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What You should Do if You Had a Panic Attack

What You should Do if You Had a Panic Attack

Experiencing a panic attack for the first time can be distressing not only because of the actual experience during the attack but also because you tend to develop fear of future attacks. Also known as anticipatory anxiety, fear of future attacks causes continuous fear and tension disabling you to relax. Often when the condition is not addressed, it will lead to phobic avoidance wherein you avoid places, situations, gatherings, and events where emergency help is not readily available or where having an attack can be embarrassing.

Take into extreme, this condition may lead to agoraphobia where you begin to avoid much of the activities you usually do. To avoid this, consider the following advices:

1. Consult your medical doctor. Symptoms attributed to panic attacks such racing heart, chest pain, heavy breathing, profuse sweating, agitation, etc., are also common to other physiological and psychological conditions. Seeking for proper diagnosis from your doctor, therefore, will rule out any cause unrelated to anxiety. Tell him your symptoms, when did the attack happen, and how intense the attack was. Your doctor will ask about your past medical history and may run some tests (e.g. urine test, blood test, drug screens, etc.).

2. See a therapist who is properly trained to handle such psychological condition. No, you are not crazy (people who go to a therapist are not crazy). The reason why you have to see a therapist is to process your emotion and prevent future attacks. Do not wait too long to seek help. Left untreated, a panic attack can lead to more severe conditions. Your therapist may subject you to cognitive-behavioral therapy and exposure therapy to process your thoughts.

3. Find the cause of the attack. Some cases of panic attacks may show a “pattern” certain activity, thoughts, time or person you are with at the time of the attack. These give you important clues to eliminate later symptoms.

4. Learn some relaxation techniques you can practice at home or while out. Music, meditation, yoga, and breathing techniques are not only helpful in reducing the symptoms during the actual attack but also in strengthening your body’s relaxation response.

5. Do not add more fear. Absorbing all the fears and other negative thoughts that come with anxiety attack only adds to more fear which worsen the negative impact even further. Instead, recognize that you are afraid and make it work to your advantage.

6. Practice healthy lifestyle (regular exercise, balanced diet, and enough sleep). Studies prove that at little as 30 minutes of physical activity 3 to 5 times a week is a great stress buster, helpful in preventing future attacks. Balanced diet keeps the supply of nutrients and maintains the balance of chemical in the body. Sleeping at least 8 hours each day recharges the body, refreshes the mind, and calms the muscles.

7. Remove all unnecessary stress. Since, panic attacks are closely linked to stress, avoiding things, people, and situations that stress you out help reduce the chance of future attacks.

8. Educate yourself about panic attacks. There are many resources where you can learn more about the condition. Reading books, health magazines and internet articles about panic attack will definitely equip you with the right information on how to combat any negative effects it brings.

Teen Anxiety Attacks: Signs, Symptoms and Remedies

All teens, just like any adult, feel anxious from time to time as a normal reaction to stressors. Going on a date, speaking in public, meeting new people, competing in sports, performing on stage, and taking exams are some of the things that make us feel apprehensive. However, some teens experience severe anxiety than others. Some even feel severe anxiety by just thinking about the situation that has yet to happen. And when someone experiences episodes of panics or develops irrational fear over certain events or problems, it is known as anxiety attack.

When is too much anxiety too much?

Excess anxiety is when you feel worry, anxious and afraid for no apparent reason at all. Under normal circumstances, teens worry because of specific things (like what was mentioned above). But there is an obvious difference between healthy anxiety and irrational anxiousness. Teens during an anxiety attack tend to react disproportionately over simple things or events that seem not to cause any excessive anxious reaction to others. In other words, too much anxiety is an unusual reaction over simple or trivial things.

What are the signs and symptoms of anxiety attacks?

Different people react to situations differently. Hence, there are really no uniform symptoms of anxiety attack that are present to all. Nonetheless, teens may show some or all of the following signs: shortness of breath, chest pain, heart burn, smothering sensation, sweating, shivering, chilling or shaking, numbness in the head and face, neck and shoulder pain, palpitation, derealisation or depersonalization, hyperactivity, dry mouth, fear of going crazy, headaches, stomach pain, and other body pains.

Take note that some of the mentioned signs and symptoms can be caused by other medical, psychological, and physical conditionals. They can also be the effects of current medical treatment, side effects of certain medications or the body’s natural reaction to stimuli.

What are the available remedies for anxiety attacks?

Medication
Severe cases of anxiety attacks may require prescription drugs to control or reduce its symptoms. Prescription drugs may be antidepressants and benzodiazepines. Antidepressants may take some weeks to take effect so it is important to continuously take medications and not just during an attack. Benzodiazepines, on the other hand, have quick relief effects, usually within 30 minutes, but they are highly addictive, thus it should be used with caution. Remember that medication should not be the first treatment option as there are other effective ways to combat the effects of anxiety.

Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective ways to treat anxiety attacks or any anxiety disorder for that matter. CBT focuses on the thinking pattern of the patients and replaces negative thoughts with positive ones.

Exposure therapy exposes the person to the physical sensations of panic in a safe and controlled environment. Through repeated exposure, patients gain greater self control and more confidence in facing fearful situation.

Natural Remedies
Proper diet, regular exercise and sufficient sleep bring balance to the body, which help reduce the episodes of anxiety attacks.

Massage, aromatherapy, relaxation and breathing techniques promote wellness, relax muscles and ease muscle tension.

Herbal treatments naturally relieve stress and restlessness associated with anxiety, thus solving anxiety problem.

Thinking positively and talking to a supportive person help stop the occurrence of anxiety attacks.

Self-Help Treatment for Panic Attack

Although it is not advisable to diagnose yourself with panic attack, it is really not sensible to wait until your supposed “attack” is over before you do something about it. Here are the things you must know so that when you feel that you are having an attack, you know what to do:

Understand what panic attack is all about. Awareness is the most important weapon to combat panic attacks because when you feel or know that you are under an attack, it is much easier for you to counter the effects of the symptoms that go along with it. Remember this: panic attacks can happen to anyone. It can happen to stressed and depressed person as well as happy and healthy ones. It can happen without warning, without any apparent reason.

Triggers can also cause irrational and exaggerated fear and anxiety. Chemical imbalance in the body (low serotonin and low progesterone levels) can trigger an attack. And while there are so many studies that suggest some causes of panic attacks, the condition is still not fully understood.

Know its symptoms. For most many people, there is no easy telling whether or not they are experiencing a panic attack during the moment of attack since it is difficult for them to rationalize things and to differentiate what is real from the unreal. While this is the case, it is not really an excuse. Here are the symptoms of panic attacks: heartbeat or palpitation, chest pain, hyperventilation or shortness of breath, stomach churning, upset stomach, trembling and shaking, muscle tension, sweating, dizziness and light-headedness, hot or cold flashes, tingling sensation or numbness, fear of dying, going crazy or losing control and feeling detached from the surroundings. Take note that people react to triggers differently, thus symptoms may vary from person to person.

Practice deep breathing. Deep breathing during an attack is the most effective way to reduce the symptoms you are experiencing as well as divert your attention from the fearful thought. Breathe in deeply for 3 slow counts, hold your breath for 3 slow counts, and breathe out for another 3 slow counts. Repeat this process until you feel you are calm. You can also breathe into a paper bag. This reason for this is that re-breathing your carbon dioxide helps correct the blood acid level that had been disturbed by excessive breathing.

Stay positive. While it is easier said than done, staying positive during an attack will speed up your recovery. Let the situation flow while keeping in mind that it will going to pass. An attack peaks for 5 to 10 minutes and rarely extends for more than half an hour so do not think that you are going crazy (or going to die) even if it feels that you are going crazy (or going to die).

Avoid unnecessary stress. While you cannot avoid every stressful situation and it is also unhealthy to turn your back on situations that need to be addressed, avoiding unnecessary stress help reduce the chances of you experiencing an attack. Stay away from people who stress you out, from relationship that causes stress, and situations that get you tensed.

Learn to say “no” if you have other much important things to do; do not work for extended hours; do not accept additional work if you know you cannot do it properly, etc.

Finding Relief from the Anxiety Attack

The following article covers a topic that has recently moved to center stage–at least it seems that way. If you’ve been thinking you need to know more about it, here’s your opportunity.

An anxiety attack, also referred to thanks to a panic attack, is an episode of intense panic and / or fear. Unfortunately, it often occurs suddenly with little or no warning. In some cases, theres an obvious trigger for the attack – – getting stuck in an elevator, for example, or thinking about your big race – – but in other cases, the attacks seem to come outer of the blue.

An anxiety attack usually hits its worst point within ten minutes, and it rarely lasts more than a half hour. To someone who has never suffered through one, this may not seem very long. But it’s an week to the person that’s experiencing it. The terror can be so severe that you feel like they’re about to die or completely lose control. The irrefutable symptoms of a panic attack are themselves so intense that they are regularly confused with having a heart attack. Common symptoms include: a rush of overwhelming panic, feeling of losing control or going crazy, heart palpitations, chest pain, dizziness, difficulty aware, choking feeling, hyperventillation, hot flashes, chills, trembling, nausea, stomach covet, and feeling like you’re not really real but looking in on yourself.

If you suffer repeated, unexpected anxiety attacks, and you are also disturbed of having an attack again in public, you may suffer from panic disorder. Panic disorder may also be accompanied by agoraphobia, the funk of considering somewhere that you can’t get help or a place that would be difficult to leave if you did have an attack.

The exact causes of panic attacks are not yet certain. However, we do know that the tendency to have panic attacks runs in families and there seems to be a correlation with major transitions equaling as graduating from college, starting the primary job, getting married, and having a baby. Severe emotional stress, like losing a loved one or job can also go ahead a panic attack.

Panic attacks could also be caused by medical conditions jibing as mitral valve prolapse ( which happens when one of the heart’s valves doesn’t stuffy properly ), hyperthyroidism or hypoglycemia, or by stimulant use or withdrawel from medication.

Luckily, anxiety attacks are treatable suppress cognitive behavioral therapy and / or medication.

Rational behavioral therapy focuses on the thinking patterns and behaviors that are sustaining or setting off your panic attacks. It helps you look at your fears in a more realistic light and caress that you are gaining control of the situation.

Exposure therapy exposes you to the absolute panic feelings while you are monitored in a safe and controlled environment. The point of this type of therapy is to give you the chance to learn ways of coping with your anxiety. You will be asked to do things that bring on your attacks, identical as holding your breath or hyperventilating. As you enlarge these actions, your fear lessons and you feel a greater sense of control over your fear.

This information does not substitute medical advice given by a health professional.

Now you can be a confident expert on beauty. OK, maybe not an expert. But you should have something to bring to the table next time you join a discussion on beauty.