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  1. #1
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    The Quick Guide to Stopping Panic Attacks

    I used to have extreme anxiety and panic. I do not get panic attacks anymore. I have written extensively about how I overcame this problem, but this is a quick guide of what to do when anxiety creeps up or the panic has already occurred. This may not work for everyone, but I truly believe it will work for most people.

    If you are having a panic attack or you feel one coming on follow this quick guide:


    1) DO NOTHING! Take a seat and stop doing everything. Droop like all your muscles just went limp. Do not attempt to do anything, except maybe drink water.

    2) DO NOT OVER-BREATHE! Forget deep abdominal breathing. Breathe very slight. Let the air go into your belly if you need to, but keep it light. Keep your breath as you would breathe normally at rest doing nothing if you were not paying attention to it. Keep your breathing like you are at rest, as if your body was breathing relaxed and easy normally if you were not noticing it. Don't hyperventilate! Keep your breath at a nice calm natural state if you were calm and resting and not focusing on your breath. You do not want to breathe out too much CO2. Keep it light and easy.

    3) Allow the anxiety or panic to do it's thing. Do not be scared of the anxiety. You are feeling fear. Do not be scared of fear which will add fear to the fear. Just sit back and relax and watch it like a movie. Don't add any fear, just let the current fear pass quickly.

    4) Say to yourself, "This is my body's fight or flight response. Adrenaline is flowing through my body, causing horrible panic feelings. It will subside within minutes, and when it does, I will begin to feel better. I just need to allow it to metabolize, and not add anymore adrenaline and other chemicals to the mix."

    5) If you are having a panic attack, do not seek a safe person or safe place. The seeking will make you feel worse. All you have to do is sit and do nothing and allow the chemicals to pass through you and metabolize. It can go away in a matter of minutes if you just sit and relax, and watch it flow by you. The symptoms are caused by passing chemicals but they will only pass if you let them. Ride it out. Let it pass. It only takes a few minutes.
    You are not going crazy! Let the thoughts pass too.

    After the anxiety or panic is over, either voice record or write down how horrible you felt, and how you made it through another one, and now you feel better, and next time you will make it through again. Read or listen to it when you need to.

    Just imagine if you followed these steps every time. Eventually it would have less and less power and less and less effect on you. Soon, you would see the whole panic thing as a joke. Yeah, you may get anxious sometimes, we are all only human, but it just won't go into full blown panic mode because you aren't going to run around in circles searching for the exit door. You'll sit and let it pass then back to you life.

    Good luck and laugh! It's a joke. It's a bluff. Don't take it all so seriously. Learn to control your body rather than have it control you. Anxiety talks a big game but it never delivers. A panic attack isn't coming close to death. You didn't survive some huge tragedy. It wasn't a near death experience. It was just bullshit all the way through, experiencing symptoms caused by chemicals released and an over active nervous system. Don't feel ashamed or feel guilty. It means nothing! Give it the middle finger and laugh your head off!

    Now get back to your life and forget it ever happened...

  2. #2
    Senior Member
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    Dec 2011
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    391
    Yeah that's what i've been starting to do. whenever i start getting a panic attack i just stop what i'm doing and analyze what's going on inside. Sometimes it lasts 10 minutes sometimes it lasts up to 30 minutes but freaking out in panic makes me feel worse so i try my best just to sit calmly and wait for it to finish. Afterwards i just laugh about it and say bring on the next one cause i can handle it now

  3. #3
    This is great advice . it is very hard to try relax when you feel faint and shaky and like you can't breath and your ears start to ring when standing up . I had an attack the other day and I just left the shop and sat outside it didn't really pass and u got a taxi home I went out the next day and I made it instead of having to go home, it was hard because I kept thinking as I was walking to the shop, what if what happened yesterday starts again and I have to leave the shop feeling faint and it just goes over and over in my head till it actually does flare up and come onim having trouble trying to forget it might happen but it did happen but not to the point as the day before I did feel a little hot and felt like I had to do something to take my mind off it like playing with my hads or biting my nails messing with my hair . I again went out today and i wasn't to bad either could feel me getting panic but I just rushed round the shop left and went home. Thought the more I get out the better I'll be able to try and cope with it and get through it the quicker I'll be able to get over this stage in my life. I just need help at how to start getting o er it and trying not to think about it when I go out. Thank you for this post it's a great help sorry about the essay.

  4. #4
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    Hi I read your message have you overcome your anxiety and if so can you tell me how I need all the help I can get when are red you sound like a nice person me I don't believe in doctors very much I do not want their pills I have a therapist they are too young kid therapist they are the only ones I can afford so if you can please help me give me advice

  5. #5
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    Oct 2011
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    Slow down, don't worry. It's ok. I wrote to the best of my knowledge my path to recovery in my techniques thread above. Try and follow this quick guide and see if it helps. Pharmaceuticals are ok if you need them, just don't take them long enough to cause dependency. But pills or no pills, you will have to allow your body and mind to heal and learn ways to stay calm.

  6. #6
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    Wonderful post!! That is pretty much the same thing I've learned to do to stop panic attacks also. I still get the anxiety but nothing like the PAs. Thanks for sharing, it is right on!

  7. #7
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    Worth a sticky don't you think?

  8. #8
    Junior Member
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    Feb 2012
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    Nothing else then just simply go to the bathroom and throw up helps for me, my tummy gets way to tense and won't be able to relax until I throw up, either it comes by itself but if it doesn't I have to force it, not fun, but it helps...

  9. #9
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    Yes worth a sticky for sure. PanicCured I sent you a message, not sure if you got it? Would you mind if I wrote some of your techniques on my website? I really like them, and I use them myself but I never put them into words like you have. Just let me know!

  10. #10
    Junior Member
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    Mar 2012
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    5
    I posted some techniques "quick fixes" that I employ for helping with anxiety/panic attacks is other threads...but in case nobody here read them, the 2 techniques are meant to slow down a fast/quickening heartrate and you should check with your doc about doing these:

    Massaging the vagus nerve in the neck and or taking a slow deep breath, holding it then bearing down as if you're taking a poop. Once stopped, the rapid heartrate may return but the quick fix may be enough to calm down the heart and allow for clearer thinking so that you may get yourself in a safe place, have a bite to eat and/or check your blood sugar, check your blood pressure if you have issues there, etc.

    Wishing everyone here the best!!

 

 

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