Panic attacks

Self-ImprovementAnxieties

  • Author Dr Shabbir Ahmed
  • Published May 14, 2010
  • Word count 1,061

Panic Attacks: How to Prepare

The first step to taking back that control is to learn to breathe. When a person has a panic attack, often they feel so overwhelmed that they forget to simply breathe properly. Many doctors, therefore, advocating safe breathing practices in order to help calm anyone having a panic attack. In fact, if you’ve ever had a panic attack in public, someone may have tried to get you to breath into a paper bag. This may or may be a good method for you, but the fact is that you should know and practice your breathing exercise before you are panicking. Have a plan—learn calming breathing techniques and practice at least twice a day.

Other relaxing practices may also be able to help your panic attack. Of course, you might find it difficult to even consider meditation when you’re having a panic attack, but by learning this relaxing procedure, you can use some of the same calming techniques that help you to meditate to help you calm down.

Another great way to prepare for a panic attack is to simply know your triggers. Do you have a specific phobia? Is excess stress your downfall? Do certain situations seem impossible for you? When you know what triggers panic reactions, you can do your best to avoid or minimize these situations.

You should also be medically prepared for a panic attack. When you go outside of the home, take with you a list of emergency contacts, which should include your doctor’s number, your local crisis hotline, and members of your personal support systems. You can use these phone numbers yourself if you feel a panic attack starting, or another person will easily find this information in your purse or wallet if you are not capable of helping yourself.

Also take with you a bag to help you feel comfortable and calm down during a panic attack. A crucial part of the bag is any medications you may be taking, along with instructions on taking it. You can also include any items from home that will help you feel more comfortable. This can include herbal tea, a stuffed animal, religious items, photos, rubber bands to snap on your wrist, mints, hand cream, money, a puzzle book, and anything else that may help you relax, stimulated your brain, or distract yourself. Remember, comfort is key.

Home Remedies for Anxiety – Freeing Yourself of the Stress

If you are suddenly finding yourself nervous, scared, really worried and have no clue why you are feeling this way you could discover that you are part of a growing trend of people suffering from anxiety. This is not something to be ashamed of, nor is it something that demands a large amount of medication to treat. Of course, there are some people who can only find relief from anxiety in prescription drugs, but many others find some more natural solutions in home remedies that are extremely effective. Working to find the best solution for you can be a rather trying experience, but there are plenty of great home remedies for anxiety that can prove to be extremely effective.

It is largely reported by people suffering from anxiety that they feel much more anxious after they have consumed large amounts of alcohol. This points to cutting back the intake of alcohol as one of the most effective treatments that you can do to reduce your anxiety level. If we must be brutally honest though, this will have a limited effect. After all, if you are only a slight social drinker there will be very little you can do to reduce your intake further. This means this particular method is much more suited for those who tend to drink at least a few drinks a week.

Other suggestions include getting as much sleep as possible to ensure you are well rested. A lack of sleep has been attributed to increasing the occurrence of anxiety attacks. In addition to the additional rest as needed taking some additional B vitamins such as can be found in most vitamin supplements has also shown great promise to help relieve symptoms. An additional benefit to the vitamins is the ability to allow you to pick up any additional nutrients that you might be missing out on due to your typical dietary habits.

Many people have had great amounts of success by limiting their intakes of sweetener’s as well. This includes natural sugar, as well as the artificial sweeteners. In order to really obtain the biggest benefit you should try to watch your reactions to certain sweeteners. There are some that can make the problems worse for you, while others may not bother you in particular. If there is a sweetener that you can safely use, it is important to stay with it, while avoiding the others that tend to aggravate your anxiety.

Due to the increase in nervousness, it is also recommended that you avoid any products that are extremely high in caffeine. Because caffeine is extremely likely to spike anxiety many people who are anxious tend to suffer much more than necessary. Reducing caffeine intake can often provide some rather rapid differences that might otherwise never come. If you are in a habit of drinking coffee each morning, you can simply switch to decaffeinated in order to reduce your caffeine intake while still enjoying your morning cup of coffee.

Another suggested home remedy that has provided great benefits is getting up and starting to walk around or exercise whenever you feel extremely anxious. By getting up and moving around you are taking your mind off of the anxiety that you are feeling and allowing yourself to slowly clam down at your own pace. This is extremely effective for most people since it will allow you to refocus your attention to the activity that you are doing, rather than on the actual anxiety that you are presently feeling.

By avoiding the use of medication to treat anxiety you are sure to feel much better about yourself. Additionally you will be able to avoid many of the harsh side effects that are otherwise experienced in the treatment. It may take a while to find the perfect solution for your needs depending on exactly what factors are encouraging the stress, but a solution really is possible with the right effort

Dr Shabbir Ahmed is a freelance GP based in the UK

http://www.drshabbirahmed.com/panicattack

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