subject: Effective Ways of Coping with Panic Attacks [print this page] Panic attacks can be the most excruciating thing that anyone could experience. They happen rather suddenly, without warning. They could make life difficult for you. Panic attacks are often accompanied by heavy breathing, chest pains, dizziness, nausea, tingling or numbness of the hands, the feeling of dying, and sweating. You would think that the only option is to just stay away from people and stop socializing for fear of public embarrassment. Have you been trying to find ways to stop your panic attacks? You will find in this article some simple yet effective ways of coping with panic attacks.
You might have tried subjecting yourself to therapy sessions or taking medications, yet all these have failed. You don't need to lose hope. There are still other ways to deal with your problem.
When you are having an episode, try to control your breathing. During an episode, you tend to hyperventilate, so you should try to slow down your breathing. There are a few exercises that you can do to learn how to control your breathing. Try to inhale through your nose then hold for about six seconds, and then exhale through your nose again.
It is important that you do a research on your problem so you and your family can get educated on its symptoms and what could be done. This way, when an episode occurs, they would know how to deal with you.
When you are feeling threatened by a situation or a place, what you tend to do is to try to get away from it. Try to resist running away. It could lead you to more danger. When you are having a panic attack, you will usually feel dizzy. You could hurt yourself even more if you do run away.
If you flee from a scene of a panic attack, you will only let your mind know that that place or situation is to be avoided because of the danger it could bring. That is not the best way of coping with panic attacks. It could jeopardize your social function.
It could also help if you let someone, outside of your family, know about your problem. Don't try to make a shout-out in your school or in your office. Just tell those people you feel most comfortable with, and those that you trust. That way, they will know what to do in case you have an episode.
If you are in a public place and you start feeling agitated or tensed, try going to a quiet place and rest for a while. If possible, try to go to an open space wherein you can breathe. Don't go to small rooms because you might feel trapped.
Know your options. There are medications but they only mask the real problem. You could also explore the idea of going to a therapist but be sure to get a good practitioner, somebody who would be able to help you get to the source of your panic attacks.
There are still a lot of different ways of coping with panic attacks. You just need to know what could best work for you.
