Anyone who has ever suffered a panic attack will tell you the same verdict - its a truly terrifying experience. Unfortunately for some people, panic attacks never does go away as they keep suffering from repeated panic attacks. Hence, its important to know the steps to stopping panic attacks.
The first step to stopping panic attacks is to recognize its symptoms. A major indicator of panic attack is the sudden onset of intense fear that is totally unrelated to the situation you are in. Suddenly, you become fearful that your about to die or something terrible is about to happen.
Sometime, panic attack can have small starts. You might feel a bit shaky or nervous and your heart start to beat faster and faster. You start sweating and breathing heavily. These are all signs which can eventually lead to a full blown panic attacks. Train yourself to recognize these symptoms in order to get a decent head start in stopping panic attacks.
One of the best method to stop a panic attack is to practice deep breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. Sit down (or lay down) and close your eyes. Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly. Focus on allowing the belly to rise easily when inhaling and fall when exhaling. The objective here is to breathe all the time with the belly (diaphragm) and not the chest.
You may experience some difficulty initially, but in the long run, you will find itMUCHeasier to clam down.
Another method is to give yourself a "mental shake" to stop the symptoms. Some therapists recommend shouting"Stop"both verbally and mentally to snap yourself out from the fearful thoughts.
The third method is to calm yourself down using positive, logical statements. Always remind yourself that panic attack cannot harm you and you will always be fine. A few examples of such statements:
"Panic attack is not dangerous, its just uncomfortable. I know that I will always be fine. I will continue with I am doing."
"STOP! These thoughts are not good for me. They are not constructive at all. I will think differently."
Lastly, the most important step to stopping panic attacks is to accept it. This may sound strange but there's a reasoning behind it. Panic attack occur because your afraid of them. Your fearful of its symptoms because they make you feel awful. Thus, whenever you feel the symptoms coming, you will start to panic. By doing so, your actually adding fuel to the fire, you make panic attack happen! Don't run or hide from panic attacks. Accept it and make the decision to confront it!
