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How to stop anxiety attack symptoms |  We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. | |
You know what anxiety is, but Feeling anxious at this very moment? Here's something you can do right now:
how do you stop feeling anxious?
I am a life-long sufferer of panic and anxiety and part of my therapy is to help others . . . so here goes: Let's look at the causes of these feelings then look at some of the things we can do about it.
We're a little special, aren't we?
Most people experience stress and anxiety to some degree. Stress and anxiety are natural defense mechanisms, but they can get out of hand. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is much more than the normal anxiety people experience day to day. It's chronic and fills one's day with exaggerated worry and tension, even though there is little or nothing to provoke it. People with panic disorder have feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. Those of us who are anxious know these feelings all too well.
What we are experiencing is part of an overall social disorder that effects an estimated 20 million people in this country – that’s one out of every 14 people in the United States! (Some even estimate it at one in seven people.) The disorder includes phobias, post-traumatic stress syndrome, hypertension, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. It may make you afraid to leave the house – I know, because that has happened to me.
You will find lots of information about anxiety and panic and some practical ways to deal with them. I have included throughout some books, tapes, remedies, and products that have helped me and may help you. I only talk about what works for me and what I know has helped friends of mine.
Attribution: This information has come from various sources - when I read an article or learn a technique, I will share it here. There is some great literature available that I will discuss throughout the pages here - most of which is available either at the public library or on-line. Some of the literature is available in bookstores, either locally or on-line. I use a running Bibliography, so you will find footnotes or hypertext links where I use direct quotes. Clinical articles I have found helpful are given with directions to their source (e.g. National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, etc.)
So, how do you stop the symptoms?
- You may want to take medication to “break the cycle.” There are many effective medications on the market you can get from your doctor, or try one of several natural remedies I found.
- You may benefit from one of the therapies available – many at low or no cost to you. Your employer may even have free counseling and consultation available that I discuss in detail on the next page.
- There are simple breathing techniques that can eliminate those feelings of dread and prevent an attack – yes, you can learn how to breathe panic attack symptoms away!
- Many excellent books, tapes, and videos are available which are very effective. I can direct you to a couple of good videos you can watch on-line and recommend some books and tapes that have helped me a lot.
- You may benefit from a support group – you may even want to start one in your area. I couldn’t find a support group and didn’t want to drive an hour to the nearest one, so I started one right in my neighborhood . . . more on that later.
One of the greatest things that can be shared with you is about breathing. Sounds simple, doesn't it? You will find that throughout all the books, tapes, and research available on social anxiety disorders, that breathing is key to relaxation and control. Many who have learned how to breathe properly have stopped having panic attacks.
Dr. Andrew Weil, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, said If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly.
As a sufferer of social anxiety disorder, I have had to deal with these symptoms for many years, not knowing there was any help available. In fact, I thought I was the only person who had these feelings and didn’t even know there was a name (let alone a treatment) for what I was feeling. I felt very alone, scared most of the time, and upset that I didn’t know why I felt so anxious.
How do you stop anxiety attack symptoms? There’s lots of help out there – some of it works for some people and other things work for other people. The main thing is to try different things and see what works for your anxiety attacks.
I have listed some things throughout these pages that I have personal knowledge of - they either worked well for me or one of my friends. Think of these things as having been "field tested" by my friends and me ;-)
Please tell me if you would like to see different information on a particular topic or if I need to include something new on this site. This is a labor of love and is constantly changing, so I welcome your input and your help. Something that has helped me personally is sharing information with other sufferers, so please contribute your ideas on how we can deal with anxiety attack symptoms.
| Panic Attack Symptoms What are the symptoms of an attack of panic? |
| Cause of Panic Attacks What is the cause of panic attack? |
| Anxiety and Panic Attack How are anxiety and panic attack different? |
| Treatment for Panic Attack Where to find panic attack treatment |
| Breathing - the Proper Technique Breathing techniques and exercises |
| BreathMinder BreathMinder information |
| Medication that's available Where to find medication for panic attack sufferers. |
| Support Group Information How a Support Group can help you. |
| Coping Skills Coping with Anxiety day-to-day |
| Articles of Interest Articles that will interest you |
| Quotes Quotes from the Rich and Famous |
| Books That Belong in Your Library Books, Tapes, and other helpful materials. |
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| Feedback Feedback form and Flags of Page Visitors |
| Disclaimer I am not a doctor! |
| Useful Links to Organizations and Research Links to resource sites |
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