I'm Having a Panic Attack
Panic attacks are caused by the fight or flight response of the brain to
stressful situations. When our brain senses danger or possible harm it reacts
with an “act-now-think-later” response that causes a heightened
emotional agitation. This can bring on a panic attack. While understanding
the root causes of panic attacks can help prevent their onset altogether,
there are also effective ways of controlling them once they’ve begun.
One way is called the AWARE method.
Because panic attacks are created by an overly emotional response, thinking
it through can help calm the panicky feelings. The AWARE method is based
on this idea and it works in this way:
| Accept that you are having a panic attack |
| Watch the panic attack as it unfolds |
Act normally—continue doing whatever
it was that
you were doing originally or had planned on doing |
| Repeat these steps until the anxiety has subsided |
| Expect the best |
The first step is to accept the panic attack. Once a panic attack has started,
trying to fight it off or getting upset about it will only make it
worse. If you decide to just go with the feelings of anxiety, you won’t
add fuel to the fire. As difficult as this may seem to do in the moment,
make an effort to go along with the experience as an observer.
Next, watch the panic attack as it unfolds. Make an attempt to be conscious
of how you are feeling as it is occurring without judging these feelings
as being good or bad. By becoming an observer of yourself as you experience
the attack, you take yourself out of the situation and reduce your emotional
connectedness to it.
While you’re having the attack, act normally. Continue doing whatever
it was you were doing originally or had planned on doing when the attack
began. Focus on breathing normally and calmly—what is your breathing
like when you’re not experiencing a panic attack?
Repeat these steps until the anxiety has subsided. By tracking the attack
in this way, you take it from being an emotional disturbance to an intellectual
process, and this diminishes the power of the anxiety.
Also, expect the best. Thinking positively will help you to establish evidence
that works against your fear. In this way, you can transform certain
thoughts or behaviors that may be contributing to the panic attack
itself. Most panic attacks occur in situations where there isn’t any
actual imminent danger. Consider the possibility that whatever you fear might
not even happen.
Related Resources:
Anxiety
and Panic While Driving
Panic
Attack Home Page
Cognitive Behavior
Therapy
Cognitive
Therapy Overview
Natural Alternatives
that can help
Keeping
a Progress Journal
Talking
to Your Doctor
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