How To Stop An Anxiety
Attack
How to stop an anxiety attack? It’s a good question, one
that millions of people would love to have an answer for, but before we can supply a suitable response we must
first examine the source of the anxiety.
Some anxiety is good—a normal response to a stressful situation. We get anxious before a big test or an
important athletic event, when a loved one is sick or on our wedding way. It is the body’s way of telling us there
is something unusually stressful happening and the symptoms serve as warning signs to make us take notice of the
situation.
An anxiety attack is different though. Characterized by irrational fear, profound uneasiness, rapid heartbeat
and a host of other physical symptoms, this type of anxiety occurs out of the blue, in the absence of any
particular stressor. For people who suffer these attacks the symptoms can be life altering, and the very fear of
having another episode tends to keep the body and mind in a perpetual state of high alert.
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How to Stop an Anxiety Attack
There are many symptoms that may accompany an anxiety attack, both physical and psychological. Before we look at
how to stop an anxiety attack, let’s identify some of those symptoms.
Psychological Symptoms
- Fear of dying
- Fear of going crazy or losing control
- Disconnected feeling
Physical Symptoms
- Rapid heart beat
- Shallow breathing
- Sweating
When these symptoms are examined closely it is evident that they fall into two distinct categories. For the
psychological symptoms, “irrational fear” would be a proper heading, and for the physical symptoms we could provide
the tag “respiratory difficulty.” Both of these categories must be addressed when attempting to stop an anxiety
attack, as they tend to feed off each other for strength: The more respiratory difficulty, the greater fear, and
the greater the fear, the more respiratory problems.
To stop an anxiety attack we must bring both the fear and the breathing under control. While this may sound
difficult, it can actually be accomplished simultaneously, and with surprising ease once the right method is
applied. Here are the steps to follow:
- Breathe. When anxiety hits it can feel like a respiratory event, even a heart attack. But
the uncomfortable symptoms are actually signals of hyperventilation. To regain control of your breathing you
need to focus. Concentrate on drawing deep breaths through your nose while exhaling through your mouth. This
focus will soon bring the breathing back under control.
- Self-talk. Regardless of the way it feels, anxiety will not cause death or fainting, and
you are not going crazy. In the midst of an attack, you must reassure yourself of this. Calm yourself down by
repeating a comforting mantra. Something like: “I am in control” or “this too shall pass.” These words can help
you from irrationally spinning out of control.
This two-pronged approach is the best answer to the question of how to stop an anxiety attack. When anxiety
threatens to take control of your thoughts and your breathing, it must be met with a counter measure aimed at
bringing both back under your own control.
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