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 First,
your heart rate increases. Then you begin to have breathing
difficulties. Soon the palms of your hands begin to sweat
and you feel warm in your face and throughout your body. You
notice you are shaking. You worry you might be having a heart
attack or going crazy, and you feel somehow "trapped".
For
many people, this is what it feels like to experience anxiety
panic attacks. Although they are not actually life-threatening,
the feelings of dread and abject terror that accompany them
make anxiety panic attacks one of the most morale-shattering
experiences you can go through. Even worse, they shake our
confidence in ourselves, and the world around us.
Anxiety panic attacks can be triggered by
many things; a past event, depressive tendencies or just an
overall lack of confidence in our ability to manage in the
world. Experiencing panic attacks once or twice in your life
is not a huge issue, but when they begin to recur frequently,
they become a source of worry and can even damage our physical
health by weakening the immune system.
Once a person begins experiencing panic attacks,
they may become fearful of being in open or crowded places;
they may not feel safe while driving a car. In severe cases,
sufferers live under a constant fear that their next attack
is right around the corner. It's a stressful and severely
limiting way to live your life.
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Luckily,
there are several ways anxiety panic attacks can be overcome.
One controversial approach to eliminating the attacks is known
as "exposure therapy." This is a relatively new
method of treating the attacks, wherein a therapist or facilitator
aims to desensitize the sufferer by simulating experiences
that cause a person to experience panic attacks.
This
method is useful for some people (but not all), and can potentially
help the sufferer learn to control the bodily sensations that
occur during anxiety panic attacks. Unfortunately, this method
can actually be quite traumatic in some cases, depending on
how severe the anxiety problem is in the first place. It should
only be attempted with the guidance of an experienced Psychologist.
Cognitive
behavior therapy is another tool for treating anxiety. This
type of therapy attempts to reason with the patient, to see
the situation in a logical way. The therapist illustrates
with past experiences how the patient's anxiety panic attacks
are fleeting, and will cause no real harm.
For
instance, he/she may talk about a crowded fair and explain
that the maximum harm a patient can suffer is that they might
pass out. In such an event, people would just treat him at
that point and he would be fine. While this may sound scary,
the theory is that understanding the worst case scenario can
remove fear patterns from the mind and help lesson the frequency
and severity of panic attacks.
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All
too often, anxiety panic attacks are treated through the use
of anti-anxiety medications. Sufferers sometimes lose all
confidence and feel they are somehow "not good enough"
to face their job, normal social situations, or just the everyday
ups and downs of life. In these severe cases, medication canbe
of "some" help to counter the panic attacks.
However,
it is important to note that a growing number of doctors believe
these drugs are NOT a long term solution for anxiety problems--only
a temporary "crutch," which can be useful to get
back on your feet in times of severe anxiety.Many of the medications
also have severe withdrawal symptoms and hence must be used
with caution.
Side
effects from anti-anxiety medications can include weight gain,
sexual dysfunction, heartburn and variety of other troublesome
symptoms. For these reasons, more and more professionals are
recommending that anxiety sufferers only use mediation as
long as absolutely necessary to get stabile. Once this is
achieved, the individual can begin working on restoring balance
to their life, often with the help of counseling and the development
of new "thinking habits."
Understanding
anxiety panic attacks can help begin the process of overcoming
them. Practicing breathing exercises, Yoga, meditation or
Tai Chi, can also help, as can various guided relaxation tapes
and videos. Anything that encourages more tranquility and
greater balance in the sufferer's life is a positive step,
and can help to ease or even eliminate the effects of anxiety
and panic attacks.
Related
Articles:
Anxiety Treatments
Anxiety Attacks
Panic and Anxiety
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