is that there are treatment options available for an anxiety panic disorder that will stop the panic attack and allow you to go on about the business of living your life.

Why Anxiety Panic Disorders Need Treatment
While a panic attack will not hurt you over the long term physically, it can certainly cause damage on a mental and emotional level. These attacks can occur anytime and anywhere, come on without warning and affect how you live your daily life. For example, some people will get so concerned over when the next panic attack will occur; they will actually change their daily routine to avoid them. This might include spending more time at home, avoiding locations where the last attack occurred or withdraw from social situations in general. When you realize that the fear of a panic attack is affecting the decisions you are making day to day, you may have an anxiety panic disorder.

What You can Do
The first place you should go if you suspect an anxiety panic disorder is to your doctor's office. Through a medical history and complete physical exam, your doctor can diagnose an anxiety panic disorder and recommend the best treatment plan for you. The good news is that there are many options in treating an anxiety panic disorder today, and the right one can help you reduce the number of attacks you experience and help you get back to a relatively normal way of life without the constant fear over when the next episode will occur.

The most effective treatment options for an anxiety panic disorder will usually include a combination of medications and psychotherapy. Because of this, your doctor will often refer you to a psychiatrist or psychotherapist for treatment. These professionals are specially trained in the anxiety panic disorder and will be best equipped to prescribe a treatment plan that will work the best for you. Many find that treatment will greatly reduce the number of episodes that occur and make the panic attacks that they do experience much easier to manage.

If you suspect that you are suffering with an anxiety panic disorder, you don't have to suffer alone. Talk to your doctor today about the treatment options available and get back to the business of living your life.