Anxiety & Panic Attacks - Conquering Fear

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Anxiety & Panic Attacks

By: David Korn

Anxiety is an extremely common complaint for many people. It affects everyone in different severities. Anxiety is not something we can turn off and get rid of completely. Rather, we can learn to dim the switch on anxiety and integrate it into our daily lives. Panic attacks are a more severe form of anxiety. This is when the body is at high alert for something real or imagined. Learning how to calm panic attacks and living with them, even if they occur daily, can give us more control in our lives.

Our body is essentially telling us that we are in some sort of danger when we experience anxiety. This might not be a threatening danger, but many times something that will threaten our comfort levels. Events that are imagined can also contribute to our anxiety levels. The key to calming anxiety is knowledge and thought management. The most effective way to deal with anxiety is through changing our thinking. When we fear something, research what the real outcomes are and you will notice it is not as bad as it seems. Then you can replace those negative thoughts with more realistic ones until they become your way of thinking.

Replacing thoughts and changing our thinking patterns usually doesn’t happen overnight. This takes time and effort to do since our minds have a defense mechanism to protect us. Even if we do change our thinking, many times our minds will revert back to old ways of thinking. We have to keep reminding ourselves of the newly acquired information so that future setbacks occur less frequently.

Panic attacks usually occur suddenly and sometimes without warning. Some people experience them once in a blue moon and some experience them multiple times a day. After a while, some may even fear recurring panic attacks. This can lead to a mentally difficult situation. In the midst of a panic attack, it is a good idea to let it have its effect on you. In addition, it is a signal that you need to pay attention to your thoughts immediately. As soon as one occurs, work on changing the thought patterns as much as you can. For instance, if you see a bug and start to panic, keep replacing the negative thoughts with ones reassuring that you are safe.

Besides thought management, other less effective ways of dealing with anxiety and panic attacks are relaxation techniques. Since these emotions yield physical symptoms at any area of your body, you can try to relax the muscles. Some resort to a hot shower, massages, and other means. Regardless, replacing thoughts and changing your thinking over time will relax you much better than any of these techniques.