1.
Say to yourself "O.K PANIC DO YOUR
WORST"
This may appear at first glance to be a stupid and irresponsible thing
to say to yourself.
This has the effect of taking away some of the force of the panic.
It will not reach that terrifying peak.
If you have had an attack you will know what I mean.
Practice utter acceptance.
To
the person in the midst of an attack this might seem impossible. But don't
lose heart, it will take several attempts before you can start to look
panic straight in the eye and go through the other side, without turning
away for safety.
Don't
fight it, let go. It
might be the hardest thing you ever do. But the paradox is, if you practice
utter acceptance the intensity and duration of panic attacks decrease.
2.
Wait for time to pass. DON'T
HURRY IT, walk away slowly from the situation
if you need to. 3. Imagine you are floating
instead of walking. 4. Breath lower down, using
your tummy muscles. Make the out breath a bit longer than the intake of
breath. Slow your breathing down if you catch yourself breathing a little
fast. 5. Recall a happy event
or a humorous one. Your favourite comedian in concert, an enjoyable vacation,
perhaps.
6
.SIT DOWN - COOL DOWN.
If possible sit down somewhere and close your eyes.
Start slow abdominal breathing. In your minds eye, on the in breath, spell,
say and picture the wordP.E.A.C.E
On the
out breath, spell, say and see the word C
A L M.
Use that vivid imagination of yours to create a pleasant backdrop for
this exercise.
7.
WOBBLY AND WEAK LEGS.
A supply of glucose tablets or honey can be used to overcome brief spells
of weakness due to panic. This is a temporary measure and no substitute
for proper nutrition.
8.
HELP! I AM PANICKING , GONE BLANK AND CAN'T THINK HOW TO COPE
In the white heat of panic its easy to forget the things you know you
should do to cope.
Write down your coping strategies on a card that will easily fit into
your pocket, wallet, purse.
Alternatively record your strategies onto a cassette in a calm and precise
manner. Take a personal stereo with you.
Some printing shops will put your text onto a credit card type of card,
which will be laminated and will last.
Pull the card out when you need it. Stick the stereo on.
Go through a rehearsal of this when not in a panic state
YOU
ARE NOT ALONE !
ANTICIPATORY
ANXIETY:
Begins with the thought of doing something that you feel is beyond your
limitations. The "What if" thoughts start to appear in the mind.
"What if I panic like the last time I did this". The anxiety
can build to a tremendous level before coming into contact with the feared
situation.
ANTICIPATORY
ANXIETY is nearly always well in excess of anything the
actual situation will present.
So instead of saying "What if " say "So what." Allowing
body sensations to pass over and paying them "NO
RESPECT" however rational or irrational they may
be is the best policy to adopt.
Saying
to yourself "Its no big deal", "I don't care about these
feelings" and "I am definitely NOT
going to die" helps unmask the anxiety allow you to face it and not
fear it so much. This allows the disturbing body sensations to calm.
When you first experience panic you may be confused
and bewildered, convinced there is something physically wrong with you.
This can be a hard attitude to shake off.
Get
along to your doctor and ask him or her to give you a full check over.
Be honest with him or her and tell them how upset this has made you feel.
If they are any good at all, they will check you over and most likely
confirm its stress related.
For your own piece of mind this is important. Much time can be wasted
convincing yourself you have every know illness in the text book.
If they are unsympathetic then go to another doctor, lots of reassurance
is vital. Ask the doctor what to expect. get them to explain in lots of
detail until you fully understand. The more you know about panic the less
power it has over you. A wise doctor will spend an extra 15 minutes to
put a sufferers' mind at ease and saves lots of torment to the sufferer,
while they may be waiting to see more specialist help. Then you can get
on with the task of dealing with it.
