When you have extrem eanxiety or a full blown panic attack, do you know whatt o do?
Im ean do you actually know what
steps to take to make a panic attack stop onceit’s begun? My guess is, you don’t. Ididn’t either. I just used to wait for them to pass, and that meant I suffered some horribly long and unbearable attacks.
So I’ve put to gether a handful of steps you can take to actually stop a panic attack once it’s already begun, and that’s what you’re going to learn in this opening part of this article.
First of all I’m gonna show you some simple things you can do while you’re having a panic attack to dram atically reduce its intensity, and some time seven stop the attack com pletely.
Then I’m gonna show you a more unusual idea that you won’t have com eacross before.Itrequiresa tiny bitofw ork,butit’sfantasticatstopping and preventing future panic attacks, so it’s well worth your time.
O kay, first up,the simple things you can start doing right now if you have an attack:
1. The Paper Bag Trick
Have paper bags with you all the time, or strategically placed around your house. Alternate your breathing – 30 seconds breathing
into the bag, 30 seconds breathing norm ally. Do this during an attack,or if you feel an attack is on its way.
The image of some one with an anxiety disorder sucking in air from a paper bag has become a bit of a cliché, but it’s a proven method to bring an end to an attack, and that’sexactly what we want.
2. Don’t Suffer In Silence
When you’re having a panic attack, put the TV or radio on. Or play music through speakers or head phones.
When you’re
having a panic attack it’svery easy to feel like you’re losing control(and losing your mind!). In a silent room this sensation is magnified many times. Sounds in the room will help to “ ground” you in reality and stop that sickening feeling of losing touch with the world.
If you also suffer with depersonalization, as I did, the sounds will also work wonders in eliminating it during attacks.
3. Reassure Yourself – Out Loud
I made them istake of only reassuring myself“ in my head” during panic attacks, which is
completely in effective. Som ething very different happens when you hear your own voice. The reassurance is much more real.
I found that my internal thoughts didn’t help at all in calming me down, and in some cases the internal thoughts actually became negative thoughts.
“Out loud” thoughts are much more powerful, and the panic finds it much more difficult to over power them the way it over powers your“ in your head” thoughts.So tell your self,out loud and firmly, that you’re okay, you’ve experienced this before,you know what it is,and you know it will pass and leave you safe and well.
