Panic Attacks - The Key to Dealing With Anxiety Attacks is to Nip Them in the

[Zoe Lewis]

By attacking the attacks before it becomes a real problem, you are not
necessarily curing yourself of anxiety, panic or panic attacks but you
are preventing it from becoming an unmanageable problem. Many people
will try to tell you that they can cure your panic, your anxiety, your
depression or any other unpleasant feeling you may have. The truth is
these feelings are not curable; they are natural feelings that are
part of our lives. They tend to crop up when the situation warrants.
Your brother dies, you get depressed, you lose your job and you get
anxious. This is the way things work. How they don't work is that you
get in panic when you're in the produce section because you're unsure
about what to make for dinner or you have anxious feelings when
sitting at home with your family or getting your nails done at the
salon. These are unusual and unnatural times for anxiety to crop up
and for attacks to strike.
Controlling these types of reactions is the focus. There are tools you
to address some of the physical and emotional reactions that are
cropping up at inconvenient times. But first, a little here about some
of the disorders, phobias and conditions that can lead to such
overwhelming anxiety and disruption of your life.
A panic attack is a terrifying and horrible experience. It takes both
a physical and mental toll on your life. As your chest starts to
tighten, your breathing becomes more labored and your heart starts to
palpitate, you wonder what's happening. Your stomach tightens, your
muscles ache, you start to get dizzy and light headed. The
disorientation and physical sensations coursing through your body are
alarming. Are you dying? Are you having a heart attack? Is this the
end?
These thoughts race through your mind as you struggle to gain control.
Imagine if this happened to you frequently or even several times a
day. How could you live a normal life? The answer is you can't. What's
worse is the anticipatory fear of having a panic attack can be even
more paralyzing. They are so scary that you can spend the rest of the
time when you aren't having an attack, worrying about when you're
going to have one.
The fear prevents you from driving because what if this happened in
the car? The fear prevents you from going to dinner with friends
because it could happen while you're out. The fear prevents you from
taking your children to the park because what would happen if you get
in panic while out with your kids. Soon the worry so interferes with
your life that your life is unrecognizable. You are afraid all the
time, unable to do things, distracted when interacting with others and
unable to concentrate.
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