How To Deal With Panic Attacks
Coping with panic is not easy. Anyone who suffers from it could say. On the other hand, it is not an impossible task either. What is required is a lot of patience, a big commitment to the future change, time and the help of a professional. The first three factors will make it so that, instead of constantly trying to avoid the problem, the person will be able to face it head on.
Some secrets for coping with a panic attack
There are several studies developed on this subject. A practical summary could be as follows:
- The more you realize you are nervous, the more nervousness it will generate.
- What is experienced is simply unpleasant, there is no harm or imminent danger. The important thing is that you convince yourself that nothing dangerous is going to happen. Otherwise, you are feeding this vicious circle of negative thoughts.
- Don’t prematurely think about consequences. Thinking positively about the future will help to calm you down.
- The main thing is to stop fighting fear; avoiding it cannot be an alternative. Consider what you are going through as a strengthening situation.
- Accept whatever sensations you are experiencing and try to control them.
- As you feel better, make plans for what to do next. Think of an activity that is pleasurable and it will help you calm down faster.
- When you feel ready to resume what you were doing, take your own time and resume the activity without being in a hurry.
Perception about the future
Generally, during a panic attack, the physiological reactions are so strong that people fear they will have a heart attack and die. What does that mean? That in addition to the fear of the situation they are living in, people are afraid of the results that may arise after the attack. Here’s the beginning of the solution: One must learn to control negative anticipated thoughts.
contraposition of thoughts
Below, we detail a list of common thoughts in people who have panic attacks. We’ll also show examples of the most recommended ideas to tackle them:
“No one can know what happens to me” / “I’m not ashamed of it”
“Panic is my eternal enemy” / “I can control my panic states”
“I want to avoid all symptoms” / “I will face these symptoms”
“I must always be alert” / “I will not always be alert because of this”
“This is a test” / “What happens to me is something that will help me in the future”
“I can’t be calm without being sure there are no risks” / “Uncertainty is tolerable”
“This has to work now!” / “If it doesn’t work now, I’ll keep trying until I get it”
While controlling panic is difficult, you must understand that controlling your thoughts, perspectives, and visions is the first step in achieving it. It is important to know as much as possible every detail of this situation, read, get informed, reflect and, of course, ask for professional help when necessary. You already know: taking the panic out of your life starts with you.
