Panic Attack Tips – Part Two
Diet of Fresh Water!
As most of us are ware the human body is made up of 70% water. But what most of us aren’t aware of is that 75% of the population is suffering from dehydration.
Even mild dehydration can have a dramatic effect on both the body and mind:
- 1% dehydration leads to a feeling of thirst. This is often misinterpreted as hunger.
- 2% dehydration leads to feeling of anxiety. Fatigue and up to a 20% reduction in your capacity to work.
- 4% dehydration causes nausea, dizziness and emotional sensitivity.
- 6% dehydration causes a loss of coordination and coherence of speech.
- 10% dehydration cells begin to die.
Many illnesses and diseases can be caused by dehydration including anxiety and panic.
Drink More Water….TODAY!
- Start each morning not with a coffee but with a glass of water.
- Drink a glass of water 20 minutes before each meal.
- Drink slowly throughout the day, try to drink some water every hour throughout the whole day.
You need to be drinking between 1 – 3 litres of water per day, this can vary depending on the environment, how hot it is etc.
8 glasses of water a day, can help reduce anxiety.
However, you can tell your hydration levels by checking the colour of your urine.
The tip is……..Pee Pale!
The lighter colour your pee is the better hydrated you are.
I hope this information will help you to feel better, not only help your anxiety but your general level of fitness and well-being.
If you found this tip helpful, please take a look at Pancic Attacks Tips – part one.
A New Approach to Anxiety Cures
Why when you look into anxiety cures are top psychologists, therapists and doctors still teaching the same old outdated methods for treating general anxiety disorder and panic attacks?
The anxiety “experts” keep rehashing the same tired ideas. Brown Paper bags, think happy thoughts, do your breathing etc. I am sure you have heard it all before. These type of methods are designed to help you cope with your anxiety panic disorder, they never talk about an anxiety cure.
If you suffer from anxiety you know that coping is not good enough. Real solutions are needed.
However, there are several new cognitive methods that are making meaningful inroads into actually curing anxiety and panic attacks. These techniques encourage you to take back your control and interrupt the cycle of anxiety.
I want to share below a technique that does in fact make a difference, this technique is part of the Panic Away programme and is written by Barry McDonagh:
“This is a very good exercise for people who want something practical to focus their attention on when they feel the pressure of a panic attack building.
The 20 Second Countdown
When you feel the sensations of a panic attack building do the following.
Tell the panic that it has 20 seconds to initiate the full panic attack. 20 seconds and no more. After the 20 seconds are complete it must stop making empty threats.
You are allowing 20 seconds for it to fully manifest but not a second more.
Whatever the bodily sensation is that you fear, it must happen within that 20 second time frame.
-If you heart is going to explode then it has 20 seconds to do so.
-If you are going to lose control, then your mind has 20 seconds to do so.
-If you are going to faint – 20 seconds! But absolutely no more time than that.
You get the picture.
By setting a specific time frame you establish boundaries of control. You turn it into a game where you call fear’s bluff. If it were a poker game, you are asking anxiety to show its hand.
This works because it establishes a sense of control within your mind and body.
You think to yourself “I am not prepared to spend my time worrying about this. I’ve had enough. I am going to be generous and give it 20 seconds but after 20 seconds and nothing has happened then the opportunity has officially passed and I am going to go back to what I was doing.”
Then start counting -but nice and slowly, don’t rattle it off as fast as you can. Really tease it out like you did when you were a child and you never wanted to reach zero. Teasing it out is the key because it allows you to feel generous and that you are giving anxiety every chance possible.
Deep down you know there is really nothing to fear.
To really help tease it out, break the last few numbers into fractions.
5…………………………..
4…………………………..
3……………………………
2…and three quarters…
2…and half………………
2…………………………..
1…and three quarters… (last chance anxiety)
1…and half……………… (I really cant wait any longer)
1…………………………..
0.
Sorry too late we’ve reached the end.
By not rushing through the countdown you will feel your confidence soar because you are demonstrating real control and authority over your anxious thoughts and bodily sensations. You are saying “look, I am really trying to give you all the time I can to unleash X,Y, and Z, I am being very generous here with this countdown.
Count your way to freedom. Count your way to confidence.”
If you find this type of exercise useful and that it works for you, then click here to learn more about the Panic Away techniques. This technique is a complete change from the usual old theory of coping with anxiety, these methods actually offer a anxiety cure.
Panic Attack Tips – part one
There are a number of easy panic attack tips that can help you to regain control of your sense of calm.
The panic attack tip I’m going to share today, is useful in those moments of anxiety when your mind starts to race. You hear many thoughts rushing through your head and the fear level starts to increase, and the physical sensations intensify.
This technique is designed to stop the thoughts cascading in your mind and give you a moment of calm, to allow you to take a breathe and regain your equilibrium.
Eyes Up
- Stop whatever you are doing, stand still.
- Without moving your head at all, lift your eyes up. Look as high up as you can without moving your head.
- Notice that your mind goes quite, and your thoughts stop.
- Take this moment to take a slow, deep, breathe – hold – release and relax.
You can use this technique to give yourself the breathing space you need. Obviously it is not appropriate to do “eyes up” when driving etc.
I hope this helps and it is a technique that can be used in many situations when you need to give yourself a moments peace.
I will post more panic attack tips over the coming weeks.
Your First Panic Attack!
When you experience your first panic attack it can be terrifying. A confusing set of physical symptoms race one after another through your body, the whole thing seems to escalate out of your control very quickly.
The majority of people when first experiencing a panic attack believe it is a heart problem, and understandably seek medical attention. In fact it has been estimated that 25% of people visiting the emergency room with chest pains are actually having a panic attack.
The video below illustrates how a first panic attack may feel…….
If you do experience chest pains it is always advisable to seek medical advice to rule out any problems with your heart.
Only once diagnosed by a medical professional can you then proceed to find self help to overcome panic attacks….Click Here!
Do you fear a panic attack could strick at any moment?
This article is an in depth look at some of the effects of living with the fear of panic disorder, and the best panic attacks treatment. It was written by Barry Joe McDonagh (Author of Panic Away):
“Sometimes people have the impression that their experience of anxiety is like being hooked up to an electroshock machine and that it just takes a flick of the anxiety switch to cause a flood leading to a full blown panic attack.
People in this situation often feel that are lucky to make it through the day without that switch been flicked but in the back of their mind they fear that it could happen at any moment day or night. They remain on high alert anticipating it. Anticipating the big one!
In fact most people who experience panic attacks fear it in this manner. It is natural for people to think this way as often the panic attacks come forcefully out of the blue.
The truth of the situation is however different. A panic attack does not lurk in the background waiting to pounce, it can feel that way in your mind if you are anxious but that is not how it really works.
Panic attacks are actually something we decide to initiate when we feel out of control. It begins possibly with a skipped heart beat or tightness around the chest, it is then that your mind fires off a thought warning that these sensations are very unusual and signal a dangerous event that needs urgent medical attention or else…
The thought that triggers almost all panic attacks is :
“This is too much , I cannot handle this,” Then the adrenaline starts to really pump.
“Ah I was right look my body is going into a fit…
“I am terrified by what is about to happen…HELP,- PANIC… !”
The severity of the panic attack is directly related to how you are feeling at that time.
If you are exhausted physically, mentally or emotionally then you are more vulnerable to feeling anxious.
After the panic attack has run its course, it is followed by a prolonged period of general anxiety. During this time the person fears that the panic switch might go off again at any moment sending them into another tailspin of high anxiety.
When you feel this way it is very difficult to force a relaxed state of mind through will power (as some other methods would have you do).
So what can you do to stop the mind overreacting to these situations and not initiate the panic attack? Well most of this is about your mind reacting to false signals, so the trick is to train yourself to recognize these false signals for what they and thus shatter the illusion that there is a danger.
There is something very powerful in human psychology and that is the power of giving yourself totally to something. By that I mean, when we make a resolute decision to go for something results are immediate.
In this case you are going for the goal of an anxiety free life. You reach a point where you are completely fed up with this condition and that mindset can produce a real breakthrough. Remember anxiety holds us prisoner because we give it authority. We give it control because it threatens us with terror/death if we do not obey.
Turn this situation on its head. Really chase after the anxiety. It is the anticipation of having a panic attack that keeps you in a general state of anxiety, -so end the anticipation.
There is an element of throwing all caution to the wind to make this fully effective. You abandon yourself to the fear of a panic attack. Sometimes the best way is to get really mad at the terror and say:
“OK come on do your worst- and it better be very strong because I will not have this ruining the rest of my life”
“My life and the people in it are more important than this false fear could ever be, so do your worst because I have had enough.”
The minute you really throw yourself at a panic attack it disappears. It disappears because what was keeping it alive was your fear of having one.
Now you are not afraid in fact you are actually demanding to have a really Big Bad One NOW
DO that right now!
To make this really work you have to throw yourself at the anxiety 100%
-No coming back
Don’t worry about having an off the scale ‘gigantic’ panic attack. I bet you have already had the very worst panic attack you will ever experience again. That is because the worst panic attacks are generally always the first few as you have no idea at all what is happening to you.
Ignorance in those moments is not bliss.
What I am trying to say is that there is no ‘ultimate’ panic attack waiting in the background that will finally push you over the edge.
Trust and believe that you will always be able to handle the anxious sensations each and every time. You will.
What you get by following my advice is confidence that you can in fact easily handle the anxious sensations.
Confidence is so crucial to tackling this problem. Anxiety can be likened to a fog that we must travel through in order to move beyond the fear of what may be on the other side. When we fail to move through it, the fear will linger and limit us from achieving all the things we would like to accomplish with our lives.
Barry Joe McDonagh”
What are anxiety attack symptoms?
The anxiety attack symptoms can be felt throughout the body, from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. The reason for this is the body’s own hormonal and nervous system, working in a slightly faulty way, an mentioned in the post “What causes Anxiety Attacks?“.
Each of the most commonly reported effects of a anxiety attacks can be directly attributed to the bodies fight or flight reaction, which is caused by the release of the hormone adrenaline into the body.
Symptoms:
- A rapid heart beat, that feels like a heart attack – Adrenaline speeds up the heart in order to supply the muscles with extra oxygen, to allow us to either fight or run away very fast!
- Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, often interpreted as a sign of a heart attack – During the fight or flight response the body moves the blood supply away from the less vital organs, such as hands and feet, towards the muscles etc that would again need more oxygen to fight.
- Nausea – Again as the blood supply focuses on the vital areas for the upcoming situation, the blood leaves the digestive system. The system slows down and it can result in vomiting or the need to suddenly go to the toilet.
- Breathlessness, hyperventilation or a choking sensation – The release of adrenaline into the body results in a requirement for a lot more oxygen, and the respiration rate and depth elevates very quickly.
- Blurred vision – The pupils of the eye actually dilate rapidly during the fight or flight response, presumably to allow as much light and visual information to be collected as possible.
- Dry mouth – Adrenaline results in a dry mouth.
- A feeling of tension in the muscles – All the main muscles tense ready for action, fight or flight.
- Confusion, loss of concentration, and becoming restless – When the fight or flight response is triggered the minds priority is to search it’s surroundings for the threat. That is also combined with a slight reduction in oxygen to the brain as the blood flows to the main muscle groups.
As can be clearly seen there is a direct link between the fight or flight response and the symptoms of Anxiety and Panic Attacks and anxiety disorder.
We learn to fear the onset of these symptoms and our general level of anxiety increases, so we are living our lives in a near constant state of fear. Then when we do start an attack, we can’t understand our bodies reactions, so our imagination takes over, we imagine the worse often a heart problem. In fact at least 25% of adults who visit the emergency room complaining of chest pain are in fact experiencing a Panic Attack.
So it can be seen that this cycle of body sensation, anxiety, imagination and Panic Anxiety Disorders become a vicious circle that a good panic attacks treatment has to interrupt. Many of the panic attacks treatment and anxiety cures advised by your doctor, such as counselling or relaxation, fail to do this. Prescribed medication, such as the benzodiazepine family, have a limited success over a short period of time. However, many people are very loathed to take such strong antidepressants.
Some of the cognitive therapies being developed, such as 21-7 Technique™, have been massively successful in overcoming panic attacks and anxiety disorder.
What are the causes of Anxiety Attacks?
There is a difference between a cause of a anxiety or panic attack and the trigger of a anxiety attack. There can be many individual triggers, such as driving a car, or sitting an exam. However, the cause of a anxiety and panic attacks is a slightly faulty, perfectly normal physical response. The body’s response to a perception of danger; the fight or flight response.
When the body or mind percieves itself to be in danger it prepares to protect itself. The adrenal glands send out a chemical signal (adrenaline) to the sympathetic nervous system, and then the whole body does what comes naturally to it, it prepares to defend itself or run away!
The fight or flight effects are:
- An increased heart rate – the body sends more oxygen to the muscles.
- The blood leaves the extremities – more oxygen to the major muscles.
- The digestive system slows down – again allowing more oxygen and energy to go where it will be needed.
- Respiration increases – more oxygen supplied to the body.
- Pupils dilate – allow more light, better sight.
- Decrease in salvation
- Muscle groups – tense ready for action
- The body starts to convert it’s fat stores to energy.
- Mental priority is to look for the source of danger
If the source of “danger” is our own fear and our very active imagination our mind starts to panic!
At this point the anxiety, physical response, and the panic become an escalating vicious circle….Panic Attack!
From that first panic attack on we are afraid of the sensations and the consequences the attack had, so we become more anxious and start to fear the panic attacks themselves. This is how a panic attack can develop into a panic disorder.
In the post “What are the symptoms of Panic Attacks?” I will further explain the link between the fight or flight response and the symptoms of panic attacks.
To read more details about the Fight or Flight Response…Click Here.
About me and my Panic Anxiety Disorders!
Hi,
My name is Anna and I have lived with anxiety and panic disorder for several years.
It all started not long after my nan died, I was returning to work and all of a sudden I was scared, my heat was racing and I felt as if I couldn’t breathe. That was the first day that I was admitted to hospital and then told there was nothing wrong with me.
That was the first of many panic attacks, and several trips to hospital, but gradually things got worse and my life spiralled out of my control.
I am a qualified therapist myself, so I already knew many of the suggested anxiety cures and panic attacks treatment. So I tried to cure my anxiety, however, nothing worked. I became more frustrated and angry that no one could help me.
When you have a panic anxiety disorder people try to help you but their advice can range from; “pull yourself together” (didn’t help!), “breathe into a paper bag” (No!), to my favourite, from a Doctor “Take up aerobics” (!!!)
But nothing seemed to help me to stop panic attacks, until a friend nagged me into trying the Panic Away program. I have to admit that I was very sceptical! So I bought the program, read it and started to apply the results. Very quickly I started to notice small improvements. It began to work for me, I’m not going to claim it was easy or immediate, but for me it was the most effective panic attack treatment. For me it has worked.
So I have started to write this blog to discuss panic anxiety disorder, anxiety cures and panic attack treatment, and I would value your opinion on any of my blog posts.
I hope you enjoy my blog.
