please help..panic attacks

mae

Ok I have dug out my presentation on panic attacks.

What are panic attacks?
A panic attack is a sudden, extreme and intense feeling of anxiety. Most of us have experinced anxiety but panic attacks can be far more serious, they can be chronic and crippling and can have a devastating effect on a persons life.
Unfortunately with panic attacks our 'pre wired' fight of flight reaction becomes like a sensitive trip wire and can be set off when there is no real danger.
No one has ever come to any harm as a result of a panic attack but the fear of the attacks can casue people to avoid places, people or situations.

What are the symptoms?

Rapid heart beat.
Sweating.
Shaking.
Dizziness/unsteadiness
Chest pain/discomfort
Choking sensations.
Chills/hot flushes.
Shortness of breath sensations.
Plus many more.

Thoughts

I will go crazy, I will lose control.
I am going to have heart attack.
I will suffocate.
I will make a fool of myself.
I will choke.
I will die.

During a panic attack you tend to over-breath (hyperventilate) and this causes you to 'blow out' too much carbon dioxide which changes the acidity in the blood. This makes your symptoms worse hence the breathing technique I mentioned in an earlier post helps or breathing into a brown paper bag really helps to regulate it too. Its important to remember this.

Ways of working through panic attacks

So you are now armed with the facts of what is happening to your body.
You also know that your breathing is important.

So now you need to know that yout thoughts fuel your attacks. So what you are aiming to do, by understanding what a panic attack is, is to change your thoughts to more realistic and helpful thoughts. When you strat thinking 'oh no this is happening again I'm going to collapse its awful etc etc you are sending signals to your body that something bad is happening so in turn your physical sypmtoms get even worse. If you start breathing correcting (7-11 technicue or papaer bag) and think to yourself'right this has happened before and it always ends/passes so I am going to ride the symptoms out and while I do I am going to imagine a claming/happy place.

All this probably sounds so simple but it is important to somehow break the cycle of a panic attack instead of your behaviour and thoughts sending it into further overdrive.

Root Causes

All the above will help you gain control and understand the panic attacks which, in my opinion, is a massive step towards managing/stopping them, however, there are often root causes such as:
Unresolved trauma.
Childhood experinces.
Stress.
REcent illness.
Bereavement.
Marriage problems.
Bereavement.
Depression.
Alcohol/drug misuse.

This can be worked through by yourself, with a friend, relative or you may need a counsellor but it is possible to overcome them it just takes a practise to learn the techniques of coping with it and also you need to work through any possible triggers/causes.

I hope that helps a little. Sorry for the long post I have tried to chop it as much as I can while still making sense.

A quote that always helps me when I have to deal with something traumatic is "Face your fear and the death of fear is certain".

ality

thank you mae for taking the time to do that for me .i will try out the tecnices u have advised and hopefully as you say work through it and not let it beat me .thank you again .