Anxiety disorders, which include panic attacks affect tens of millions of people in
the US. Some symptoms of anxiety include chronic worrying, constant tension, feeling
wired and on-edge, irritability, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, an upset stomach and/or
digestive problems.
See your Medical Doctor First to rule out any possible physical cause(s).
Contact and Go See a Counselor: Don't wait for it to "go away." While you may be somewhat embarrassed, at some point
in our lives, many of us have felt overwhelmed and anxious.
Is there a “pattern” to your Anxiety/Panic Feelings: Sometimes, anxiety appears related to a time, certain activity, person or thought.
This can be an important clue to alleviating and later eliminating the symptoms.
Work at Decreasing, rather than Increasing the Fear: Sit or lie down if possible. Let the feelings subside. Breathe slowly from your diaphragm,
not the higher chest area. To panic or say "Oh no, not again!" merely will add more
adrenaline or "secondary" fear hormones to your bloodstream, prolonging the symptoms.
Accept the Feelings and Wait for them to Pass. They Will! With anxiety and/or panic emotions, “fighting them” mentally or verbally will simply
increase your adrenaline output. The more you can “make friends with your anxiety,”
the more quickly the symptoms will subside. Practicing this will help make the "episodes"
less severe and of shorter duration.
Learn Some Relaxation Techniques: Relaxation tapes, music, bubble baths, meditation etc. are among the tools people
can develop and practice to help them deal with anxiety or panic feelings. Our mind
can be trained to relax our body when we practice one of the many modes of relaxation
and stress management techniques on a daily basis. Find one you like and that works
for you. Practice/use it daily especially when you are NOT anxious.
Keep Your Body and MIND Busy! The more we distract and concentrate on projects we like and can get really involved
with, the less likely we are to trigger another episode.
Start and Continue A Daily Exercise Program: Exercise burns up adrenaline and other stress hormones that have accumulated due to
stress, anxiety or panic. When you exercise regularly, you will be less prone to the
effects of stress related symptoms, such as anxiety.
