Anyone who’s ever had one wants to know how to handle panic attacks.  Here are a few tips to at least get you started on successfully moving beyond anxiety attacks.

It’s possible to be free of these attacks  They’ll be ancient history.

To begin, know that it’s important to make a trip to your physician if you haven’t already.  There are illnesses that can mimic a panic episode but aren’t.  You want to make sure you don’t have anything like that. 

When that’s over with and you’ve been through the physical evaluation and the diagnosis has been established, you can move on to handling the feelings of panic.

Here’s How To Start

You probably already know about it but I’ll mention deep breathing again here because it is both basic and important.  For reasons that aren’t clear, even people who don’t have panic problems don’t take deep enough breaths.  With anxiety] [disorders deep breathing is even more important because rapis, shallow breathing aggravates the physical sensations of panic.

Also, focusing on your breathing changes your focus away from your fearful thoughts.

You can get more information on How to Stop a Panic Attack at that link.  Here I want to give you one powerful approach.

Stop the Automatic Thoughts

Anxiety can become a chain event because the mild beginnings of an anxiety episode trigger the fear that a full-blown episode might be starting.   This in turn worsens the symptoms, which…  

You see how that might go.

A way to stop this chain of events is to take the perspective of like an interested observer rather than a participant. 

You’ve had a complete physical so you know intellectually that you don’t have a physical problem.

You’ve also had anxiety episodes before and realize that as bad as they are you get through them.

Use this knowledge to give yourself permission to watch what you’re feeling rather than getting caught up in it.  You’ve had a panic episode before and you got through so you realize you’ll likely survive this.

Watch yourself having the symptoms as if you’re an outsider instead of the person in the middle of it.  Feeling anxiety about the panic attack will only make it worse.

Some people find it helpful to imagine they’re watching themselves in a movie or a play rather experiencing it directly.  This detached attitudehelps them maintain a balanced attitude and know that their fear isn’t stemming from any real danger.

Having survived panic episodes in the past without anything terrible happening is a valid reason reason to question the validity of the anxiety episode in the present.

Cognitive therapists often use these rational thoughts to guide people to defuse the line of thinking that accompanies a panic attack.

A therapist is very helpful but many people do it on their own.

A Great Resource

Of course this is only one idea.  I found a review of an excellent program to free yourself from panic attacks that I highly recommend you check out.  Just click that link.

Remember that if you don’t identify with with your symptoms you reduce their effect on you.

One of the best things to combact panic attacks is to become knowledgable.  Stack the deck in your favor.  Go to Panic Attack Release.