Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Understanding Your Triggers To Frequent Panic Attacks

By Vicenta Felzien


Not much is known about panic attacks and many people aren't convinced they exist until they have one. It can be difficult to know what you can do about them, but here are some solid steps you can take to make sure you can handle these attacks when they occur.

It does not matter if you are in a safe place or not, you are the same person no matter where you happen to be. Fight the urge to flee, and look for something in your surroundings that will help comfort you. It could be your partner or an inanimate object like the shopping cart at the grocery store.

Turn the things you're worried about during a panic attack into a joke. "The house being so dusty means no one will rob it." The lighter you can make your thoughts the faster your panic attack will pass. Start to laugh out loud and you'll feel totally amazing really quickly!

One way to decrease the symptoms of a panic attack is by correcting your posture. During a panic attack, people tend to cross their arms and draw their legs up tightly against their body. It is a naturally protective position, but it tends to restrict breathing, which can increase the severity of your symptoms. Try to be aware of your posture during a panic attack. Stand or kneel, if possible. This allows you to breathe more evenly and calm down more quickly.

Did you know that carbohydrate-laden foods like potato chips will increase the insulin in your body, leaving you lethargic and even more miserable during a panic attack? Eating five small meals a day which are mostly vegetables with a little protein and lots of fiber will leave you healthy and stress-free.

To stop the intrusive thoughts that can provoke or prolong a panic attack, try practicing visualization. Imagine yourself floating away from the panicked feelings, or picture the panicked sensation leaving your body. Since you can only focus on one thing at a time, you can use this trick to stop dwelling on the negative feelings or thoughts that you have during an attack.

Someone suffering from panic attacks should find some form of exercise that they like doing and do it on a regular basis. It is important for people to realize that there are a lot of stresses that affect their lives. Taking part in exercises that they find entertaining can help relieve some of the panic attack-inducing stress.

As you experience a panic attack, you should focus on your feelings and write them down in a journal. You must focus on your REAL feelings, not fears of what might happen to you down the road. Keep to what you feel right now, and how you think those feelings relate to your pre-attack state.

When you begin to become anxious your body has a fight or flight reaction which causes your adrenal glands to excrete adrenaline. This causes your heart to start pumping harder and your breathing to increase in intensity. Cortisol will also be released causing glucose to be produced and insulin levels to increase. This will cause a panic attack, so as you can see it's all chemical reactions to mental issues, and understanding the problem will allow you to stop it for good.

Regain control of your breathing by using a paper bag. Alternate 10 breaths into and out of the bag, and then breathe without the bag for about 15 seconds. This will help to regulate your breathing, by building up the carbon dioxide in your body and allowing oxygen levels to come back to normal.

A child's diet can make a huge impact on the number of panic attacks that they experience. Regulating the foods that are fed to a child can help to keep their blood sugar at a safe and healthy level. Children should not eat sugary or highly processed foods because they can cause their blood sugar to spike and then panic attacks can occur.

In conclusion, there is probably more to panic attacks than you were aware of. Hopefully, you found at least something of use and will be able to begin to apply it to yourself or anybody who needs help. Use this advice now to help reduce the amount of confusion and suffering.




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