How You Can Fight Panic Attacks

Researchers were stunned at their findings because it was believed that younger women, pre-teens and teens usually have this problem. They found that 14% of the women in the study who had such attacks were 50-59 years old.

If you recognize yourself in this article, don’t panic. (Pun intended).

What is a panic attack?

It’s called high anxiety. Not the usual garden variety anxiety.

Audrey is a woman over 40 who had several panic attacks before she was properly diagnosed. She felt so embarrassed when she rushed to her doctor’s office or to the emergency room. Each time, nothing was found to be wrong with her.

After the third attack she was determined to find answers. She had suffered a series of major stressful life events which led to depression. She felt insecure, fearful, and worried most of the time. She had difficulty explaining her vague feelings to the doctor or anyone.

This went on for a number of years. That is until the third panic attack. It was the worst. She felt a sense of doom and that she was going to have a heart attack and die. She felt a choking sensation in her neck, dizzy, chest pain, shortness of breath and her heart felt as if it were going to burst out of her chest.

These are some of the typical signs of severe high anxiety.

When Audrey got back home, she wrote a list of every symptom she could find and posted it on her refrigerator, the bathroom mirror and bedroom mirror. She also keeps small paper bags within easy reach.

Why?

Because that is the cure for such attacks.

Cinch or tighten the opening of the bag with one hand or both, place the bag over your mouth and nose, making a good seal and take some slow and easy deep breaths in and out, into the bag. Your symptoms will be relieved.

This plan made her feel secure and less fearful. She made it a habit of glancing at the list of panic symptoms periodically and memorized them. This way she could recognize the very first sign and head it off with her breathing.

As a back-up plan, she found tips on simple breathing and relaxation techniques, which work even better because she can do this any time, any where.

That was Audrey's story.

Occasionally when people suffer from high anxiety, a health care provider will prescribe an anti-anxiety pill short-term. If you can remember this article, try to avoid this medication as it can be addictive.

A better choice would be an anti-depressant medication which works very well for panic symptoms and there is no risk of addiction.

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