How To Stop The Physical Symptoms of Anxiety Attacks
The physical symptoms of anxiety attacks can be extremely varied from one person to the next, but there are a handful of very common symptoms that almost everyone with panic and anxiety experience.
Learning a bit more about these common symptoms is a great way to take the fear factor away from them, and learning more about them is enough to stop them altogether, in some cases.
So what follows is a very brief look at arguably the 2 most common anxiety-based physical symptoms.
First of all, headaches. This is one of the most common symptoms people with anxiety experience. And it can be a scary one too, since so many people with anxiety fear things like brain tumours. But here’s the good news: headaches are almost always caused by excess stress, which turns into muscle stiffness, travelling up through the back and neck and into the head.
Okay, the second symptom is palpitations. This is another very common one. And as with the headaches, it can be scary. It’s easy to assume you have something wrong with your heart, and this is why so many people end up in the ER after their first panic attacks.
But also as with headaches, palpitations are rarely a sign of anything wrong. They happen simply because of excess adrenaline in your system, which causes your heart to beat faster and harder than it normally would.
Simply by knowing more about what causes the physical symptoms of anxiety attacks you will fear them less, and possible even experience them less. So finding out as much as you can about the specific symptoms you experience can only help your situation.
An Anxiety and Panic Attack Strategy To Try
When you’re looking for an effective way to combat anxiety and panic attack related problems, you will often not know where to turn, or what to try next. And that’s why I’d like to share an idea with you that I used myself a couple of years back.
This idea helped me to kick-start my recovery by allowing me to always have a clear, sharp mind, leaving me able to spot the early signs of anxiety, which put me in a much better position to fight off attacks before they got out of control.
It’s all about clearing off your desk, mentally!
Imagine you work at a desk, and your desk is a mess. You won’t function well. You won’t be able to find anything. Your stress levels will increase. You’ll get nothing done.
Well, it’s the same with your mind. If your head is filled with “mental clutter,” you won’t function right. Your thoughts won’t be sharp or clear, your stress levels will increase, and your anxiety and panic levels will skyrocket. Mental clutter can single-handedly cause all kinds of anxiety and panic attack problems.
So, how exactly do you de-clutter your “mental desk”?
You clean it off, just like you would a real desk. Except with your mind, you do it by venting what’s in your head. So each day, write what’s on your mind. Write it on a blog, in a journal, or even on scraps of paper. Just get it out.
And what you’ll find is that the longer you do this, the less random, meaningless, and harmful thoughts you’ll experience. Soon, what you write each day will only be half of what it was when you started out.
Getting your thoughts out, especially your negative thoughts, is an excellent way to stop those negative thoughts occurring in the first place, and when you’re desperately looking for an anxiety and panic attack approach that works, this can literally be a life-saver.
Stop Anxiety Attack In Three Steps
If you’re living with severe panic and anxiety, and you’d like to know exactly what you can do the next time you need to stop an anxiety attack, I’ve put together a quick 3 step plan that you can use.
These ideas are basic, and yet they are sadly overlooked by many people who are experiencing panic and anxiety attacks. The ideas that follow really do work, so I hope you’ll give them a shot when and if you need them.
1. When you feel an anxiety attack approaching, do something physical if your situation permits it. Take the trash out, vacuum the carpet, or even walk up and down the stairs a couple of times.
Getting active like this achieves two things - first, it distracts you from the way you’re feeling, and two, it gets your heart, lungs, muscles and your mind working slightly harder -all of which can decrease anxiety and prevent a full-blown attack.
2. If your anxiety attack happens, despite your best efforts, make use of all sensory distractions. The worst attacks are so bad because your mind becomes transfixed on the sensations and the thoughts linked to the attack. Sensory distractions deprive the attack of its fuel and will make it go away much faster.
Great sensory distractions are turning on the TV with the volume higher than normal, turning on some music (often, unfamiliar music is effective), and believe it or not, even eating something very bitter. Anything that requires your senses to process some information will help ease an attack.
3. When you have an attack, do something immediately afterwards. Anything. The important thing is, once it’s over and you’re free to do something else, do something else.
The longer you leave it to get back on your feet, the longer it will take for the effects of the attack to disappear. I’ve also found that some attacks can cause further attacks, almost like earthquake aftershocks. The chances of these happening are greatly reduced if you get busy with something else as soon as you can.
These 3 tips are powerful. They will help you stop an anxiety attack from happening, or they will make it stop much faster if it happens, and they will reduce the chances of further “aftershock” attacks occurring. Start using these tips today, anytime you need them.
Treat Anxiety Attacks - 5 Quick Tips
If you’re trying to find better ways to treat anxiety attacks then you’re in the right place. So often people with anxiety ask me for new things they can try to decrease their anxiety and increase their calmness. I’ve put together a list of 5 super-quick things you can start doing right now to overcome your problems with panic and anxiety.
The more of these you can use and make into habits, the better your results will be:
1. Sleep: Get as much of it as you can. Go to bed at the same time each night, and get up at the same time each morning. A steady routine promotes healthier more restful sleep.
2. Exercise: Get as much of it as you can. Walk instead of driving. Take steps instead of elevators. Get active every chance you get, even if it’s just for a few seconds. Exercise decreases anxiety and depression, and increases positive moods. And exercise will always be one of the best ways to treat anxiety attacks.
3. Emotions: Avoid anything that causes negative emotions. Fear, anger, frustration, and sadness increase anxiety and can be hard to shake off if they get out of control.
4. Goals: Set lots of them, and don’t be afraid to make them big. Your chances of achieving anything multiply dramatically when you set specific goals. Ask yourself where you want to be, set some goals, and then go after them.
5. Imagination: Use it. Your imagination is one of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal. Nothing happens in your life unless it’s been imagined first. Start imagining your dream life every chance you get.
If you start using these 5 tips, and you stick with them, I guarantee you’ll not be looking for any other way to treat anxiety attacks in the near future. These tips alone can make a huge difference.
Cure Anxiety Attacks With A “Basic” Approach
When you’re trying to cure anxiety attacks, it can sometimes be easy to overlook some simple things you can be doing to help yourself. It’s tempting to look for some kind of “secret” method that no one knows about, some kind of magical trick you can use to suddenly stop your anxiety and panic.
But the truth is, the basic stuff works. And a lot of these things you’ll already know about. If you’re anything like I was back when I was living with anxiety on a day-to-day basis, then you’ll know the basic things you should be doing, and yet you still won’t be doing them.
So here are some of the basics that you probably already know, but aren’t doing. If you can start making use of these ideas, you’ll be far more likely to cure anxiety attacks quickly and naturally.
1. Things to avoid that can cause or increase anxiety and panic: Any kind of stimulant - cigarettes, caffeine, chocolate, sugary drinks.
2. Things to do more of: Exercise, meditation, yoga, anything relaxing, healthy eating, drinking lots of water, getting as much sleep as you can.
3. Learn to understand your mind: Read books on how your mind works, talk to other people who are also trying to cure anxiety attacks, look for patterns that you share with others, start to use anything you learn to your advantage.
Some of these things are very obvious, and that can sometimes be the reason why so many people who are trying to cure anxiety attacks fail to make use of them. They believe that something so simple can’t possibly help, but making use of these basic ides can produce incredible results.
Anxiety Attacks Treatment - Good News and Bad News
If you’re currently looking for great anxiety attacks treatment, then you’re in luck. I’m about to give you a great one. That’s the good news. But the bad news is that it’s going to require a bit of work from you.
Because it’s all to do with exercise. Yes, that dreaded thing we all try to avoid like the plague - exercise!
We all know that exercise is good for us, and it’s no different when it comes to helping stop anxiety and panic. Exercise works, it’s as simple as that. It causes the release of endorphins, which lift mood and makes it easier for us to experience happiness, it distracts us from thoughts that are negative and damaging, and it gets our hearts and lungs pumping, which has too many benefits to list.
So exercise is one of the great anxiety attacks treatment options, but that doesn’t make it any more fun to do. And that’s why I’ve got 3 super quick tips on how to get all the benefit of exercise, but without all the effort.
1. Walk extra distance every chance you get. Park your car farther from the supermarket doors, park farther from where you work, park farther every chance you get.
2. Take every set of steps you can. Unless it’s impossible to do otherwise, never take another elevator.
3. Use any “waiting time” to exert yourself in some way. Waiting in line for something? You can do a stomach contraction every 10 seconds - this is like an upright sit-up. Waiting for your dog to pee in your yard at midnight? Do a couple of half-squats while you wait.
Use your imagination. And use your “waiting time” to activate your body in some way, however small. All these little activities add up and make a difference.
Learning to find quick, simple, and ingenious ways to stay active throughout the day is one of the best anxiety attacks treatment options you’ll come across, and one that I hope you’ll try.
Anxiety Attack Treatment The Albert Einstein Way
If you’re trying to find a good anxiety attack treatment - one that’s effective enough to make a real difference to your current situation - then you should immediately start to use the power of your imagination.
That might sound like a strange thing to say, but I’m about to explain why your imagination could be your most powerful and effective tool in overcoming your panic and anxiety.
Let’s talk about Albert Einstein for a moment.
He was a pretty smart guy, right? Albert Einstein once said that imagination was more important than intelligence. He believed that without the ability to imagine an outcome, no amount of intelligence would be enough to achieve major breakthroughs.
And he believed this to be true in all areas of life, not just his own areas of expertise.
Recently I realised that this idea of imagination being more important than intelligence was also true for panic and anxiety attack treatment. I realised that if we didn’t use our power of imagination to its full potential that we were short-changing ourselves and decreasing our chances of ever achieving our goals.
Don’t underestimate what our imaginations can help us to achieve.
We have the power to imagine something that doesn’t exist yet. We have the power to imagine a better version of ourselves that isn’t here yet. Aren’t those incredible abilities? And yet we take them for granted.
Think about this: Every single person who has dramatically improved the quality of their life imagined that better quality of life before they achieved it. Only things that we imagine can we achieve.
Once you grasp this concept you’ll be a hundred steps on from where right now.
Start using the power of your imagination today, and every day. Imagine your life how you want it to be. Imagine a life free from panic and anxiety. Imagine a life full of calm and joy, a life filled with everything you dream of.
Nothing happens that hasn’t been imagined first. That one concept is perhaps the best anxiety attack treatment I can share with you.
Anxiety and Panic Attacks - Can You Sleep Them Away?
Filed under: Anxiety & Panic Resources, Articles, Panic Attack Help
Have your anxiety and panic attacks ever left you unable to sleep at night? Maybe they stop you from ever getting to sleep. Maybe they wake you up during the night. However your anxiety and panic attacks are affecting your sleep, you can be sure it’s doing you no favours at all.
This is all very familiar to me. I suffered with severe panic and anxiety for years, and it used to play havoc with my sleep. I would have entire weeks where I didn’t sleep. And even when things were going well I would find myself awake for half the night, lying in the dark with my heart racing, feeling as if I might never be able to sleep again.
My sleep situation got so bad that I actually started researching sleep. I thought if I understood it better that I might be able to get the high quality sleep I knew I desperately needed.
A lot of the books I read were no help at all - many of them were like reading books on science and biology, and I just couldn’t understand them. But there was one good book that I really enjoyed, which I got a lot from, and I’d like to recommend that one to you now if you’re having the same kind of sleeping problems I had for so many years.
It’s called “The Insomnia Solution,” and it’s written by Michael Krugman. He offers a basic overview of sleep, and some basic, quick tips on how to get more quality sleep. But he also explains his “mini-moves” concept - a unique and subtle method for lulling yourself to sleep.
I think this approach and this book could really help you, so if your anxiety and panic attacks are messing with your sleep, give it a try and see if it works as well for you.
Panic Attack Causes - How to Uncover Them
I spent years and years searching for my number one panic attack cause. Actually, it was 17 years that I suffered with panic attacks, and a whole host of panic disorders too. And during that time, the one thing I wanted to know, more than anything else, was what was causing my attacks, and how to stop them.
For a long time, I found nothing concrete. I looked at emotions, and fear, and diet, and exercise. Pretty much everything. I certainly discovered some useful things on my search, and I’m sure a lot of those discoveries played a part in my recovery, but one of my biggest breakthroughs came when I read a book called “Blink.”
It’s written by a man called Malcolm Gladwell.
This book is all about the subconscious mind, and the role it plays in our day-to-day lives. It takes a long and interesting look at the way we think (even those thoughts we are never aware we are having), the way these thoughts affect us, and perhaps most importantly, how we can learn to control them.
I also learned a lot from the author’s look at our snap judgements, out first impressions, and our responses to negative things such as depression, anxiety, violence, worry, and so on. He goes into detail about how our minds work when we react to things in those first 2 or 3 seconds. I realised a lot of my panic attacks started with these 2 and 3 second snap judgements/first impressions.
I may even go as far as saying these initial reactions I was having turned out to be my number one panic attack cause, so this really is an area that is worth your time. So check out the book “Blink” when you get a chance. I think it’ll help.
How To Deal With Panic Attacks
If you’d like to know how to deal with panic attacks, then I’d highly recommend you start focusing on your emotions. This was an area I overlooked when I was trying to solve my own panic and anxiety related problems for more than 17 years.
I did what most people do: I saw my doctor (more times than I could count), I saw psychiatrists and psychologists, I took anxiety medications. And I even spent time learning about my mind and how it works (learning how your mind works is definitely worth your time. It helped me a lot). But when it came to the specific subject of emotions, I was completely ignorant.
It wasn’t even something I realised you could learn about. I always thought of emotions as these uncontrollable things that just happened to you.
But then I was lucky enough to stumble across a book called Emotional Intelligence, written by Daniel Goleman. It’s a really interesting book, and I’d recommend it to you if you’re trying to find out how to deal with panic attacks.
In the book, Daniel Goleman explains why he thinks emotional intelligence is much more important than what we traditionally think of as “intelligence.” He goes on to talk about how improving your emotional intelligence can lead to greater happiness and joy in life, and decreased depression and anxiety, amongst other benefits.
The great thing is, this is a book written for “normal” people like you and me, not some psychology student who wants to understand the complex inner-workings of the brain.
I think we all neglect our emotions to some degree, and most of us (myself included until a year or two ago) aren’t aware that we can learn to take control and manipulate them.
So start paying more attention to your emotions, and maybe pick up a copy of Emotional Intelligence. It will definitely help you when you need to know how to deal with panic attacks.
