If you suffer from anxiety, panic attacks, and/or phobias there is every probability you feel limited in your daily living.

Often these episodes are minimized in the minds of others but for anyone who has experienced anxiety or panic, what you have experienced is not only REAL but very scary during the time it is occurring. Such occasions can find you feeling in control at one moment and overwhelmed at the next. Breathing can become difficult as the panic or anxiety escalates. Rapid heart palpitations

may commence with a sensation that your heart is about to leap out of your chest. You may experience shaking and trembling. Your skin can grow clammy as the body’s chemistry reacts to the shock by sending a surge of cortisol and adrenalin through your system.

What follows can be mild to significant exhaustion leading to a need for sleep whilst at other times your body and mind may become so

restless that it is difficult to relax at all. There can be accompanying feelings of lightheadedness, vagueness, even confusion, and

with each episode, there is a fear of the next attack.

It is common knowledge that traumatic experiences in early childhood and the blows that life deals us are the root causes of anxiety and panic attacks. Yet there must be more to it, given the rising incidence of these clinical conditions in our western society, whether in children, teenagers, or adults. It is highly likely that the stress from our fast paced world carries with it an impact not realized in previous decades. In the case of children anxiety and panic can stem from learning difficulties, feelings of not being accepted nor understood. For older children and teens the need to be involved in social networking including such things as Facebook and Twitter, not to mention the material ‘have to have’ in fads, fashion branding, etc. to avoid being singled out, or worse, bullied, creates enormous strains..

As adults, there are significant time pressures as we strive to multi task, to keep up or keep abreast, from financial strains, work pressures,

people and family expectations, not to mention general life issues that happen each and every day.

Across all age demographics there is also the issue of food. The chemical effects on our brains from fast food, lack of food, inadequate food,

can greatly increase the likelihood of anxiety and panic.

In many cases people are able to recognize what triggers their attacks, but for others, such incidents occur as if from ‘out of the blue’ and

for seemingly no apparent reason. Regardless of how, when or where, early clinical intervention is important. This may mean a series of blood

tests together with a medical check up, but equally important is the need for effective counselling with a qualified psychologist or counselor to assist in the day to day prevention of, and/or, coping methods for these attacks.

There are many skills, strategies and techniques that can assist you in…

• reducing the severity of the attacks

• improved self-management at the actual time these episodes occur

• aiding in your recovery in both the immediate and longer term

SOLUTION FOCUS

First and foremost, it is important to acknowledge to yourself the very existence of these symptoms and episodes. This is the primary step in moving forward. If you do not acknowledge it then there is little hope for things to improve and your body will just find other ways to send out signals for help. In essence what this means is the likelihood of deterioration in your overall health and wellbeing, your confidence, your ability to do the things you would like to do, and a decline in your self esteem.

Next, begin as soon as you can, in group relaxation and meditation sessions. In a group setting you will experience support from others and you will also discover that you are not alone in your ‘prison’ of torment. These sessions will prove to be invaluable. You will learn breathing techniques that will aid in your ability to lower your anxiety before it escalates beyond your control. Breathing correctly will help to calm you, stop you from hyperventilating and for overall health and wellbeing. Coupled with breathing techniques will be many learned strategies and skills to relax your body, attract inner peace, quieten the endless chatter in your mind, and restore your energy from the wear and tear of fear and panic.

Continue your breathing, relaxation and meditation daily, in the privacy of your own home, with the use of guided audio recordings you can attain on my site. You will find your body, mind and spirit, responding to this process, increasingly each and every time.

As mentioned earlier, do seek medical and counseling intervention. Ongoing support, empathy, guidance, understanding is imperative to your progression. Work with professionals who are experienced in dealing with patients and clients who present with panic and anxiety.

Take each day as it dawns, only with the tasks that need your attention, today. I call this ‘baby steps’… taking one step at a time.

To use a metaphor, imagine a suitcase filled with clothes. Take only one garment out at a time. Decide where you need to hang or fold it.

Place it there before returning to the suitcase to remove the next garment, the next layer of your day. In this way, you do not allow the

entire list of tasks to creep up on us, overwhelm us. You deal with one responsibility at a time and complete it. This is far more fulfilling

as there is a feeling of achievement rather than the drain of in-completion.

Eat food that is a balance of 50% protein and 50% low glycemic carbohydrate. Eat every 4 to 5 hours to maximize energy and brain power. In this way you will sustain a consistency in your overall chemistry that will lessen your susceptibility to anxiety and panic.

Ensure that you have an ‘A’ team of friends, family, medical and health practitioners to be of support to you as you support yourself through this period of your life.