How To Stop Anxiety Attacks And Panic Attacks

There is a big difference between coping and curing anxiety attacks. Coping is only a temporary anxiety treatment for dealing with anxiety symptoms, while curing offers long-term results because it addresses the root causes of an anxiety attack.

Knowing and understanding your body’s needs for rest, relaxation and recuperation is already a positive step towards overcoming anxiety attacks. Once you become more aware, you can begin to plan pro-active ways to support and reinforce, and ultimately stop anxiety attacks.

How To Stop Anxiety Attacks

There are articles on this site about relaxation and breathing correctly for overcoming anxiety attacks. These sorts of exercises are useful tools to have in your prevention kit.
They are much better ones than carrying a tablet or packet of mints around with you, because they teach you how to rely on yourself. Drugs may calm you down, but so can you – and you’re confidence levels will increase if you can start to rely on yourself for dealing with an anxiety attack.

Relaxing can pose a threat to some people who suffer with panic and anxiety attacks; it can actually provoke an attack rather than working as an anxiety treatment. This apparent contradiction can seem mystifying, but not if you understand that tension and stress can be used as a defense against unwelcome thoughts, feelings and anxiety symptoms.

For some people, letting that stress and tension go can feel like opening the flood gates. Without understanding this, it can be most distressing. There you are trying to take positive action in overcoming anxiety attacks, and it appears to have the opposite effect. If this happens to you, try to go with it. Listen to those voices within you. Ignoring them can’t possibly help. Listen to what they have been trying to tell you and acknowledge them. If you find this too difficult to do alone, a supportive friend or relative might be able to help.

I know that sometimes people feel uncomfortable talking to those they know well about difficult, personal issues (like dealing with and overcoming anxiety), so finding a counselor, therapist or psychologists might be the answer. Taking time to talk out your inner fears and worries is an excellent preventative measure. We all need to let off steam and talk through problems with someone. Therapists and counselors understand anxiety attacks extremely well and can provide the supportive environment you need to be able to do this with confidence.

Overcoming Anxiety

Knowing your body better, you can now respond positively to tiredness or anxiety symptoms. Take yourself off for five minutes, five hours or five days; whatever it needs to rebalance you and recharge those worn batteries. Working on regardless may seem noble and tough, but when you know it could lead to a panic attack it is sheer foolhardiness.

No doubt you will now jump up and down and shriek that you couldn’t possibly take time out (even for five minutes). Yes, sometimes it is difficult to come to a sudden halt and it may cause more practical problems as a result – unless you take pro-active measures. Now might be a good time to acquire some new practical skills to help you do that.

For example, do you use your time efficiently? Are you able to delegate, or do you think that only you can be trusted to do things properly (another rigid, outdated rule that can bring on anxiety symptoms)? How well do you tackle problems? Do you approach them systematically or do you let them run around unchecked inside your head? Top managers have these skills as part of their management repertoire. If they can help multinational companies run efficiently, they could also help you run your life better.

Time management helps you work efficiently and plan for productive rest periods (studies show that all work and no play not only makes you dull and anxious but drastically decreases work efficiency). It is a good way to make sure you take those much-needed regular breaks which alleviate rising tension and anxiety attack levels.

Delegation takes away pressure. It can also motivate others, including family members and friends as well as work colleagues. Calling house meetings to discuss and agree on delegation of tasks (and penalties) productively shifts unwieldy workloads from your shoulders. You’ll be happier, and so will everyone else when they see how much less irritable you are.

Problem-solving techniques are also easily learned. Unresolved problems create worry; worry creates anxiety symptoms, and these anxiety symptoms can lead to panic attacks. Solve the problem and you kill the worry; kill the worry and you reduce the possibility of another anxiety attack. It’s so easy to let the mind run around seemingly endless problems, but by learning to take hold of each in turn and deal with them appropriately, you come one step nearer to positively preventing an attack.

Anxiety Treatment Tips

Going into difficult situations can easily lead to anxiety symptoms and worry about whether you will have an anxiety attack or not. You now know how to help by using your thoughts in a positive way. You can also pre-plan positive strategies. Whatever the situation, plan to build relaxing breaks into it. If it is a party, visit the bathroom regularly or step outside to inspect the garden for a breather (which is a great way to stop anxiety attacks).

If you realize the root of the problem of your anxiety symptoms is boredom, then leave decisively. At the cinema, sit in an aisle seat and plan ahead to have one or two breaks, before you have a chance to start feeling panicky. There are not many situations for which you cannot plan a strategy. Even meetings can have breaks included. You can easily excuse yourself for a moment – setting your watch bleeper for a convenient time is one possible strategy. Then you will not have to resort to ‘escaping’ on the verge of panic.

Taking positive preventative action not only helps to ward off possible anxiety attacks, but also reminds you that you are in control. As a result your confidence increases and a light at the end of the tunnel slowly starts to come into view.

To summarize:

• Depending on coping mechanisms for dealing with anxiety symptoms will not cure.
• Knowing yourself and your body will.
• Have a look at your personal rules. Update any which no longer apply or which hold you back from being your true self.
• Start to plan those positive anxiety attack prevention strategies which will help you – now. Take a few minutes to write a list. For example, planning for short breaks next time you are in a meeting, or finding out about assertiveness training.