7 HEALTHY WAYS TO TREAT PANIC ATTACKS

Panic Attacks are instant surges in panic, anxiety, or fear. These are so intense that they leave emotional and physical impacts. Some of the symptoms are profuse sweating, heart pounding, problem breathing, shivering, or trembling. There is a presence of chest pain for some.

Others may even feel detached from their real surroundings. It can pose experiences like a heart attack or stroke. Some of the causes of panic attacks are anxiety or panic disorder, certain medicines and substances, psychosis, overactive thyroid, and many more.

For women’s health, it is more important to find a solution to panic attacks. These attacks in females are severe and affect the menstrual cycle. The person may suffer from rapid heart rate, palpitations, and pounding heart. Nausea and stomach upsets are also common.

Other signs of panic attacks are feeling hot, chills, fear of death, discomfort at chest, feeling of being choked, unsteady, unreal, light-headed or dizzy, fainting, losing control of mind, tingling or numbness over the body, etc.

If the trigger factor for panic attacks is clear, then you can prevent or reduce the intensity of the attacks. Some of the common trigger points include conflicts, social events, stressful situations in life, speaking in public, etc.

There are a few ways and treatments available for panic attacks. In this post, we will discuss these. So, keep reading below.

1. Medications

There are several medicines available for panic attack treatment. You can go for Xanax (alprazolam) and Benzodiazepines. These help to cope with the symptoms. But they cannot treat the related anxiety disorder. Also, they can cause dependence. So, even if the doctor prescribes these, it is for short-term use.

For long-term use, a doctor will rather prescribe antidepressants. These are SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as fluoxetine (Prozac), escitalopram (Lexapro), etc. Or, you may have to take anti-anxiety medicines such as Buspirone (Azapirone).

Or, you may get a prescription of SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), such as Cymbalta (Duloxetine). In some cases, the physician can also suggest clonazepam or pregabalin. These are anti-seizure medicines and assist with anxiety treatment.

2. Understanding That an Attack is Taking Place

When you are getting a panic attack, awareness about it can lessen the impact. As soon as you realize that the event is temporary, the breathing may start to get normal. The understanding that you will get okay soon, helps to combat fear. It also reduces the fear of death and other symptoms.

Avoiding the triggers will also help a lot in fighting off the attack. This can reduce the intensity of even the severest of panic attacks.

3. Counseling

CBT or Cognitive-behavioural Therapy counseling is as good for men’s health as women. They assist you to challenge the situations that scare you. The counselor will teach you techniques of approaching the challenges and facing them. Also, he/she provides inputs on changes to bring in the way you think.

In CBT, you may also have to practice a few habits. Together, the treatment is oriented to stimulate your brain and reduce panic symptoms. Gradually, you can find some relief, and sometimes the events can disappear completely. At times, the intervals between two attacks can increase, so that is a good thing to note.

4. Mindfulness

Some people carry a feeling of separation from reality during panic attacks. For them, practicing mindfulness can help them focus their attention on their immediate surroundings. It can assist in staying focused on the present. Thus, mindful meditation can combat stress.

It also presents to you emotional and physical symptoms, keeping you aware of the scenario. It can allow you to relax, which works well for muscles and mental state. It makes you pay attention to specific functions. So, you can understand the objects, people, and situations around you.

5. Relax Your Muscles

Muscle relaxation techniques can deal with tension produced at the time of a panic attack. So, practice exercises and techniques that aim to take away stress from the whole body. Progressive muscle relaxation can do wonders. The therapies to relax muscles will focus to release tension.

After which, you will know how to avoid muscle tension. Then you can focus on relaxing certain parts or portions of muscles. For instance, pay attention to how the legs and shoulders tense. And learn how you can relax them with a rapid relaxation technique. Here you identify areas that need de-stressing.

Then you tense and un-tense the parts for immediate relaxation. Keep practicing these and apply them every day. It can reduce the effect of panic attacks.

6. Deep Breathing

Breathing heavily is a symptom of a panic attack. This stems from an increase in anxiety and panic. To stop hyperventilating, join a class that teaches you controlled breathing. Deep breathing exercises can aid in improving emotional health. It also boosts attention levels and lowers cortisol levels in the body.

Thus, it fights stress and makes you learn to breathe slowly when required. Deep breathing also causes more alertness and deals with anger, depression, confusion, and more. Slowly fill the air in your chest and stomach from your mouth, and then leave that out slowly again. Practice this often and feel the goodness seeping through your airways.

7. A Reason for Happiness

What can fight off fear and anxiety? It is happiness. So, if you find a reason to remain happy, you do yourself a lot of good. Not only happiness is a booster for emotional health. But it also brings changes in the physical symptoms. Together these can completely keep panic attacks at bay. Or, at least reduce the intensity of each event.

If you find a reason to remain happy and not lose hope, then the instances of panic attacks will also reduce. It is not as easy as said. This is why you must put a conscious effort into staying happy. Stick to a positive approach in everything you do. This can keep stress and fear at bay, and keep you hopeful always.

Final Words

7 healthy ways to treat Panic attacks are not uncommon. But there are several doable ways to combat it. However, you must always consult a professional and take the necessary steps for a wholesome treatment.