By: Isaac Asimov
Picture yourself out in public, perhaps at the films, dinner or another social event you've been looking forward to. You are having a superb time when all of a sudden, panic sets in. Your heart begins to race ; you're feeling like you can't breathe, you're sweating and about to lose control. Sound familiar? You are experiencing a unusual amount of panic and need to be told how to stop a panic attack when it rears its ugly head.
Anxiety attacks might be controlled through medicine, but this sometimes involves building up a certain level of beta blockers in your body tissue. Tranquilizers can be useful but are addictive and may exacerbate the attacks over a period. Meanwhile, you can simply learn a few relaxation techniques to bring your panic in hand or to actually stop an incipient attack from occurring.
First, you must learn to breathe correctly. This involves slowly inhaling through your for a count of 4 seconds. Hold the breath for at least 7 seconds and then slowly breathe out through your mouth, making a slight whooshing sound by clenching your teeth together. Try to prolong the exhalation for roughly 8 seconds if at all possible (with practice, it is) .
Now, try to visualize your panic as if it were an object you might target. Tell it to go away, that you are in control, and that you won't panic. Reassure yourself that there's nothing wrong and that the panic object is a rude visitor who must be expelled.
After a moment of visualizing your panic, it is time to relax your body's muscles. Start with the feet by clenching the muscles and releasing them. Work your way up your body tightening and relaxing muscle groupings till you have reached your head. If you are still feeling panicky, repeat the process, starting with the respiring techniques we described.
Surprisingly, in most situations, having an attack of agitation in public regularly goes completely unnoticed by those around you. Outwardly, you may appear calm and picked up, notwithstanding the turmoil and anxiety you are feeling. Use this to your benefit to silently control your feelings of panic as you apply the relaxation techniques discussed.
These attacks of fear or fear are nothing to sneeze at, and you need to follow up with your doctor or primary carer as soon as possible to determine the root cause of the problem. In the meantime, these basic strategies to focus yourself and relax have proved effective for many sufferers of stress who are wrestling to discover ways to stop nervous attacks in a crisis.
