How to talk yourself down from a panic attack?
I know that my panic "spells" are the result of my over-thinking and over-analyzing my thoughts. How do I distract myself or talk myself down when I feel a panic attack coming on? It’s hard to not think about something when you have to keep telling yourself to stop thinking about it…
Four Ways to Get Rid of a Panic Attack
Panic attacks cause people suffering from it to live their lives differently from the way they used to. They have to avoid the triggers, so if a person gets panic attacks whenever being surrounded by people then this person will have to keep avoiding places such as malls, cinemas and supermarkets. Such a predicament is going to be very hard for most of us who have to make sacrifices just so we can avoid a panic attack.
The good news is, there are ways to put an end to panic attacks. But before going any further, we need to understand what this condition is. A panic attack causes the release of adrenaline to the veins sending a message to the adrenal glands about incoming fear or worry, resulting in an adverse reaction from the body. It will then cause extreme reactions in the body which results in a panic attack.
The steps that will help eliminate panic attacks are:
1. Relaxation: You can use breathing techniques to help you relax better. Calm down as soon as you realize you are going to have a panic attack. The more you become tense, the more the attack will become much worse.
2. Use of Affirmations and Positive Statements: Keep telling yourself that you can handle the panic attack and that it will not lead you to any fatal situation. Any strong positive statement is going to alleviate your condition. Tell yourself that everything is going to be all right and it will. For affirmations, you need to constantly remind yourself that you are capable of getting rid of your panic attacks.
3. Acceptance of Emotion: This is one of the most effective ways to eliminate panic attacks. You need to acknowledge your fears and worries, and once you do, you need to look deeper and find out what causes these things to occur. If it is fear of delivering a speech, you need to know why. Is it because there are a hundred people around? If the answer is yes, then ask yourself why you are afraid of them. By having answers to these questions you will be able to find ways to control your fear, and when you can control your fear you can prevent panic attacks.
4. Blocking of Negative Thoughts: You need to rid your mind of negative thoughts because they have the power to rule over you. If you are constantly being pessimistic, then your whole world will become just that- full of problems and complications. You need to be able to say “STOP” whenever negative thoughts start entering your mind.
Listen to what you are feeling inside, trust yourself and keep your thoughts positive. Manage how you react to situations and tell yourself that it is going to be okay. If things have gone from bad to worse, you can always seek therapy through hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP to get better treatment for your condition.
Panic attacks are never a good thing because they deprive you of your right to live normally. Do not be resigned to the idea of letting panic attacks control you for the rest of your life because you deserve so much better than a life of isolation and constant fear. Put in mind that these panic attacks can be cured, if you know how and where to go to seek treatment. If you cannot afford seeking professional help, that is alright too because you are surely just as capable of fixing the condition on your own. Be focused and determined, and work really hard at getting rid of panic attacks.
Comments
Comment from Yeh
Time December 23, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Dunno really, but maybe mantra or music. Sing along to something you like.
References :
Comment from amanda marie
Time December 23, 2009 at 6:29 pm
its near impossible to just stop a panic attack.
maybe not physically, but mentally.
if you’ve ever had one then you know that a panic attack is just one big heap of general misery and if you get them often its good to have emergancy pills. you can take them and it calms you down. however these medications dont work on everyone. which is unfortunate. but its definately worth a try.
References :
Comment from Simple Minded
Time December 23, 2009 at 7:11 pm
You can distract yourself by thinking of other pleasant things. Find something to do. Or have a rubber band at your wrist and pluck it when you are feeling nervous. Or you can count from 1 to 100 slowly. Breathe slowly, in and out, from your diaphragm. Inhale slowly, exhale slowly. It slows down your heartbeat.
You can find some self-help books or find a psychologist to help you with some cognitive behavioural therapy.
Some people pray to God for peace. You can try praying to Jesus for peace. He loves you. Or you can say "It is OK. I am at peace." if you really do not believe in Jesus.
It is necessary for your to get professional help. Psychologists can help you with techniques to reduce your panic attack.
God bless you.
References :
Comment from CaptnJ2008
Time December 23, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Four Ways to Get Rid of a Panic Attack
Panic attacks cause people suffering from it to live their lives differently from the way they used to. They have to avoid the triggers, so if a person gets panic attacks whenever being surrounded by people then this person will have to keep avoiding places such as malls, cinemas and supermarkets. Such a predicament is going to be very hard for most of us who have to make sacrifices just so we can avoid a panic attack.
The good news is, there are ways to put an end to panic attacks. But before going any further, we need to understand what this condition is. A panic attack causes the release of adrenaline to the veins sending a message to the adrenal glands about incoming fear or worry, resulting in an adverse reaction from the body. It will then cause extreme reactions in the body which results in a panic attack.
The steps that will help eliminate panic attacks are:
1. Relaxation: You can use breathing techniques to help you relax better. Calm down as soon as you realize you are going to have a panic attack. The more you become tense, the more the attack will become much worse.
2. Use of Affirmations and Positive Statements: Keep telling yourself that you can handle the panic attack and that it will not lead you to any fatal situation. Any strong positive statement is going to alleviate your condition. Tell yourself that everything is going to be all right and it will. For affirmations, you need to constantly remind yourself that you are capable of getting rid of your panic attacks.
3. Acceptance of Emotion: This is one of the most effective ways to eliminate panic attacks. You need to acknowledge your fears and worries, and once you do, you need to look deeper and find out what causes these things to occur. If it is fear of delivering a speech, you need to know why. Is it because there are a hundred people around? If the answer is yes, then ask yourself why you are afraid of them. By having answers to these questions you will be able to find ways to control your fear, and when you can control your fear you can prevent panic attacks.
4. Blocking of Negative Thoughts: You need to rid your mind of negative thoughts because they have the power to rule over you. If you are constantly being pessimistic, then your whole world will become just that- full of problems and complications. You need to be able to say “STOP” whenever negative thoughts start entering your mind.
Listen to what you are feeling inside, trust yourself and keep your thoughts positive. Manage how you react to situations and tell yourself that it is going to be okay. If things have gone from bad to worse, you can always seek therapy through hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP to get better treatment for your condition.
Panic attacks are never a good thing because they deprive you of your right to live normally. Do not be resigned to the idea of letting panic attacks control you for the rest of your life because you deserve so much better than a life of isolation and constant fear. Put in mind that these panic attacks can be cured, if you know how and where to go to seek treatment. If you cannot afford seeking professional help, that is alright too because you are surely just as capable of fixing the condition on your own. Be focused and determined, and work really hard at getting rid of panic attacks.
References :
http://www.panicexperts.com/four-steps-to-end-panic-attacks.php
Comment from Yuu
Time December 23, 2009 at 8:00 pm
concentrate on your breathing ryhthm and some breathing meditation on your free time will reduce the frequency of panic attack as well, here is site on yoga breathing guide.
References :
http://lifejourneyanswer.com/s1b-yogabreathingmeditation.html
Comment from Prodigy556
Time December 23, 2009 at 8:30 pm
There are many techniques that can help end panic attacks. The key is to stop the panic attack before it peaks. You want to stop it before it gets to a full attack. I use several methods to stop a panic attack in its tracks. Depending on what I am doing at the time, where I am, etc determine which method I use. I’ll list some of the methods I use that I find more effective.
*Distraction*
As you stated, panic/anxiety is often over thinking or "what if" thinking. A very good method is to stop thinking and emerse yourself in something that does not give you the chance to think about what is making you anxious. Pick something that leaves you no time to think about it, something that needs you total attention. It could be cleaning, raking leaves, alphabetizing books, etc. Currently I am distracting myself by answering questions on Y!A!, as I was having a panic attack a few minutes ago. Since my complete attention and thoughts are on something else, the panic subsides.
*Relaxation breathing*
Sometimes it is not always possible to pull out a broom and start distracting yourself with cleaning. In those cases it may be helpful to calm yourself with relaxation. This often takes practice to be successful. You want to practice breathing relaxation several times per day when you are not panicking. It is a good idea to doing relaxation breathing at least three times per day(about 20 minutes per session), so when you are panicking you can automatically do the breathing, and since you body associates the breathing with calmness, you will relax. The breathing exercise is simple. Breath in though your nose for 4 seconds, and out through your mouth for 2. You should keep one hand on your abdomen to make sure your stomach is rising when you breath. Tell yourself as you breath in that you are relaxed, quiet, comfortable. As you breath out, tell yourself yourself you are calm, peaceful, etc.
I personally have a lot of trouble with the relaxation breathing, as I never seem to be able to relax enough to do it. I was giving another technique which allows me to relax enough to get to the breathing. I personally find this technique the most effective, which leads me to the technique of…
*Focus on the present*
Anxiety is about looking into the future. If you stop yourself from think about "what if" thoughts you can stop a panic attack. One technique is to focus on your bodies symptoms and tell yourself what you are feeling physically. By telling yourself your physical symptoms you are now in the present(instead of the future), and no longer thinking about what was originally causing the panic attack. For example, "My legs are shaking, my stomach is upset, my palms are sweaty, …. etc." I then follow this with a visualization technique that keeps you from going back to thinking about what you were thinking about before. The way I begin is to close my eyes. I determine where I feel the anxiety in my body(as if it is a physical object). For example, I often feel like something is sitting in my stomach, and that is where I imagine the anxiety is. When I determine where it is, I imagine what shape it might be. After I determine the color, and the size. I then imagine walking into a room. Within this room is my anxiety. It is waiting there(just as I pictured it looking). When I am in there I can talk to it. Tell it everything I want. Sometimes I imagine myself walking up to it, realizing that it is not so scary, other times I simply sit in the room with it to talk. When I am done, I get up and go back out the door and lock it behind me. This usually makes it easier for me to relax enough to get to the breathing exercise.
References :
Comment from Okan
Time December 23, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Hi Amy,
This is my first ever answer regarding panic attacks… I am someone who dealt with them for many many years and have brought tremendous peace to my life in dealing with them. I am actually grateful for them as they made me the person I would not have otherwise become. I never took any pills or did anything else other than deal with my thinking….
So what is very interesting about panic attacks is that we are afraid of panic attacks. And we "avoid" panic attacks… Well what we resist persists and there is not one thing you can do that will have you stop thinking the thoughts… there is no rubber band trick or a "focus on something else" trick… You and your adrenalin gland learned over time that you do this… you think your self to panic…. The place to get to is the place where you are not afraid of the panic attacks and all that it brings with it…. Think about it… the things you are not afraid of never come up in thought… For example you are probably not someone who is afraid of water or driving … You don’t sit there and think about the fact that you will be panicking if you washed your hands… that you should not get them dirty etc….or the next time you are going to have to get in a car…. you see what you are not afraid of you don’t think about….
So the next question is this: Is it possible for you to not be afraid of panic attacks? Yes it is… I know it is I have done it and it is the place to get to.
I have read and studied all that I can find on this subject… The one book (I have no relationship to this author and by no means promoting her) that really opened my eyes was "Hope and Help for your Nerves" by Claire Weeks. It is by far the best explanation of how things are and how one can go through the eye of the needle and end up on the other side of panic… the side where you no longer are afraid of experiencing the panic attack.
This is all based on the physical knowledge that the adrenalin is in limited amount in our system and you can actually use it up and when there is no more adrenalin left you end up in peace. But the trick is not to run away from all the sensations of fear and panic as it is happening… She gives a 4 step practice in her book. I want to be clear here… this is not a one time thing.. what I mean is; you will not be able to use the adrenalin up one time and then you will never have it again. It is per episode and the body will reproduce the adrenalin over time again. But with in an episode if you don’t run and wait long enough you will use up the adrenalin and the panic will go away.
I started out like everyone else resisting and ended up practicing "being with my panic attack" and that was the turning point for me.
I should also say here that this was "my way" I chose this and it worked for me. By all means there are other ways and can work… I like to think mine is better 
Enjoy your days and you journey.
Okan
References :
http://freedreaminterpretationonline.com
Comment from David Mesirow
Time December 23, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Try deep breathing and relaxation techniques. Like try "exhaling stress" and "inhaling relaxation." After doing that, try thinking happy and relaxing thoughts. Put yourself in your happy place. That is, if you can distract yourself from the stimulus that has brought upon the anxiety attack. You may have to remove yourself from that stimulus or situation. You may have to talk yourself through it. There are also medications you can take. So seeing a psychiatrist may also be a good option.
References :