Getting Rid of Panic Attacks – 4 Steps Towards Overcoming Avoidance
In other articles I discussed what panic attacks are, e.g. what the physical and psychological symptoms are as well as the advantages or disadvantages of taking panic pills. In this article I will tell you the effect avoidance has on hindering your progress and how you should stop this to help you solve panic attacks.
It is the most natural thing isn’t it, to avoid the places or situations where you experienced these horrible panic attacks. Perhaps they are crowded places, or small areas from which it was hard to escape. Perhaps it was only with certain people, or perhaps it was just a thought that kept popping into your head that was so upsetting that it produced anxiety or panic.
What you probably already know, but I will say again, is that panic attacks are totally harmless. The ideas I gave in earlier articles to help you deal with physical and psychological symptoms can make coping with panic easier. But if you constantly avoid the situations you associate with panic, you will probably never feel comfortable there, and perhaps always be adding more and more places to your panic list.
You start making a connection between places, situations, people or even certain thoughts or images, with the panic itself. This connection, however, is false and unhelpful. It is not the places or people or thoughts which produce panic, it is the meaning you give to them that produces or worsens your panic. Therefore, getting rid of panic attacks will not happen unless you are willing to go back to those very places you felt anxious as much as you can. If you want to know how to solve panic attacks, then you need to overcome this avoidance.
I aim to delve deeper into more subtle forms of avoidance in a later article, but you can certainly try and start with a gradual approach to overcoming avoidance of places or situations. Try this 4-step plan:
1. Write a list of places or situations you avoid because of your fear of panic.
2. Give them a rating from 1 to 10, where 1 means “I feel hardly any anxiety there” and 10 means “I feel total panic there”.
3. Put all the items on your list in order of severity, the lowest at the top and the highest at the bottom of your new list.
4. Make a big effort to go to the first place (with the lowest anxiety score) on your list. You might experience some anxiety, but perhaps not panic. In any case, it is crucial to stay there until the anxiety subsides, perhaps using coping skills. If you leave beforehand, you will not learn that things are actually safe and okay there, and you will need to repeat the exercise. Repeat step 4 until you feel no more anxiety and only then tackle the next place on your list etc.
I look forward to writing about overcoming more subtle forms of avoidance in a future article. But you can also find out immediately how to solve panic attacks fast, by clicking here now: How Do You Get Rid Of Anxiety?
Also, please feel free to read another of my articles on how to solve panic attacks here: How Can I Stop Panic Attacks?
Dr. Jan Banis
Panic Attacks Symptoms – What Really Happens During An Attack
When someone suffers a panic attack, they may not realize they are suffering from it. Many people react with different emotions from anxiety related situations. Many of these same people do not understand the symptoms behind this disorder. For each person, there several ways a panic attack manifests itself.
Psychological and physical symptoms are typical experiences behind the disorder. How a person shows their symptoms can vary from some to all.
Panic attacks begin from the psychological symptoms. When the person goes into the anxiety state, they start to think and feel certain ways. They start off by worrying; have fears, dread and overall anxiety about a certain situations.
Sometimes, they feel as if they will die due to a fear of the situation. Sometimes, the panic attack can paralyze someone from thinking, pausing them in their steps. The fear is so strong it overwhelms the person into reacting into a physical state beyond the psychological state.
Part of the reason people begin feeling the physical symptoms and signs is that the panic attacks go throughout the body which want it to either fight or flight. If a person is faced with a panic induced situation, the body wants to fight to overcome it or flee from the bad place. This is the part that is psychological. From the symptoms of panic attacks make it anxiety worse, possibly even bigger than it should be.
Example: Think of yourself in a major car accident. You are seriously injured and have to recover in a hospital and take time off of work to heal. Yet, you heal and get better. But…you are afraid to be in a car or perhaps behind the wheel. Afraid the accident may occur once again. You see the accident occurring time and again and it makes you feel out of control. This is a panic attack.
Panic Attack Signs and Symptoms –
* Heart beats faster
* Heart palpitations
* Tightening in the chest that feels like a heart attack.(This is normal of a terrifying situation.)
* Stomach upset
* Diarrhea
* Headache
* Nausea
Neurological Symptoms of Panic Attacks – this can make you feel like you are having a seizure.
* Twitches
* Jitters
* Other movements that are involuntary
The body goes through internal temperature shifts, causing chills or hot flashes.
Nearly everyone experiences at least one of these symptoms of panic attacks. Peak times are between ten minutes and can last up to thirty minutes.
Should a person circumvent and control the psychological symptoms, then you can stave off the physical ones. However, if it seems this not possible, then seeking medical help is necessary so the attacks do not get worse and interrupt the person’s life completely. By learning coping techniques and working with the doctor, it is possible to eliminate the attacks and live life again.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/panic-attacks-symptoms-what-really-happens-during-an-attack-709409.html
The Key to Curing Panic Attacks
Copyright (c) 2008 Steven Magill
You would be surprised at how many people visit the emergency room because of a heart attack when the reality is they are only experiencing a panic attack. That will give you an idea of how intense the symptoms of a panic attack can be.
First let’s look at the different physical symptoms that indicate you might be having a panic attack.
Shortness of breath
Trembling or shaking
Sweating
Tightness of the chest
Inability to focus or sit still
Chills or hot flashes
Not only do people experience physical symptoms with panic attacks, but there are psychological symptoms as well. Here is a list of the most common psychological symptoms people experience when having a panic attack or experience while expecting a panic attack to happen:
Fear of losing control
Fear of dying
Agoraphobia or fear of public places
Feelings of unreality
Depression
Potential tendency to turn to substance abuse
For people dealing with recurring panic attacks it can be difficult for family members or loved ones to fully understand what you are going through if they have never experienced a panic attack before.
Sometimes you may feel like you are forced to face the panic attacks alone because your closest friends and family may think you are simply trying to get attention or may quickly lose patience with you because they don’t see it as a big problem.
It’s important to understand that you are not alone in your dealings with panic attacks or anxiety disorder. Many people commonly experience these types of symptoms throughout their lives. Some more than others, but you are not as alone as you may think you are when dealing with these type of problems.
Rest assured panic attacks are not as life threatening as some people think them to be. The cure for panic attacks lies in how you handle the panic attack symptoms. Controlling your thoughts is the key to controlling the power the symptoms have over your mind and body.
If you are unsure whether or not the symptoms are from a panic attack it is a good idea to visit your doctor to get checked out. Even if you are absolutely sure you are experiencing a panic attack it doesn’t hurt to have a doctor investigate the symptoms you are experiencing.
Most importantly remember that panic attacks can be treated without the use of medication, and most people just need someone to help guide them in the right direction.
By: Steven Magill (Anxiety Treatment eBook – FREE)
About the Author:
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