How to cope up with Panic Attacks at work or in personal life!

Panic is an overwhelming feeling of anxiety which occurs suddenly, without warning, and often for no apparent reason, and comes on in a wave of feeling, known as a panic attack.

There is a rapid build-up of physical panic attack symptoms, such as: Sweating Nausea Feeling unable to breathe or experiencing a choking sensation, Feeling faint or dizzy Numbness or pins and needles, Chest pains or tightness of the chest No-one wants to experience panic attacks and so the person may start to avoid situations where they might occur. It is important to be aware that the physical symptoms of a panic attack will not result in a heart attack or cause any physical harm.
Below listed are the top 5 tips to deal with panic attacks:
                 

1. Stay where you are

If possible, you should stay where you are during a panic attack. As the attack could last up to one hour, you may need to pull over and park where it's safe to do so if driving. Then pause for moment, observe your thoughts and tell yourself that your mind is reacting to these thoughts and anxiety. These feelings are normal - it's just the body's alarm system doing its job when it doesn't need to.

2. Learn to control your breathing

By learning to slow your breathing down, you can help prevent the uncomfortable physical symptoms and stop the panic cycle. Try to get a slower and more stable breathing rhythm by breathing in for three seconds, holding your breath for two seconds, and then breathing out for three seconds.

                   

 3. Learn to use positive coping statements

When you are feeling anxious and panicky it can be helpful to have 'coping statements' which can be used to remind you that panic is not dangerous and isn't harmful. Such statements could be: - My anxiety and panic will pass naturally given time. It doesn't last forever - I can continue without needing to escape or avoid - I have never fainted, choked, or had a heart attack Reminding yourself of these facts can help to prevent further panic cycles happening.

       

4. Shift your focus

Many things can go through your mind during a panic attack, often very negative thoughts, for example thinking about disaster or death. Rather than focusing on these, try to concentrate on something else such as looking at a flower or a picture or something that interests or comforts you. Alternatively, you could try creative visualization. To do this, think of a place or situation that makes you feel relaxed or comfortable. Once you have the image in your mind, focus your attention on it and this should distract you from the panic which should then help ease your symptoms.

 

Even though we may believe a lot of the unhelpful thoughts during a panic attack, these thoughts should be challenged as they are often based on incorrect assumptions. For example, misinterpreting the physical changes in the body during panic as "I'm having a heart attack".

To challenge and answer this negative thought, you would ask: what could you have said to yourself that would have helped?

Keeping a diary of what happens each time you panic can help you to spot patterns in what triggers these experiences for you, so that you can think about how to deal with these situations in the future.

Let us know in the comment section if theirs anything that has worked for you and you would like to help others by sharing it :)
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