3 Essential Ways You Can Stop Panic Attacks

By: A. P. Taylor

It's pretty obvious to anyone who suffers with an anxiety disorder that it's extremely hard to stop a panic attack once it's already begun. There are, however, 3 speedy ways to stop one, and I'd like to share those with you now.

The first tip is called "The Paper Bag Trick."

Make sure to keep paper bags on you at all times, and place them around your house anywhere you might have an attack. When you feel an attack coming on, start alternating your breathing, 30 seconds into the bag, 30 seconds breathing normally.

It's become a cliche to offer a paper bag to someone having a panic attack, but like most cliches, it's based in truth. And paper bag breathing really does work to stop panic attacks quickly.

The second tip I've called "Don't Suffer In Silence."

Next time you have a panic attack, turn on your radio or TV, and make sure the sound is up pretty loud. You might also wnat to try listening to music via earphones or headphones.

Having sound destractions like this will help you to feel grounded during attacks, because it's extremely easy to feel detached and like you're losing control anytime you're experiencing extreme anxiety.

If you also suffer with depersonalization, as I did, the sounds will also work wonders in eliminating it during attacks.

The third tip I'd like to share with you is all about self-assurance.

I made the mistake of only reassuring myself "in my head" when I wanted to stop panic attacks, which is completely ineffective. Something very different happens when you hear your own voice. The reassurance is much more "real."

Thoughts that stay completely inside your head rarely help in reducing anxiety or panic attacks. And in some cases, internal thoughts can even make your anxiety worse.

Thoughts that you turn into out loud statements have more power and you'll find that your natural instinct to panic is greatly reduced when you hear yourself being reassuring.

So anytime a panic attack strikes from now on, tell yourself out loud that this is just another panic attack like all the others, and that it will soon be over and you'll feel safe and calm again.

***Bonus Advanced Tip***

The next time you have a panic attack, wait for it to pass then take a few seconds to write down all you can remember about it - what you thought during the attack, how you felt, and so on. You might find it simpler to use a voice recorder for this.

After you've done this just a couple of times, you'll discover that each and every attack you have adheres to a similar pattern.

So in the future when you're having an attack, you can have your notes or voice recording with you and see or hear where your thoughts are going before they ever happen.

The reason this works so well is because it takes the mystery and the unknowns from your attacks. One of the worst things about having a panic attack is that feeling of losing control, and not knowing what's gonna happen next.

With your notes by your side, or your voice recording playing, you take the frightening unknowns away from your panic attacks, and that takes away a lot of their power too.

The method of writing or recording "panic notes" like this is one of the most effective I've ever found, and I hope you'll try it, along with the other tips I've shared with you.

Reprinted from: Communication Skills Articles.

A. P. Taylor is an expert is overcoming all forms of anxiety disorder. Find out how to cure panic attacks by watching his free 5 part video series here: instantpanicrelief.com

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