How To Stop A Panic Attack : Technique For Relaxation

The number of people suffering from panic attacks has reached epidemic proportions in this country.  There are many causes of anxiety attacks.  People are subjected to an incredible amount of stress which makes them feel helpless and afraid.  As the economy has spiraled downward, people worry about losing their jobs.  Smaller paychecks make it more difficult to pay monthly expenses.  All these things can trigger panic attacks.   These attacks can happen anywhere and at any time.  Perhaps the most pernicious are those that strike during the night, depriving people of the sleep they need to cope with daily problems.  The person suffering from panic attacks should not feel guilty about these, our society is so filled with anxiety an stress that it is a miracle everyone does not suffer from them.  The important thing is not to let panic attacks control your life.  You can learn how to control panic attacks.

Of course, when experiencing a panic attack, forcing yourself to relax might be difficult.  You might find that you are holding your breath, so the first thing to do is to get your breathing back to normal.  If you are in a place where you can lie down, do so and concentrate on breathing slowly and deeply.  This will help by beginning to distract you.

Then, begin to concentrate on relaxing your muscles.  You will probably find that your muscles are very tight and bunched up, a natural reaction to fear.  Think of one area of the body at a time, and tell your right calf muscle to relax.  Concentrate on that calf muscle until you can feel it relaxing, then move on to the next muscle.  By the time you have worked on three or four muscles, you will probably find that most of your body has relaxed.  Stress chemicals caused those muscles to tighten up, by relaxing, you will help lower the levels of those chemicals.

As you feel yourself relaxing, force the negative thoughts from your mind.  Yes, they can seem overpowering and menacing, but force yourself to beat them down.  Tell those thoughts to go away and work to replace them with positive thoughts.  Remember the last time you had a really nice walk or a wonderful time you enjoyed with a special person.  Try thinking about how you would bake a cake from scratch.

The whole idea behind the relaxation technique is to teach yourself how to break the pattern of panic by letting your body and mind relax.  Dealing with panic attacks is no fun, but once the sufferer realizes that they have some sort of defense against these attacks, it will become easier and easier to overcome them when they do strike.  It will help you to relax if you keep in mind that panic attacks can not cause you any actual physical harm, they will not cause you to have a heart attack or stop breathing.  Relaxation will help you to get your heart rate back into control and your breathing at a normal level.