panic attack

Article by Velma Merrick

Even any weird or anxious thoughts you experience are all the product of the anxiety response which creates ‘what if’ thoughts… thoughts designed to make you make sensible decisions quickly when real fear is present; but when no real fear is present, the thoughts work on presenting you with ‘worst case scenarios’ and some can be pretty weird and disturbing; these might include aggressive thoughts or sexual thoughts… thoughts about things you know you’d never actually carry out. Disturbing but harmless and a recognized and common panic attacks symptom.

If you want to learn how to stop panic attacks , preventing an attack can sometimes be as simple as focusing our minds on things that are more relaxing and soothing than what we are currently experiencing.

Symptoms of a Panic Attack

* raging heartbeat* difficulty breathing, feeling as though you ‘can’t get enough air* terror that is almost paralyzing* nervous, shaking, stress* heart palpitation, feeling of dread* dizziness, lightheadedness or nausea* trembling, sweating, shaking* choking, chest pains, distress* fear, fright, afraid, anxious* hot flashes, or sudden chills* tingling in fingers or toes (‘pins and needles’)* fearful that you’re going to go crazy or are about to die

It is not important to try and understand the physiology of the human body but it is important to remember that each of the anxiety symptoms you experience can be explained. Do not dwell on what you are feeling, instead, project yourself into more useful subjects, do something constructive, exercise, learn a skill or craft and escape the body trap.

Panic attacks are so very sudden and often unexpected, appear to be unprovoked, and are often disabling.

Once someone has had a panic attack, for example, while driving, shopping in a crowded store, or riding in an elevator, he or she may develop irrational fears, called phobias, about these situations and begin to avoid them. Eventually, the pattern of avoidance and level of anxiety about another attack may reach the point at which the mere idea of doing things that preceded the first panic attack triggers future panic attacks, resulting in the individual with panic disorder These panic attack symptoms cause the sufferer to become more scared, which causes more adrenalin to be released and the cycle starts over again.

It is not difficult to see how the initial catalyst for high anxiety which causes panic attacks, can become irrelevant once the cycle of fear, panic, panic attack symptoms, fear… and so on is formed. At this point, a ‘one off’ panic attack becomes panic disorder and the behaviours which fuel it cause an endless cycle of panic attack symptoms and high anxiety.

There is a big difference between coping and