The EasyCalm Anxiety Program

Panic Attack Advice: Techniques to Control Acute Fear and Panic Attacks

A panic attack is most often described as a periodic feeling of intense fear and stress, which is often accompanied by uncomfortable physical symptoms, such as shortness of breath, muscle soreness, upset stomach or rapid heart beat.

Although the attacks themselves can be terrifying to sufferers, there is no evidence that a panic attack is physically dangerous. The sensations caused by panic attacks lead many sufferers to feel an impending sense of doom, or even that their life is in danger. But in reality, the attacks are an emotional phenomenon, an unlikely to cause physical harm to an individual.

For this reason, the best panic attack advice is often to understand the real nature of the attacks, and recognize that they hold no power to cause the sufferer actual harm. The trick, of course, is to see these attacks for what they are while they are happening. Understanding the nature of panic, and the limitations of these attacks, helps many sufferers to put them in perspective, and simply allow the uncomfortable feelings to dissipate on their own.

Another helpful tip of panic attack advice is to breathe slowly into a paper bag. The reason this technique works is because many people hyperventilating when feelings of panic approach, which causes them to breathe rapidly, exhaling more carbon dioxide than usual.

By breathing in two a regular paper bag, sufferers can bring their oxygen and carbon dioxide levels back into balance, resulting in a more calm state of mind.

Distraction is another useful tool, and an example of simple panic attack advice that can be helpful for many people. There are many different techniques of practicing distraction to call in a panic attack; one of the most useful is to begin doing math problems in your mind. Because the mind can only focus on one thing at a time, attempting to perform fairly complicated mathematical problems mentally (for example, 16X13=?) can rapidly shift the sufferer's focus, helping the panic attacks to naturally dissipate.

Other methods of practicing distraction could come from listening to music, walking outside, or even counting backwards from 1000. All of these activities engaged in mind in some way, causing the panic attacks to receive less focus.

The absolute worst thing to do during a panic attack is to focus inward excessively. By focusing a lot of attention on how you feel and what you perceive to be happening, you can unknowingly increase the intensity of the panic attacks.

To the contrary, if you can managed to focus outside yourself, either on other people, things or circumstances, you will often find that the severity of the attacks will be decreased substantially. For this reason, some of the best panic attack advice is to simply look "beyond" yourself and find something outside of you to focus your attention upon.

All of these techniques can be useful to some degree, and many people will find that the best panic attack advice is to use a variety of techniques, such as breathing exercises and distraction, to offset the worst affects of the attacks.

Anxiety and panic attacks don't have to hold the sufferer hostage. The power to control and even eliminate these uncomfortable feelings lies within each of us.