Eliminate Anxiety and Panic
Attacks For Good
By
Joe Barry
If you
suffer from...
* Palpitations
* a pounding heart, or an
accelerated heart rate
* Sweating
* Trembling or
shaking
* Shortness of
breath
* A choking
sensation
* Chest pain or
discomfort
* Nausea or stomach
cramps
* Derealization (a feeling of
unreality)
* Fear of losing control or
going crazy
* Fear of dying Numbness or a
tingling sensation
* Chills or hot
flashes
(Source:
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth
Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) 2000 Washington,
DC.)
...then you've experienced
firsthand some of the possible symptoms of a panic or
anxiety attack. If you are reading this page because a
loved one suffers from these symptoms and you are trying to
understand or help, it's hard to appreciate what they go
through.
Just try to imagine what it
feels like to experience one, if you can.
Here is a typical
example:
Standing in a supermarket
queue, it’s been a long wait but only one customer to go
before you make it to the cashier. Wait, what was that
sensation? An unpleasant feeling forms in your throat, your
chest feels tighter, now a sudden shortness of breath, and
what do you know—your heart skips a beat. “Please, God, not
here.”
A quick scan of the
territory—is it threatening? Four unfriendly faces queue
behind, one person in front. Pins and needles seem to prick
you through your left arm, you feel slightly dizzy, and
then the explosion of fear as you dread the worst. You are
about to have a panic attack.
There is no doubt in your
mind now that this is going to be a big one. Okay, focus:
Remember what you have been taught, and it is time now to
apply the coping techniques. Begin the deep breathing
exercise your doctor recommended. In through the nose, out
through the mouth.
Think relaxing thoughts, and
again, while breathing in, think “Relax,” and then breathe
out. But it doesn’t seem to be having any positive effect;
in fact, just concentrating on breathing is making you feel
self-conscious and more uptight.
Okay, coping
technique 2:
Gradual muscle relaxation.
Tense both shoulders, hold for 10 seconds, then release.
Try it again. No; still no difference. The anxiety is
getting worse and the very fact that you are out of coping
techniques worsens your panic. If only you were surrounded
by your family, or a close friend were beside you so you
could feel more confident in dealing with this
situation.
Now, the adrenaline is really
pumping through your system, your body is tingling with
uncomfortable sensations, and now the dreaded feeling of
losing complete control engulfs your emotions. No one
around you has any idea of the sheer terror you are
experiencing. For them, it’s just a regular day and another
frustratingly slow queue in the supermarket.
You are out of
options. Time for Plan C.
The most basic coping skill
of all is “fleeing.” Excuse yourself from the queue; you
are slightly embarrassed as it is now that it is your turn
to pay. The cashier is looking bewildered as you leave your
shopping behind and stroll towards the door. There is no
time for excuses—you need to be alone. You leave the
supermarket and get into your car to ride it out alone.
Could this be the big one? The one you fear will push you
over the edge mentally and physically. Ten minutes later
the panic subsides.
It’s 10:30 a.m. How are you
going to make it through the rest of the day?
If you suffer from panic or
anxiety attacks, the above scenario probably sounds very
familiar. It may have even induced feelings of anxiety and
panic just reading it. The particular situations that
trigger your panic and anxiety may differ; maybe the bodily
sensations are a little different. Or maybe it happened to
you for the first time on a plane, in the dentist chair, or
even at home, while doing nothing in particular.
If you have ever had what has
become known as a “panic attack,” take comfort in the fact
that you are by no means alone.
A panic attack always comes
with the acute sense of impending doom. You feel you are
either about to lose your mind or one of your vital bodily
functions is about to cease functioning and you will end
your days right there among the canned goods and frozen
food.
You are by no means alone;
you’re not even one in a million. In America, it is
estimated that almost 5% of the population suffer from some
form of anxiety disorder. For some, it may be the
infrequent panic attacks that only crop up in particular
situations-like when having to speak in front of others,
while, for other people, it can be so frequent and
recurring that it inhibits them from leaving their home.
Frequent panic attacks often develop into what medical
physicians refer to as an “anxiety disorder.”
One of the first steps to
regaining control of your life is getting helpful
information. This site will give you that, and
more.
The beginning of your
recovery starts here. What you will learn is that there is
a very good chance you are about to end the cycle of panic
attacks in your life. You will learn not only to regain the
carefree life you remember once having, but will also gain
new confidence in living. Your answer to living free from
“panic” or “anxiety attacks” is at hand.
This site demonstrates that
the panic and anxiety that you have experienced will be the
very key to your courage and success.
Begin the road to recovery by
browsing through the site. While many of you may have read
almost everything you can possibly read relating to panic
and anxiety I assure you this site offers something very
effective.
Did you
know...?
The key difference between
someone who is cured of panic attacks and those who are not
is really very simple. The people who are cured no longer
fear panic attacks. I’ll try to show you how to be one of
these people as well.
What if I told you the trick
to ending panic and anxiety attacks is to want to have one.
That sounds strange, even contradictory, but let me
explain.
The trick to panic attacks is
wanting to have one-the wanting pushes it away. Can you
have a panic attack in this very second? No!
You know the saying that
"what you resist, persists." Well that saying applies
perfectly to fear. If you resist a situation out of fear,
the fear around that issue will persist. How do you stop
resisting–you move directly into it, into the path of the
anxiety, and by doing so it cannot persist.
In essence what this means is
that if you daily voluntarily seek to have a panic attack,
you cannot have one. Try in this very moment to have a
panic attack and I will guarantee you cannot. You may not
realize it but you have always decided to panic. You make
the choice by saying this is beyond my control.
Another way to appreciate
this is to imagine having a panic attack as like standing
on a cliff's edge. The anxiety seemingly pushes you closer
to falling over the edge.
To be rid of the fear you
must metaphorically jump. You must jump off the cliff edge
and into the anxiety and fear and all the things that you
fear most.
How do you jump? You jump by
wanting to have a panic attack. You go about your day
asking for anxiety and panic attacks to appear.
Your real safety is the fact
that a panic attack will never harm you. That is medical
fact. You are safe, the sensations are wild but no harm
will come to you. Your heart is racing but no harm will
come to you. The jump becomes nothing more than a two foot
drop! Perfectly safe.
Learn more
http://www.panicportal.com
Joe Barry is an international
panic disorder coach. His informative site on all issues
related to panic and anxiety attacks can be found
here:http://www.panicportal.com
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