Panic Attacks Explained And How To Avoid Them

Anxiety driven, panic disorder effect one in every seventy five people in the US alone. It isn’t uncommon for a person experiencing a panic attack for the first time to be hospitalized.

The symptoms are scary to anyone that experiences it, affecting people with higher stress/anxiety even more so. The symptoms can include: a stabbing pain in the chest, shortness of breath (hyperventilation), uncontrollable shaking, sweating, or a racing heart.

As you start to feel the coming storm of a panic attack or sense your anxiety rising to dangerous levels, try this simple breathing technique along with this mantra.

Inhale, and say, ‘This will not last forever.’

Breathe out, and say, ‘The world is not going to end.’

Breathe in, and say, ‘This feeling will pass.’

Exhale, and say, ‘I am alright.’

You can tailor the statements to your situation, but try to keep them simple. Below are more examples of more in depth techniques. Remember that this affects many people you are not alone. You are also not weak or pathetic for going through this. You are strong and brave to be reading this, trying to take back your life.

Meditation

When we say meditation, we aren’t referring only to seated, passive meditations. We are also talking about active meditation as well. In both examples you are performing a task (sitting or cleaning the dishes) and breathing. Don’t feed into any distracting thoughts or feelings. Concentrate on what you are doing, while you also focus on counting your breath.