How To Handle An Anxiety Attack
What Is An Anxiety Attack?
Anxiety attacks can be seen as an abnormal and irrational panic over trivial things or for no reason at all. They usually occur without warning and a person can simply burst into a horrible feeling fear and dread for no reason. Triggers can cause these attacks – like getting stuck in the elevator or public speaking – but in other cases, they come out of the blue. An anxiety attack is disproportionate reaction to the situation or the problem at hand, leaving the person excessively fearful, or sometimes incapacitated, which affects life, relationships, happiness and peace of mind.
Anxiety Attack Symptoms
A person having an anxiety attack often shows the following symptoms:
• Heart palpitation (increase in heartbeat)
• Hot flashes or chills
• Hyperventilation
• Feeling of overwhelming panic
• Feeling detached or unreal
• Shaking or trembling
• Trouble breathing
• Feeling of losing control, going crazy; or fear of dying
• Choking sensation
• Nausea or stomach cramps
• Sweating
• Dizziness
• Chest discomfort or pain
Handling Anxiety Attacks
Anxiety attacks usually peak within 10 minutes and rarely last for half an hour. But during this time, a person can totally lose control of himself and show symptoms mentioned above. To handle this attack, a person must:
Relax – Although it is often impossible to relax during an attack, it is very crucial not to submit yourself to your emotion. Breathe. Deep breathing helps calms and relaxes your mind and body. During an anxiety attack, focus your breathing to slow down your heartbeat. This also diverts your attention from the attack which helps you recover faster. Take some time and practice deep breathing exercises even if you are not stressed or feel anxious.
Think positively – Again, during an anxiety attack, it is often impossible to relax or even calm yourself, but you have to be in control. Push more positive thoughts to your head. Instead of thinking that others will humiliate you or you are going to faint because you cannot take the pressure, think of the good things. Do no anticipate that something bad will happen because in reality, there isn’t. Keep in mind that the more you think negatively, the more anxious and panicky it is going to be.
Think that it will be over soon – and it will. Anxiety attacks do not last for more than an hour so there is no reason for you to think and feel that your world is over. You don’t have to be mindful of the time. You don’t even have to count every minute that passed. What you should be doing is be conscious that it will not going to last forever.
Start an exercise program – We have heard that exercise has lots of benefits both to the body and the mind. It is also a great stress buster and anxiety reliever. Experts agree that as little as 30 minutes of exercise, 3 to 5 times a week is enough to lower the level of stress and reduce the chances of having episodes of anxiety attacks.
Talk to someone you trust – It can be your friend, your wife (husband), a relative or a therapist. Often, having someone who listens and understands what a person is going through will make a lot of difference. This is because it allows you to bring out your emotion rather than keeping it to yourself.
Andrew Farrar is an anxiety sufferer who lives in England.
Andrew’s products have helped thousands of people who suffer from anxiety, stress and depression.
For your free eBook ‘Overcome Your Anxiety Today, please visit:
http://www.overcome-anxiety-today.com/
Anxiety attacks can be seen as an abnormal and irrational panic over trivial things or for no reason at all. They usually occur without warning and a person can simply burst into a horrible feeling fear and dread for no reason. Triggers can cause these attacks – like getting stuck in the elevator or public speaking – but in other cases, they come out of the blue. An anxiety attack is disproportionate reaction to the situation or the problem at hand, leaving the person excessively fearful, or sometimes incapacitated, which affects life, relationships, happiness and peace of mind.
Anxiety Attack Symptoms
A person having an anxiety attack often shows the following symptoms:
• Heart palpitation (increase in heartbeat)
• Hot flashes or chills
• Hyperventilation
• Feeling of overwhelming panic
• Feeling detached or unreal
• Shaking or trembling
• Trouble breathing
• Feeling of losing control, going crazy; or fear of dying
• Choking sensation
• Nausea or stomach cramps
• Sweating
• Dizziness
• Chest discomfort or pain
Handling Anxiety Attacks
Anxiety attacks usually peak within 10 minutes and rarely last for half an hour. But during this time, a person can totally lose control of himself and show symptoms mentioned above. To handle this attack, a person must:
Relax – Although it is often impossible to relax during an attack, it is very crucial not to submit yourself to your emotion. Breathe. Deep breathing helps calms and relaxes your mind and body. During an anxiety attack, focus your breathing to slow down your heartbeat. This also diverts your attention from the attack which helps you recover faster. Take some time and practice deep breathing exercises even if you are not stressed or feel anxious.
Think positively – Again, during an anxiety attack, it is often impossible to relax or even calm yourself, but you have to be in control. Push more positive thoughts to your head. Instead of thinking that others will humiliate you or you are going to faint because you cannot take the pressure, think of the good things. Do no anticipate that something bad will happen because in reality, there isn’t. Keep in mind that the more you think negatively, the more anxious and panicky it is going to be.
Think that it will be over soon – and it will. Anxiety attacks do not last for more than an hour so there is no reason for you to think and feel that your world is over. You don’t have to be mindful of the time. You don’t even have to count every minute that passed. What you should be doing is be conscious that it will not going to last forever.
Start an exercise program – We have heard that exercise has lots of benefits both to the body and the mind. It is also a great stress buster and anxiety reliever. Experts agree that as little as 30 minutes of exercise, 3 to 5 times a week is enough to lower the level of stress and reduce the chances of having episodes of anxiety attacks.
Talk to someone you trust – It can be your friend, your wife (husband), a relative or a therapist. Often, having someone who listens and understands what a person is going through will make a lot of difference. This is because it allows you to bring out your emotion rather than keeping it to yourself.
Andrew Farrar is an anxiety sufferer who lives in England.
Andrew’s products have helped thousands of people who suffer from anxiety, stress and depression.
For your free eBook ‘Overcome Your Anxiety Today, please visit:
http://www.overcome-anxiety-today.com/
