What is a Panic Attack and the Symptoms?

What is a Panic Attack and what are its symptoms is a question, that when asked, you might get many different answers. Here is one more: A panic attack can be recognized when the below symptoms occur, but when there is no presence of danger. During a panic attack, there is a feeling of terror that strikes with no warning. These attacks usually have a rapid onset of symptoms which build and peak around 10 minutes and then last for 20 to 30 minutes.

Panic attack symptoms are strikingly different from other types of anxiety; panic attacks are so extremely sudden and often unexpected, they are unprovoked, and can become very disabling.

Symptoms include:
–rapid and pounding heartbeats
–the sensation of smothering
–feelings of fear, doom, hopelessness & dread
–weakness
–numb and/or tingling hands
–sweating
–feeling faint and/or flushed
–feeling cold and having chills
–feelings of losing one’s mind
–nausea
–dizziness
–feelings of losing control

While having a panic attack, the person often feels he/she is on the edge of dying. This experience can be so extremely frightening that the person lives in dread and worry of the next attack.

Not everyone who experiences a panic attack develops into a disorder. It is possible to only have one, but that one can lead to continual concern and worry that it will happen again.

Panic attacks can happen anywhere, for example: while shopping in a crowded store, riding in an elevator, or driving. Once someone has had a panic attack, he or she might develop irrational fears, called phobias, thus leading to avoidance of the situations.

When full-blown panic attacks become repetitive, the person’s life is totally altered into one of seclusion and avoidance of normal activities. Depression, drinking and other addictions can occur. When this kind of disabling lifestyle occurs treatment should be sought immediately, before the condition becomes agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) where the person becomes housebound.

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What is Anxiety and How to Recognize Its Symptoms

When asking “what is anxiety,” expect to get many answers. Here is just another: Anxiety, especially severe anxiety, like in anxiety attack, can be very frightening and disorienting. The initial step toward producing a solution and relieving your symptoms is to learn what anxiety is and how to recognize if you are having anxiety.

When facing stressful situations, it is normal to feel some anxiety, which is the body’s natural response to danger and threatening situations. It can even be a help when we need to stay focused, be alert, or motivate us to action. “But” when anxiety becomes extreme, constant or overwhelming, then it interferes with one’s life and daily activities. That is the time when normal anxiety turns into a disorder and becomes repetitive anxiety attacks.

Whether the attack lasts for less than 5 minutes, or up to 30 minutes, the experience can reduce quality of life if anxiety attacks are not treated. Over time the accumulation of repeated anxiety attacks can lead to feelings of worthlessness and insecurity; plus, physical and medical conditions.

An anxiety attack can give the impression of experiencing a heart attack. If you have symptoms similar to a heart attack, it is very important to seek immediate treatment. It’s best to first medically rule out heart disorder. Once you have been told you have no heart difficulties, then you can advance to relieving your anxiety attack.

Some of the anxiety attack symptoms that are most commonly reported by those having been diagnosed are:

1. A feeling of panic and sense of being trapped with no way out;
2. Disorientation and a feeling of lack-of-control;
3. Dizziness and light headedness;
4. Increase in heart beat and/or heart palpitations;
5. Feeling of immediate fear, dread, doom, hopelessness, and wanting to run;
6. Severe shaking in hands and/or all of body;
5. Difficulty in breathing and/or shortness of breath;
6. Severe sweating, tingling in body limbs, hands and feet;
7. Nausea and stomach upset.

While some physicians medicate severe conditions, many suggest alternative treatments like:
–relaxation techniques
–change of lifestyle
–learning to “work through” the anxiety
–biofeedback
–counseling
–breathing techniques

Full understanding of the condition can lead to treatment and solutions for the one suffering from this burdensome and debilitating condition.

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Was I Creating My Own Panic Attacks?

When I first came across the suggestion that I was creating my own Panic Attacks, I thought it was ludicrous. “Why on earth would I want to create my own attacks?” But as I was studying the nature of Anxiety and Panic Attacks during my recovery, the sobering — somewhat bitter — truth was starring me right in my face. Unpleasant as it may be to acknowledge, it is a fact: I Was creating my own attacks.

Panic attacks manifest as a result of our distorted thinking, even though to us they may seem to appear out of nowhere. When we understand how panic attacks are born it becomes clear that the attack itself is actually a normal emotional response to a barrage of physical symptoms, caused by anxiety. And although those bodily sensations are never dangerous, it is our belief and conviction to the contrary that hasten and bring about the attacks.
Anxiety produces different bodily symptoms — all of which are associated with the fight and flight response — like:

• Racing heart
• Feeling weak, faint or light headed
• Tingling or numbness in the hands and fingers
• Sweaty or having chills
• Chest pains
• Breathing difficulties and others

None of these symptoms is ever dangerous when experienced by a person who is prone to panic attacks: A very well documented fact is that Panic sufferers never get heart attacks, faint, lose control, suffocate, or go crazy as a result of their panic attacks. Never!

The Problem lies in the sufferer’s impaired Perception and Interpretation.
What differentiates between a normal reaction, by a person who doesn’t’ suffer from panic attacks, to that of a sufferer is that the first, when experiencing any of the anxiety symptoms described above, knows that these are only temporary bodily sensations that will not cause him or her any harm. However, the latter perceives, on a very deep level, the bodily sensations to be life threatening. Hence the first will panic, the second will not.

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Summary:
Whether we like to hear it or not, the fact is that our flawed perception and misinterpretation of the bodily sensations we experience when anxious, are the cause for our panic attacks.

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Social Anxiety

Social Anxiety is a problem that plagues many people in our society. Do you remember the last time you had to make a speech or participate in a publicly viewed contest? Before it even starts, you find yourself fidgeting in your seat. You feel beads of sweat drip down your face and your skin gets cold and clammy. Your symptoms escalate as your public moment draws closer. Finally, when you go on stage, everything you have memorized or practiced goes out the window. You stand there in the spotlight or in front of that panel – frozen, with your mouth dry and your heart beating a mile a minute.

At that very moment, you were experiencing what is referred to as Social Anxiety.

Social Anxiety is an experience of anxiety in relation to social situations. You may also experience social anxiety when you are in a position where other people are evaluating you or your performance. Everybody experiences a certain level of social anxiety every now and again. The only difference is the degree anxiety and the type of social setting that triggers it.

A social situation that you perceive as stressful may not be the same for other people. For example, speaking in public might make you very anxious while some people thrive in that kind of scenario. In reverse, a good public speaker may do poorly in intimate social events that you may do well in. There are a lot of different types of social anxiety. Shyness is a broad form of social anxiety that encompasses many different situations. Some people have performance anxieties, stage fright, interview anxiety, etc.

There have been many different theories as to what causes social anxiety. But the general feeling is that it is caused by a preconceived perception that people will judge you negatively. It is also said that social anxiety occurs when you want to make a good impression but feel you do not have the capacity to do so. This experience has also been related to childhood traumas and early developmental experiences.

In general, the level of social anxiety felt by a person is mild to moderate. Most of the time, a certain level of functionality is retained despite the presence of anxiety. And after the cause of anxiety passes, you usually revert back to your previous state. It is when social anxiety becomes crippling, persistent and extreme that it is referred to as Social Anxiety Disorder. It is also referred to as Social Phobia.

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Self Help for Panic Attacks – Taking Charge by Becoming Proactive

Self Help for Panic Attacks is a venue taken by many people who suffer for this condition. Relying on conventional methods alone does not seem to be enough. .For many people there appears to be no solution for their panic attacks. Some try one therapy or the other and when it doesn’t produce the results they had expected, they just give up. Having ‘failed’ in finding relief for their condition, they often end up believing that something is seriously wrong with them. Afraid of the next attack they isolate themselves, rarely leaving their homes. As a result, they feel trapped in a world that is lonely and hopeless. If that is you, then stop! There is what is called self help for panic attacks. Here are some things you can do starting today:

Eliminate Stress and Begin Exercising
Start every day anew without anticipating or fearing a panic attack. Keep your daily chores light and easy. Examine your daily schedule and see what is causing you stress. When you can´t possibly finish everything you have scheduled in one day – no big deal. Simply reschedule some of the items on it for a later date. Don´t plan to meet with people who affect you adversely. It is not your job to please everyone; learn to say “no!” Take some time each day to just relax. Only you know what relaxes you.

Exercising is a sort of self help for panic attacks that will relieve stress from your body. If you are afraid to go out of your home, buy an exercise DVD and use it as often as you can. Exercising regularly will, in time, produce a great calming effect and drive negative thoughts from your mind. As soon as you feel safe enough to venture outdoors, take short walks in the fresh air. If you feel safer doing so accompanied by a trusted friend or relative don’t hesitate to ask. It is a great way to gradually overcome your anxieties.

Change Your Diet
It is important to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet with lots of vegetables and fruits. Avoid sugar, caffeine and alcoholic beverages. Drink hot teas that are known for properties that will help you relax. A magnesium deficiency is known to cause anxiety, so you could try adding a magnesium supplement to your daily diet. A healthy diet that avoids foods which cause you to feel nervous and includes the necessary vitamin supplements is yet another form of self help for panic attacks.

Have a Plan
Think about your panic attacks and determine how you will react the next time you feel one is coming on. The thing you need to keep foremost in your mind is to relax. Some people count or say the ABCs in order to take their mind off of what is happening in their body. If you begin to breathe shallowly or hyperventilate stop, and inhale deeply and exhale slowly. Continue this until the panic attack goes away. People who have a plan discover that their attacks do not last as long, and they become less frequent.

Face Your Fears
One of the greatest fears a panic attack sufferer has is that of having to face another attack. You must realize that there is nothing in the attack that has ever harmed you. If you are having panic attacks because of an accident or a frightening experience, try to avoid going past the place where it happened. Then look at it logically, and realize that everything that is going to happen concerning the situation has already happened, so why fear? You will do yourself a world of good by realizing that fearing the next attack is the worse thing you can do. Why? Because it is the very fear of next attack that brings about the attacks in the first place. Dare to face your fear of the next attack and resolve to never fear it again, and you will be well on your way to recovery.

When you eliminate stress and begin exercising, change your diet, have a plan and face your fears you are taking charge by being proactive and thus providing yourself with the best self help for panic attacks that you can in order to prevent future attacks.

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Searching for a Remedy for Panic Attacks

“Is there a Remedy for Panic Attacks?” is a qustion that must be on the mind of a person who has just had his or her fire panic attack.
If a person who suffers from panic attacks could predict the time of the attack, then he or she could prepare for it and most likely be able to avert it. Unfortunately that is not how this particular anxiety disorder operates. The attacks can be sudden, occur anytime and strike anywhere. There is no single known factor to the root cause of the disorder. The experts don’t even agree on what is the best remedy for panic attacks. Here are some methods that are being used to deal with this condition:

Medications
Though not a remedy for panic attacks, some medications can help to treat the symptoms and bring some level of relief. There are numerous medications to treat this condition. These medications are classified as anti anxiety and anti-depressants. However, before downing any kind of medication for your anxiety attacks, see a qualified doctor first for a thorough evaluation.

Psychotherapy
Counseling by a qualified psychotherapist would do a panic attack sufferer good. Cognitive Behavior Therapy is the most effective way in talk therapy. CBT, as it is called, is a way to teach you how to rewire your thinking process to eliminate thoughts and circumstances that could trigger an attack. It teaches you strategies on how to approach and handle an ongoing panic attack episode.

Natural Remedies
A natural remedy for panic attacks that help to restore calm is to get physically active. You should set an exercise regimen for yourself. A person who exercises on a regular basis has a good dose of the “happy” hormone in his system. A happy person is a stress-free person. A stress-free person is less susceptible to panic attacks.

Change your lifestyle. If you are a late sleeper, try to sleep earlier to get your full quota of 7-8 hours of sleep. If you drink alcohol on a fairly regular basis, try to limit your consumption. If you smoke, quit! Not only will it help you control your panic attacks, it will also eliminate the probability of other related illnesses associated to smoking. Caffeine has an adverse effect on panic attack sufferers. If you can’t do without coffee, switch to decaf.

Get into yoga and/or meditation to promote your well-being. The use of herbs with calming effects has also been endorsed by some herbalists. They say that lavender, passion flower and valerian have calming effect.

Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry alone
Having a wonderful sense of humor brings out the best in a person. There is such a thing as humor therapy as applied to patients suffering from panic disorders. The therapist asks the patient to envision a situation that would make him laugh. Once that image is formed, the therapist teaches the patient to envision the funny situation in case of a panic attack. The result would come something like: “laugh your panic attack away.”

There is a very effective, natural, remedy for panic attacks that has helped thousands of people from all over the globe. Feel free to learn about it by visiting the website bellow.

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Panic Attacks and Fear of Public Speaking

Panic Attacks and Fear of Public Speaking are often tied together. The worse news one can deliver to a person who suffers from panic attacks or GAD is that he or she has been assigned to speak in public.

Be it addressing a large crowd or a having to deliver a short presentation in front of a handful of their peers at work, it is all the same; the dread begins just as soon as the news has been delivered, even if the assignment is not for weeks or months down the road.

Unlike the majority of people who might experience a “normal,” mild anxiety before speaking in public — mainly because he or she are afraid they might go blank while doing so — a person who suffers from panic disorder will be overwhelmed even by the mere thought of it.

For him or her, the dread of speaking in public originates from the deep concern that he or she might have an attack while speaking. The Anxiety of having a panic attack is further fueled by exaggerated, distorted, thoughts of being paralyzed by fear or somehow losing control and doing something out of character while speaking in public.

It is very common for such a person to make all sorts of excuses to avoid the assignment. He or she will fabricate, if necessary, stories that might get them off the hook. But for those whose livelihood depends on it, such an attitude may cause them to risk losing an opportunity of climbing up the corporate ladder, being promoted or even loosing their job. A perfect catch 22; doomed if you accept the assignment, doomed if you don’t.

What’s the Solution?

Important to know is that your panic attacks will, most likely, not disappear on their own and that you must have a strong desire to be cured and willing to make the necessary commitment.

The solution begins with the understanding that the attacks will not harm you. As scary as they may appear to you, in reality they are harmless: The looming danger — the perceived looming danger — is nothing but a fabrication of your imagination, fed by thoughts of gloom and doom.

When you first start to identify this pattern in yourself, you begin to view your condition from a new prism. And when you understand the nature of your panic attacks — what actually takes place in your mind and body before and during an attack — it makes dealing with it much easier. And that is when you begin to gain a level of control you did not know you possessed before.

What Goes On During a Panic Attack?

During a panic attack your body reacts to non-existent, perceived threats by releasing an over dose of adrenaline, tensing up and shifting your brain activity to the mode of “fight or flight.”

Your brain’s ability to think and reason is located in the front brain (prefrontal cortex). During an attack, however, your brain activity shifts to the midbrain (periaqueductal grey area). This is a portion of the brain where survival mechanisms such as “fight or flight” originate from. While operating from within the mid brain your ability to think and apply logic is drastically impaired. It is only when your ability to reason is restored that the panic abates.

Armed with this understanding provides some relief. At the minimum, you now know that you cannot reason with the attack, surely not during the attack.

And although a good start, it is only the beginning. The next and most important step is the understanding of what actually fuels and brings about a panic attack. In one word it is fear– fear of having another attack.

Here is how this fear is born in the first place:
The experience of the, initial, first attack is so terrifying that it leaves a deep, profound IMPRINT on the person’s psyche. From that moment on that person develops a severe fear of having another attack.

Overcoming the fear of public speaking, or any other anxiety, must begin with understanding the above and proceeding with exposing the true deceptive nature of panic attacks, namely, that the attacks ‘trick’ you to believe you are facing a real danger, while in reality all that is going on is normal, harmless bodily sensations produced by your anxiety that, if not fueled by you, will disappear on their own.

When you deeply understand all that has been discussed here, you come to realize that Panic attacks don’t have any power over you, but the one you hand them.

Once grasped, and the attacks are faced and challenged bravely, fear subsides and, gradually, so do the attacks.

To learn more about Anxiety/Panic and find a cure: Click Here.

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On the Road to Recovery: Knowing What To Expect Will Get You There Faster

No matter what approach for your cure you will end up taking, it is always a good idea to be prepared.

Go through the following three items. If you identify with any, or all, of the experiences, you will do yourself a world of good by understanding the reasons and trying to implement the recommendations. If nothing else, simply being aware of them will be a great start as you embark on the journey that will finally set you free.

The fear of the next attack: It would take a sufferer to really grasp, and identify with, what I am about to describe.

No one who has ever suffered from anxiety panic disorder can forget his or her first panic attack. Mine took place 9 years ago while vacationing in New Orleans. In my case the first attack was triggered, I am convinced, by an acute vertigo, which on its own can be scary enough.

The experience of the first attack is so terrifying that it leaves a deep, profound IMPRINT on our psyche. From that moment on we develop a severe fear from the next attack.

The worst thing we can do is fear the next attack. Here is why:

• The problem with fearing an attack is that the fear itself is actually the very fuel that brings on the next attack.

• Many have spoken and written about the consequences suffered by fearing fear.

• The law of attraction puts it simply by stating that “like attracts like.” Namely, when we dwell on anything, be it positive or negative, by the law of attraction, we must attract to us that which we dwell on.

• Job, the famous biblical figure, who lived thousands of years ago reveals, after suffering a great deal, how conscious he was of this phenomenon when he said: “That which I dreaded came upon me.”
In other words we can never expect to reap anything different than what we sow.
How can you benefit from it?
If you only can realize at this point that a panic attack cannot come to life without the fear, and anticipation, of it, you will have reached an important milestone on your way to recovery. Eventually you will learn to stop fearing the next attack. And once the fear is eradicated so will the attacks.

This diagram illustrates the never ending cycle of panic attacks:

Self Blame:

Because panic attacks are labeled as an “Intense Irrational Fear,” many of us — unable to find a logical explanation for the emotional and physical symptoms we experience– tend to think, and eventually believe, that the attacks are a personal problem that we have, somehow, created. As a result feelings of shame, guilt and depression are often experienced.

If the above sounds familiar, then the first thing you want to do is acknowledge and accept it without judgment.

It is true that the intense fear experienced during high anxiety or, later, during a panic attack is “irrational.” And the reason for it is rather simple:
During an anxiety panic attack our body reacts to none existent, perceived threats by releasing an over dose of adrenaline, tensing up and shifting our brain activity to the mode of “fight or flight.”

Our brain’s ability to think and reason is located in the front brain (prefrontal cortex). During an attack, however, our brain activity shifts to the midbrain (periaqueductal grey area). This is a portion of the brain where survival mechanisms such as “fight or flight” originate from. While operating from within the mid brain your ability to think and apply logic is drastically impaired.
How can you benefit from it?
By understanding what takes place in your body during a panic attack, you can begin to see why taking the attacks personally is counter productive; If you realize that you are not responsible for creating the attacks and stop blaming yourself for them, it will help you get rid of the guilt you carry and make your recovery easier and faster.

Avoidance and Isolation:

Dreading another attack, we tend to avoid any activity we perceive might provoke it. If left untreated, this tendency increases and we gradually isolate ourselves, retreating into a shell of secrecy and shame.

But the irony here — unbeknown to us, of course — is that avoidance, shame and secrecy are also some of the very ‘food’ on which panic and anxiety thrive. And so when we try to hide the symptoms we only worsen matters, allowing the problem to fester, intensify and thus have an even stronger grip on us.
How can I benefit from this?
This is probably the simplest of all to grasp and take the necessary measures to change right here and right now. You can begin by asking yourself this: “would I be ashamed if I suffered from diabetes?” Of course you wouldn’t. You would be sharing this with your family and friends and move on with your life.

If you can do the same with your Anxiety and panic condition, you will be half the way on your way to recovery. So, the first thing I would urge you to do is gather the courage and make the commitment to never again hide, or be ashamed. If you have been hiding your condition then this is the time to dare to dare and share it with people you love and trust. You will be amazed by the loving response and support you will be receiving. I wouldn’t be surprised if you will be jumping of joy by the relief that will follow.

Conclusion:

All that I have shared with you in this article is based on my personal experience:

For years I deceived myself, pretending I was okay, when in fact a part of me always dreaded the next Attack. Like most who are afraid of the next attack I did all I could to avoid any situation that might provoke it.

Believing my condition was something I was creating for myself; I was ashamed of it and kept it a secret, hoping it would somehow disappear on its own. It did not.

Beginning my recovery was not possible before I finally had the courage to open up. As I write this, it is all so fresh and the relief is so real that all I want to do is touch and impact the lives of as many who suffer from anxiety/panic as I can, by instilling in them hope and motivating them to take action and seek help.

If by reading this article I was able spare you from even an hour of unnecessary pain, then taking the time to write it would not have been in vain.

Here’s to your well being.

To learn more about Anxiety/Panic and find a cure: Click Here.

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