How To Survive A Panic Attack
Normally a panic attack can last anything between 10 minutes and half an hour. During this time it is very difficult to keep control of yourself and the situation – this is one of the debilitating effects of panic attacks, the fear that you will have one in public and show the world how little in control of yourself you are.
Here are some tips on how to handle yourself during a panic attack. Of course, to cure panic attacks is a different story – these tips are there to get you over an individual attack with the least amount of stress.
The most important thing to do is to try and relax. Of course this is also the most difficult thing to do since the whole point of having a panic attack is that you are feeling stressed and anxious! If you were feeling relaxed you wouldn’t be HAVING a panic attack.
One of the best ways of getting to relax is to breathe. You need to slow your breathing. Too deep breathing can cause hyperventilation again, so the trick is to breath just deep and slowly enough to slow your heartbeat and to relax. Yoga is very good for teaching breathing techniques, as well as Tai Chi. It might be worth taking up one of these two disciplines to help you with relaxation and breathing techniques for overcoming anxiety.
Keep on reminding yourself that the panic attack WILL pass. Try and ride it out, and remember that it will not last more than about half an hour at the most.
Try to distract your mind by either thinking positive thoughts, or then by trying to eliminate negative, panic inducing thoughts. Do NOT think thoughts such as the following: I am going to die, I can’t breathe, I can’t see, this time it is a heart attack….If you cannot actively think positive thoughts, try to distract yourself or at least empty your mind.
If you are scared that you will get panic attacks at work, try and confide in a very trusty friend or colleague and explain the situation to him or her. Panic attacks carry a stigma to the person suffering from it and he or she often sees it as a shameful disorder to suffer from, however, there is a lot of evidence (in support group conversations on the Internet for example) that people who have friends or family members suffering from anxiety are often very keen to help and assist.
Various people have various needs when they have a panic attack. Some wants to be alone, others want to have company (trusted company) and others might want to be alone but want to know that there is someone close by that they can trust that can help out if things get too bad or if you feel that you require medical assistance after all. Explain to your friend or colleague what might happen to you and what they can do to help you – whatever works for you as a panic attack treatment.
