How to Relieve Panic Attacks

If you suffer panic attacks, you may feel that you are going crazy and that you have no control over your body. As the fear suddenly hits, your body activates the “fight or flight” response, causing you to experience scary symptoms such as heart palpitations, shaking, hot flashes, chills, tingling fingers, and trouble breathing. Though you want to run and hide, you are aware that there is nothing to run from. Your enemy is internal. This may make you feel as though you are going crazy, but you are not. There are ways to relieve panic attacks and regain control over your life. The following steps will show you how.

Instructions

How to Relieve Panic Attacks

• 1

  Give yourself permission to feel your fear. Flow with those feelings. Fighting them will only strengthen their grip on your body and your emotions.

• 2

  At the first sign of panicky feelings, intentionally start breathing slowly. Bring your full attention to your breath. Slowly inhale through your nose, to a count of two. Hold your breath at the top of that count. Slowly exhale through your mouth to a count of four. Hold your breath at the bottom of that count. Continue breathing this way for several minutes, concentrating on how the breath feels entering and leaving your lungs.

• 3

  As you slowly breathe, tell yourself, “I am fine. This is just anxiety. It won’t kill me. It will go away. I can complete my tasks feeling this way. It’s no big deal.”

• 4

  Analyze what is scaring you. See if you can minimize its impact. Most panic attack sufferers are catastrophic thinkers. Practice thinking, “so what?” to whatever situation you are in and you will find that there is not much reason for your fear. So what if you’re a few minutes late to work. What is the worst that can happen? So what if you are not learning a task as quickly as your coworker is. What is the worst that can happen?

• 5

  Walk slowly. Rapid walking can throw you into a severe panic attack because you feel like you’re fleeing from an enemy. Instead, casually walk down the hall or street. Swing your arms slowly and confidently as you walk. Tell yourself, “There’s no hurry. I am calm.”

• 6

  Talk slowly. Rapid talking can also throw you into a severe panic attack because it makes you feel frantic. Plus, you cannot breathe deeply and evenly if you’re talking rapidly. Slow your speech.

• 7

  Pat yourself on the back for managing this panic attack. Forget your past failures with panic attacks. Now is the only moment you have. Congratulate yourself. If you do not fully handle your panic attack this time, do not condemn yourself. Practice makes perfect. You will handle it the next time. Right now, you are working on relieving your panic attacks. That's all that matters.