"Make it stop!", is the battle cry of panic sufferers everywhere. When you feel a panic attack coming on, take these steps.
If you are having a panic attack, go to this site and click on "Stop Panic Now!". Dr. Raynard is a Clinical Psychologist.
The Panic Doc http://www.panicdoc.com/
1. STOP! People in the midst of a panic attack immediately freak out. "Oh my God, I'm having a heart attack!", "This is it. I'm dying.", "I am finally losing my mind.".
STOP! Say the word out loud. Put your hands out in front of you and tell yourself, tell your panic, "STOP!"
2. FOCUS. Once you have reigned in your racing thoughts, divert your attention to an external object or choose a repetitive activity. External diversions work well during the day. In the event your panic strikes in the dead of night, try one of the repetitive activities.
EXTERNAL DIVERSIONS
- Mow the lawn
- Pull some weeds
- Paint a picture
- Scrub a floor
- Call a friend
- Bathe the dog
- Do sit-ups
- Snap a rubber band that you wear on your wrist
REPETITIVE DIVERSIONS
- Say your ABC's backwards
- Recite the Presidents of the U.S.
- How many U.S. states can you name
- Repeat a prayer i.e. The Lord's Prayer
- Take your pulse and count each heartbeat
3. BREATHE. "Hyperventilation raises the pH level in the nerve cells, making them more excitable, and it also tends to activate the fight or flight response," says Reneau Peurifoy, M.A, M.F.C.C. in Anxiety, Phobias, and Panic. This causes all of those disturbing symptoms we incorrectly assume are heart attacks, strokes or going crazy.
Many sufferers of panic attacks are not breathing correctly. They many times actually hold their breath when anxious. If you find yourself your yawning or sighing a lot, then you probably are one of those people who holds their breath a lot, without even realizing it! Holding your breath causes the carbon dioxide level to drop, resulting in symptoms of hyperventilation, resulting in a panic attack.
To breathe properly, you must breathe from the diaphragm, not from the upper chest. You can test your breathing style by placing one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach. Relax and breathe normally. If the hand on your chest moves, you are an upper chest breather - not a good thing, unless you are doing strenuous exercise. A normal breather should find that the hand on the stomach moves. This is normal, resting breathing.
Become aware of your breathing patterns. A normal breathing rate at rest is eight to sixteen breaths per minute. One study of people with panic disorder found an average resting breathing rate of twenty eight breaths per minute!!
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