How To Calm Yourself During Panic Attacks

A panic attack is a climax of anxiety symptoms that causes them to be experienced suddenly and forcefully. The symptoms may include: intense fear, rapid heart rate, hyperventilation, an urge to escape, muscle tension, dizziness, sweating and mild to moderate pain and pressure in the chest. People who experience frequent panic attacks have a condition referred to as Panic Disorder. The following four steps which are often used in variations of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help those who suffer panic attacks, to calm themselves when experiencing them.

1. Remind yourself during a panic attack that you will not drop dead or lose your sanity. While panic attacks are the most unpleasant type of anxiety that can be experienced, reputable mental health sources state that they do not lead to loss of sanity, strokes or heart attacks in otherwise healthy people. Anxiety is a normal mechanism designed to give the body increased strength to escape danger or to fight an enemy should situations arise requiring the need to do so. It is also designed to help us accomplish urgent or important duties that life might present to us. Panic attacks are an example of this important mechanism occurring "out of context," meaning they are triggered at times when there is no actual need for the "fight or flight" response. While this improper timing makes panic attacks extremely unpleasant, they are still a normal response the body is designed to experience without causing injury to the mind or body. The real damage chronic anxiety conditions result in is restricting some of the freedom and enjoyment of life rather than actually causing mental or physical damage. Reminding yourself of these simple facts can help diminish the effects of a panic attack and calm you down during one.
2. Focus on the task you are involved in rather than focusing on the panic attack symptoms. While this step is certainly easier said than done, with practice, you can learn to divert your attention away from the unpleasant anxiety symptoms and direct your focus more on accomplishing an immediate goal at hand. The tasks that cause a panic attack can be simple things such as waiting in line to be checked out at a grocery store or walking to the front aisle of a theater to be seated. Other times, tasks that cause panic attacks are of more importance and significance, such as standing before an audience to make an important speech or rescuing someone from a burning home. Regardless of the tasks needing to be performed, you can practice focusing more on accomplishing them than on the panic symptoms they may be triggering. This will channel your attention toward your energy in performing these tasks, rather than upon surviving the anxiety symptoms.

   If you feel panic symptoms arising while being checked out at the grocery line, you might consider focusing intently on the magazines or other items near the checkout stand. When your groceries are being checked out, you might consider mentally calculating the total cost of your groceries to see how close you come to the final tally. If it helps to join in with the clerk in bagging the groceries, you might consider this as a diversion from focusing on anxiety symptoms. Any method that helps you divert your attention and energy into a task rather than focusing on the anxiety is acceptable and you can also make a game out of it, so that you look forward to the gains you will occur over time and actually begin to enjoy accomplishing these goals.
3. Realize that you are not alone in experiencing panic attacks and that they are not a sign of weakness. Panic attacks are experienced by an estimated 6 million Americans (or about 1 out of every 75). Mental health professionals who study anxiety disorders, including panic attacks, have found that people who suffer chronic anxiety are often the more creative and passionate people in our society. Famous sports figures including pro football players Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams have suffered panic attacks, as well as famous celebrities including Howie Mandel and Oprah Winfrey. This places people who suffer panic attacks and panic disorder in good company with some of our nation's most ambitious people. By reminding yourself that greatly admired and creative people suffer chronic anxiety conditions, you can also view yourself as among the most creative and passionate people of our society.
4. Channel your anxiety into a positive and creative process. Many anxiety sufferers have found that when they feel on edge or as if they are on the verge of experiencing a panic attack, they are also at their most creative and passionate. By taking that anxiety energy and channeling it into positive actions, you can redirect it away from negative experiences. Rather than running from the anxiety symptoms or attempting to hide from them when they occur, try channeling that energy into creating something you enjoy. If you enjoy sculpting, writing or painting, allow the anxiety to trigger your creative juices into flowing by concentrating that energy into those creative arts. If you enjoy sports, such as soccer, tennis or martial arts, channel that anxiety energy into improving upon your skills and techniques in these areas. If you are involved in something or in a location where this is not possible when anxiety symptoms occur, you might attempt to mentally play the sport in your mind or carry a small notepad for jotting down notes on how you can improve in the sport when you are able to play again. While the following final suggestion for this step might seem unusual, a PhD Stress Management Expert in the U.S. recently found that anxiety and stress relief can be experienced using romantic and sexual fantasy as an anxiety diversion technique. In his research, he found that people who conjure torrid fantasies involving romantic and sexual scenarios have found that it helps to divert negative anxiety responses into passionate imagination with positive results. I would add the suggestion that you use your spouse and life partner as the object of your fantasies, which will improve both your anxiety symptoms and your love life at the same time.

These four steps can help to diminish the effects of anxiety symptoms and can also help those who suffer panic attacks to direct their anxiety into a positive direction and outcome.