How To Cope With Major Anxiety, And Panic Attacks?
My friend has these panic attacks and major anxiety. She says her mind is alwayz thinking….what if something happens to my kids, what if the house burns down, what if this plane crashes, Is someone gonna break into the house, I should of said this, I don’t want to die, she is a complete worrier…..get the point? Ok I don’t know how to talk to her ….she “WILL NOT” go on any medications…so that’s out! Is there something else I could suggest to her to help her? I heard there was other ways to cope without medications.
7 Responses to “How To Cope With Major Anxiety, And Panic Attacks?”
Nov 13th at 4:06 pm By: gorgeous
Your panic attacks are likely to make you feel out of control and dependent; the victim of your bodily reactions and outside circumstances. The first step along the road to recovery is recognising that you have the power to control your symptoms.
1. Take control
Start by really looking, in detail, at your panic attacks. When did they happen? Where were you? What were you thinking? See if you can identify particular thoughts that trigger a panic reaction.
A number of experts have emphasised the need to accept the panic attacks when they occur and that it may in fact be most helpful if you try and ride out the attacks to learn that no harm will come to you. This may sound strange, but fighting them only increases your level of fear and allows your panic to take on tremendous proportions. Accept that a panic attack is unpleasant and embarrassing, but that it isn’t life-threatening or the end of the world. By going with the panic, you are reducing its power to terrify you.
2. Creative visualisation and affirmations
Creative visualisation and affirmations are techniques that may be helpful. You can use them to re-train your imagination and to get yourself moving in a more positive direction.
Many people who suffer panic attacks have a vivid imagination, which they use to conjure up disaster, illness and death. You can train your imagination to focus on situations that give you a sense of wellbeing. You can imagine you are in a place that symbolises peace and relaxation for you, such as drifting on a lake. You can practise this anywhere but, until you have got used to doing this, try sitting in a chair with your limbs as floppy as possible, and think of calming images.
You can use visualisation to focus on situations that you fear. Imagine the situation and speak positively to yourself: ‘I am doing well’, ‘This is easy’. These simple, positive, present-tense affirmations are messages that you can say silently or out loud. These techniques do not provide a quick fix. If you have been used to thinking negatively, over a long period of time, you will need to practise every day. You may then gradually notice positive changes in the way you think of yourself and others.
3. Assertiveness
You may be having panic attacks because there are aspects of your life that are undermining your confidence. It may be useful to look at your family life, your job, and so on, and identify changes you would like to make. If you feel trapped in a situation, and find it very difficult to express your true feelings (to say ‘no’ or to set proper limits in relationships, for example), you may find assertiveness training helpful.
4. Learn a relaxation technique
If you habitually clench your jaw, and your shoulders are up around your ears, this will generate further tension. Relaxation techniques focus on easing muscle tension and slowing down your breathing. It helps your mind to relax. (See The Mind guide to relaxation.)
5. Breathing
Hyperventilation (over-breathing) commonly leads to panic attacks. Many people get into the habit of breathing shallowly, from the upper chest, rather than more slowly from the abdomen. Put one hand on your upper chest and the other on your stomach. Notice which hand moves as you breathe. The hand on your chest should hardly move, if you are breathing correctly from the diaphragm, but the hand on your stomach should rise and fall. Practise this breathing, slowly and calmly, every day.
6. Diet
Unstable blood sugar levels can contribute to symptoms of panic. Eat regularly and avoid sugary foods and drinks, white flour and junk food. Instead, choose complex carbohydrates, such as potatoes, rice and pasta. Caffeine, alcohol and smoking all contribute to panic attacks and are best avoided.
7. First aid
If you are having a panic attack, try cupping your hands over your nose and mouth, or holding a paper bag (not plastic!) and breathing into it, for about 10 minutes. This should raise the level of carbon-dioxide in the bloodstream and relieve symptoms.
Other first-aid tips include running on the spot during a panic attack. If you feel unreal, carry an object, such as the photograph of a loved one, to anchor you in reality, or finger a heavily textured object, such as a strip of sandpaper. You could also distract yourself, by trying to focus on what is going on around you.
Nov 13th at 10:59 pm By: misswrit
Daniel beat me to it, but he’s absolutely right. CBT!!! I will be doing this very soon myself.
Nov 14th at 3:21 am By: Parklin
If she says, ‘what if the house burns down?’ then you say,
‘what if it doesn’t.’ or ‘it probably won’t’. Or, tell her to pay attention to the good things that happen; like her kids laughing & smiling. Like being able to live in a house, etc.
Get the point? Wish you well.
Nov 14th at 8:52 am By: lawofcon
1. Strongly recommend for emergency breathing problems – Lozapram is mild sedative, does not put you to sleep and does not cause you to feel drowsy. It slows your breathing; Or paper bag breathing exercise – slow breaths in and out
2. Treadmill and exercise 20 minutes each day
3. Limit time spent discussing issues which are upsetting her
4. Recommend counseling weekly, change in routine
5. Change in diet, no alcohol, no coffee, no smoking
6. Aspirin only, no Tylenol, no Tylenol PM or no PM medicines
(avoid acetominophen which could aggravate breathing if she’s having difficulty during panic attacks or problems sleeping/breathing)
Nov 14th at 2:13 pm By: Daniel C
Any fully trained Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (CBT) should be able to clear this problem up in about 12 weeks without any pharmacological intervention. Try the yellow pages. Remember: CBT.
Nov 14th at 5:41 pm By: john
OK! medication is not good for anxiety attack. She might get dependent on it. the best way to do is to go to a secluded place with fresh air and have a relaxing weekend. meditation in this place will really soothe her emotion. try the exercise below.
In one secluded place, have a background music preferebly earth songs like water walls, sit in your most confortable position.
slowly, close your eyes while having a continous soothing breathe. feel your breath as you inhale and exhale, feel everything in your body, your feet that touches the ground, your clothes that embraces your body.
Inhale, while inhaling, tell yourself: “I’m beautiful, I’m good, Think of all the good traits that you could think of and tell it to yourself.
As you exhale, tell yourself: “I am now releasing the bad energy that consumes my body this past few days”
repeat the process as you inhale and exhale.
Do this for about 30min to 1 Hr.
Also advisable to do this everyday preferably when you wake up in the morning. In work or school, if you feels that you’re already consume by your work, try to do this for 5-10min. It really helps.
Nov 14th at 8:56 pm By: AD
I suffer from major anxiety and socially induced panic attacks, so I’ve been looking for an answer to these things as well for a long time. You didn’t mention if this kept her from living her life and doing the things she needs to like taking care of her kids, going grocery shopping or doing her job (if she has one).
My situation is the opposite of that, and I take medication and see a therapist. From the information you give, I can only think of one thing. On ABC a month or so ago they did something about people who have severe anxiety. People who worry about things that there is no point in worrying. How they were treated was by this specialist who’s treatment involved desensitizing them. For the people with specific fears and anxiety inducing occurrences (like being in an elevator or like me, around people) they were treated by constantly making them face it. It was…traumatic seeing it happen, knowing how it must feel, but with someone wit ht hem to reassure them and help them they soon became less scared of those things.
With your friend’s, they desensitized them but by making them actually think of all the things they worry about. Worrying “what if the house caught fire” and asking to actually think, “OK, imagine the house catching fire.” Eventually the treatment asked them to be aggressive, in that they should say to themselves out loud “I wish the house would catch on fire.” The constantly facing the thought from a perspective other than fear of helped desensitize them to it. It didn’t stop them from worrying completely, but it helped them learn to handle it. You can probably research this on line somewhere, and I apologize for going on and on. I hope some of this helped somehow, and I wish your friend well on handling her anxiety and panic attacks.
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