The first panic attacks can be very frightening due the fact that you have never experienced such intense symptoms which show up suddenly, sometimes without apparent reason. You then become fearful of having another panic attack and start to avoid places similar to where the attack had occurred and places where there is no easy way to escape.
A panic attack is a “fight or flight” response, which is a normal reaction from the body to an imminent threat. It is characterized by release of certain hormones which cause changes in the body, such as quicker heartbeats, faster breathing and more blood flowing to the muscles, so that the organism can escape (flight) or face (fight) the threat. Although these bodily reactions seem frightening, they are not dangerous.
The problem is that panic attacks come when there is no real danger to our lives. In these cases, there is no need to run away or fight anything – the panic attack is a disproportionate reaction.
You can though learn to cope with panic attacks to the point that they don’t scare you as they used to, until you ultimately get rid of them.
Those who suffer from panic attacks tend to be very aware of their bodily sensations and to interpret slight variations in them as negative. You may think that if you have quicker or stronger heartbeats, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, sweaty hands, or other symptoms, that there is something wrong going on. These changes in your body happen all the time for normal reasons. The more you learn to see them as normal, the less prone you will be to suffer from panic attacks.
In addition, if you do have a panic attack, the less negative you see the symptoms caused by it, the less intense and probably less frequent the panic attacks will be.
How can you learn to see these symptoms as normal?
Practice watching your body sensations without assigning any meaning to them. The next times you notice unusual sensations in your body, just watch them as a passive observer, without expecting them to improve or go away. The more you are able to do this, the more your condition will improve.
Panic attacks treatment also consists of lifestyle changes. Consider taking the following actions:
1. Improve your diet. Avoid ingesting products containing stimulants and sugar.
2. Practice vigorous physical exercise, at least 30 minutes a day.
3. Have a less stressful life. Try to reduce the amount of appointments and activities in your day.
4. Learn to relax. Examples: listen to soothing music, practice meditation, etc.
These are long term actions for treatment of panic attacks. If you follow them, chances are that the attacks will be less in number and intensity.
You can also use the following methods for panic attacks treatment in the short term (when the attack is happening or starting to happen):
1- Deep breathing: inhale as you slowly count to 4 or 5. Do the same as you exhale.
2- Use coping statements. Say to yourself things like:
a. “I’ve been through this before and nothing happened to me”.
b. “I am learning to let these symptoms be OK”.
c. “Everything is fine. My body will calm down soon”.
d. “This is just an uncomfortable sensation that will pass soon”.
3- Distract yourself:
a. If something that you see is causing or contributing to your panic attack, don’t look at it. Focus your attention on something else.
b. Look at things around you (look at the decoration of the place you are in; notice details around you, i.e., what type of light bulbs/wall plugs/switches/etc (and how many) do you see?).
c. Talk to somebody.
d. Turn the radio on and concentrate on the news.
e. Solve puzzles.
f. If you are on the road: count how many cars are passing by, count the number of black (or white, or gray, etc) cars that are nearby.
In order to get even better results, you can combine deep breathing with the strategies number 2 (coping statements) or 3 (distraction) above.
Medication is also used as treatment for panic attacks, especially in cases that the attacks are so frequent or intense to the point that they greatly interfere with the person’s normal way of functioning.
If you put into practice the techniques recommended above you will greatly reduce or even eliminate you panic attacks. The more you are committed to your panic attack treatment, the greater the chances of success.