Anyone who’s had one wants to know how to respond to anxiety episodes.  A panic attack causes intense physical and psychological distress. 

If the attacks persist they can completely destroy a person’s enjoyment of life, putting limits on what they’re willing to do and restricting the choices they’re comfortable with. 

In this article I’ll give some ideas about how to respond.  If you’re like most people who have had one, you want to know: what to do to prevent an anxiety episode in the first place and what to do if one happens despite your efforts to prevent it.

First, if you haven’t already you should see a doctor.

Some people might have a physical problem.  You want to be certain that there is not a physical problem such as a heart or thyroid problem responsible for your symptoms.

This step establishes the diagnosis and reassures you that you are healthy.  Some forms of cognitive therapy use this reassurance to help combat the panic feeling.

It also helps to realize you are not alone.

These days anxiety disorders are commonplace.  I suppose it’s not too surprising given the stressful times we live in. There are many on-line forums where people share stories and offer support.

Like anything on-line be sure to use some common sense. I’ve seen some good advice in on-line forums and I’ve seen some pretty bad advice.

It’s also helpful that many people describe what their attacks felt like.  Hearing other people’s stories and how they’ve responded is often inspirational as well as useful.

You should also learn how to do a breathing technique to help with panic attacks calleddiaphragmatic breathing.  This form of breathing is good for you in general.  It also gets you used to feeling relaxed.

Diaphragmatic breathing generally isn’t enough by itself it can be one of the tools used to help stop.

you also may want to seek out instruction on relaxation techniques.  You can learn this from a therapist, on-line or even a book.  No matter how you learn them, practice the techniques daily, even if only for a few minutes.

Cognitive restructuring works very well in preventing panic attacks.  This is most easily applied working with a therapist but it is possible to learn without seeing a therapist.

Lastly, if your attacks are acutely debilitating you may benefit from short term use of medications to help until the other treatments take effect.

People usually come off the drugs after a few weeks to a year. Some need longer term treatment.

you can read about medications for anxiety and panic attacks that are used in addition to antidepressants.

Naturally, anyone taking medications needs to be under a doctor’s supervision.

This article has given you an idea of what to do about panic attacks.  The main thing to realize is that that you can be free of them before too long.

You can learn about an excellent way to free yourself of panic attacks once and for all at Panic Away Review.