- Just relax. I know it may sound hard, especially in the middle of a panic attack. But, just letting the panic attack "pass through" can be the quickest route to it's end.
- Instead of counting on a comfort zone(most people who suffer from panic attacks have a "comfort zone", a place where they feel most comfortable when suffering from an attack), find a comfort object. This is something you can take with you, like a lucky coin, necklace, or, if you're into piercings, a comfort labret ring or eyebrow ring.
- Remember to breath. A lot of people, when in the middle of a panic attack, get so hyped up during one that they forget to just breath normally. Hyper-ventilation can also occur, so just focus on getting your breathing under control.
- Learn to "belly breath". Breathing from your stomach up to your chest, you can find plenty of books on it(especially yoga books). It gets more oxygen to your blood, without all the work.
- Find a focus. Find an object, a person, a building, whatever you can find. And focus on that thing. This can help you "pull away" from your mind, a sort of day-dream technique, and helps you through panic.
- Do not let yourself become a recluse( agoraphobia is a big problem for people with panic disorder). Remember, whether you leave the house to go out with your friends, visit your family, etc, or not, if you suffer from panic disorder it can happen anywhere at anytime. Sitting at home is not going to make them go away, it's only going to make you hate yourself for not being strong enough to leave. If you're going to have a panic attack, you're going to have one. Locking yourself away is not going to stop that, so go out and enjoy yourself for at least a little while.
And remember, panic attacks and anxiety attacks are two completely different things. They're in the same general mental disorder category, think of anxiety attacks as being the son of Panic disorder. But, the symptoms are much heavier in cases of panic, and anxiety can usually be treated with medication. I'm no phychiatrist or doctor, I've just suffered through panic attacks for 8 years of my life. If you think you may have panic disorder or anxiety disorder, I encourage you to see a doctor. A lot of what people perceive as one of the above disorders can actually be caused by problems with your thyroid, heart problems, and a wagon full of other things. Get checked by a doctor, don't just assume, it could mean your life.
I hope this has helped some of you out there suffering from this terrible disorder, as I wish I could have found more information like this when I first started suffering from it.
Here are some useful links for you to find out more about panic and anxiety disorders:
Wikipedia.com- A wonderful site for finding information on all of the topics I mentioned above.
The Mayo Clinic- The Mental Health section of their site has all sorts of information.
MedicineNet.com- This site offers a fairly good catalogue of information on both anxiety and panic disorder.
PanicAttackSpace.com- A great blog, chock full of information and statistics on panic disorder and panic attacks.
Anxiety Attack- A great blog for finding more information about anxiety attacks. It's well written by a sufferer of anxiety disorder.
This is great info. My aunt deals with panic attacks, and I am forwarding this info to her right away.
ReplyDeleteTony
http://www.imablogger.net
I get them too and have mentioned them in my blog also. Unless you've had one, it's hard to comprehend - Nards
ReplyDeleteGreat post. You don't really say if the problem is driven by certain situations or by contact with other people. I find large gatherings disturbing but can tolerate the feeling by shutting off to a certain extent.
ReplyDeleteIt's a bit disconcerting for those I am with but always me to function.
Nice post Joseph ;)
ReplyDeleteReally good advice, especially regarding allowing the panic to "pass through" this can feel so amazing. I found a technique for this a while back & wish I had known about it years ago! Also I agree it is so important to get out of the house & try to find ways to feel safe.
It can be really difficult living with this kind of stress. It was like a sort of invisible problem that I couldn't communicate to others. Happily now I rarely have attacks anymore.
When I do I've found that breathing out concentrating on the solar plexus helps me feel more in control. Also I have been using some herbal drops called 'Rescue Remedy' which were developed by Dr. Bach in the 1930's, these has been a massive help for me & I always carry some. [there is a post on my book blog about him & his remedy system]
Thanks again for the information ;)
Wow. The whole experience seems very frightening.... :(
ReplyDelete