Panic Attacks Treatment

Be Prepared

If you suffer from an anxiety disorder, panic attacks may be a part of your life. Even with medication, some patients may continue to suffer from panic attacks. Although predicting when a panic attack will happen may be a bit tricky, you can take steps to prepare for these panic attacks. In this way you can stop the panic getting the best of you and you can take back control of your life. In fact, you should make preparation the first step in your panic attacks treatment model. If you are prepared, you will feel more relaxed and able to cope if a panic attack strikes.

The first step to taking back control is to learn to breathe. This may sound somewhat simplistic to say the least. ‘What’s this guy talking about? Learn to breathe? I’ve been breathing since the day I was born, buddy!’ Let me explain. In our modern, hustle-bustle world, very few of us breathe correctly. Well enough to stay alive, but not really well enough to thrive! Basically, we breathe too quickly and too shallowly.

If you have experienced a panic attack, you will know how overwhelming it can be. When we get anxious it is a natural human reaction for our respiration rate to increase. This is part of what is sometimes called the ‘fight or flight’ response. Our body is getting ready to either stand and fight or to run away to safety.

When a person has a panic attack, this normal reaction can escalate to the extent that he or she may simply forget to breathe properly. This, in turn, can lead even higher levels of anxiety because the body sends the message to the brain that something is very wrong. ‘Hey, Brain! I’m not getting any oxygen down here!’

This is why many doctors and psychologists advocate learning slow, deep breathing practices as an integral part of panic attacks treatment. In the middle of a panic attack it is much more difficult to get your breathing back under control. This is why you need to learn and practice these breathing techniques before you are in panic attack mode. Have a plan — learn calm breathing techniques and practice at least twice a day.

There are other relaxation strategies that professionals may recommend as aids to helping you to gain control over your anxiety. These might include progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, visualisation and positive thinking. Of course, you might find it difficult to even consider meditation when you’re actually having a panic attack. But techniques such as guided meditation and progressive muscle relaxation can be used at other times to promote coping with anxiety in general. Panic attacks treatment does not necessarily occur during a panic attack! The calming thoughts and images you develop in learning meditation may become an asset when trying to calm yourself at the onset of a panic attack.

Another great way to prepare for a panic attack is to gain insight into your triggers. Do you have a specific phobia? Is excess stress your downfall? Do certain situations seem impossible for you? When you know what events trigger your panic attacks, you can do your best to avoid or minimize these situations. Even more importantly, this insight may help your doctor and psychologist to more appropriately target your panic attacks treatment so that, in time, you do not have to avoid these situations.

You could also prepare yourself for a panic attack in a more ‘logistic’ sense. In fact, this is probably good advice for all of us, not just for those who experience panic attacks! When you are going out, take with you a list of emergency contacts. This should include your doctor’s number, your local crisis hotline, and members of your personal support network. You can use these numbers yourself if you feel a panic attack starting. Alternatively, another person will be able to find this information in your purse or wallet if you are not capable of helping yourself. A few years ago, there was a media campaign which encouraged people to enter an ICE (In Case of Emergency) number into their mobile phones so that a relative or significant other could be contacted if required. Not such a bad idea, really!