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Two
Checklists to Help Ease Panic Attacks and Anxiety
Symptoms
All humans
experience panic at one point (or more) in their lives. The
trigger could be anything from fearing the loss of someone dear
to you to finding yourself in the midst of a financial problem.
The panic attack can generate some extremely devastating
feelings, such as trembling, cold sweat, heart palpitations,
and shortness of breath, acute nausea and even chest pain.
These panic attacks and anxiety symptoms come singly or in
combination of two or more and the experience can be extremely
scary.
What Can I
Do to Counter Panic Attacks and Anxiety
Symptoms?
The first thing
that you need to do about panic attacks and anxiety symptoms is
to educate yourself about it. You need to know whether the
attacks have been really the result of extra load of stress or
if you are suffering from a panic disorder. If it is the
latter, this is a disease, which needs to be medically treated.
If there is reason for the panic attack, you will need to know
how to counteract it.
In order to
rule out any possible underlying problem, it is best to consult
a doctor as soon as you experience your first panic attack.
Once, it is ruled out that there is no particular problem with
your reaction, and the panic attack was actually a natural body
response, you will have to take stock of the circumstances that
led to it.
Checklist
1
Ask yourself a
few simple questions and ensure that you are truthful when you
answer them. This will clearly indicate whether you are about
to face a panic attack and anxiety symptoms in the near
future.
1. Are you
stressed at work?
2. Are you
stressed at home?
3. Do you carry
your problems around and brood all day?
4. Are you
unable to sleep at night when you have something to solve –
until you solve it?
5. Do you
constantly feel butterflies in the stomach, in spite of not
having any real anxiety cause?
6. Do you get
worried when you have nothing to worry about?
Answering ‘Yes’
four times would mean that you are on the collision path with a
panic attack.
Checklist
2
In order to be
prepared for the panic attacks and anxiety symptoms, you should
learn to ‘switch off’ when you feel you are overloading with
stress. You could do this in many ways – a few of which are
given below:
1. Think of
something very pleasant and enjoy the feelings that the
thoughts induce.
2. Take a
break. Turn your attention away to music, a movie or a hobby –
anything that would involve your attention sufficiently to take
your mind off the problem at hand.
3. Look into
the mirror and smile, as broadly as you can – you will be
surprised how efficient this can be.
4. Share your
anxiety and troubles with someone close.
5. Work out a
feasible plan to come out of whatever problem you find yourself
in.
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