Without understanding some basic tips for panic attacks, people often rush off to the hospital fearing a heart attack or stroke when experiencing symptoms like dizziness, rapid breathing, heart palpitations, nausea, shaking and hyperventilation. These symptoms can also spell anxiety, and can appear quickly and without warning.
Once the condition is known to be anxiety related, there are some very effective tips for controlling panic attacks that can bring them under control, stop them, or even prevent them altogether.
There are both physical and psychological causes of panic attacks. Although experienced by both men and women, these attacks are more common among females than males. Food sensitivities and allergies, traumas and past memories can all trigger a panic attack. Something as simple as a remembered fear can drive someone into a state of panic. In many cases, it’s not even an actual occurrence of an unpleasant event, it could just be the memory of it that causes the attack to come on. Many times this will cause the sufferer to completely avoid such situations completely. In extreme cases, the fear is so terrifying that the person will even fear leaving their home.
There are some very effective tips for controlling panic attacks that can provide desperately needed relief at the onset, and much needed help in getting thru the ordeal.
The first thing to do is to get your breathing under control. Slow deep breaths control the flow of oxygen to the brain, and can help prevent hyperventilation, dizziness and light-headedness.
Keeping your thoughts off of the panic is key. Anchor your thoughts on a pleasant memory or a thought that will cause you to relax. Hold that thought firmly in your mind until you feel your body start to relax.
Other effective tips for controlling panic attacks should be practiced on an ongoing basis, which may even help to prevent future attacks. For some people, exercise has been proven to be effective in preventing panic attacks. Aromatherapy is useful for some people in that specific scents can be very soothing. Scented candles or oils often trigger pleasant memories, which relax the mind and body. Used in conjunction with meditation, the effects can be multiplied. Listening to relaxing music in a comfortable atmosphere while visualizing or meditating can add to the effectiveness of the aromatherapy.
Since people get results from a variety of different techniques, it’s a good idea to experiment until you find what works best for you. There are a variety of techniques you can learn that will provide amazing results in lessening the symptoms of panic attacks, or even stopping them dead in their tracks.
