A panic attack can be such a frightening experience and learning how to stop panic attacks in their tracks is an important skill in trying to come to terms with them.
To do this we need to think about what is at the heart of the problem.
It seems well understood now that there is a pattern of thoughts at the centre of a panic attack and if we're going to stop it we'll need to try and tackle this.
Each of these thought patterns is associated with a particular fear.
This fear might be related to a place, an event or a certain circumstance.
The starting point is to identify what it is that's setting our panic attacks off.
This can be difficult but becomes easier the more you practice! Whenever you're feeling anxious or experiencing a panic attack, try and think about the thoughts that are going through your head.
Write them down or if you happen to have one, record them on a voice recorder - you might forget later.
You'll probably find that one fear leads to another, e.
g.
my heart is beating too fast - I'm going to have a heart attack - I'm going to die - What will happen after I'm gone - How will the kids manage if I'm gone etc..
..
Write down everything you can think of.
Once they're written down, try and learn them off by heart.
This way you are one step ahead of your panic by knowing exactly what is coming.
The next step is to think of some kind of positive or coping statement you can use to replace these negative thoughts.
If it is a fear of a heart attack for example, you might think "I've had my heart checked by the doctor, I know it's absolutely fine".
If it's a fear of walking down a certain street it might be "I've walked down here hundreds of times and never had any problem".
Having done this, should a panic attack set off, the steps I would suggest you take are the following: 1) Sit down, plant your feet on the ground and feel all of your weight going through your feet in to the ground.
2) Take 5 deep relaxing breaths in and out.
Counting to 7 in and 11 out may help.
3) If you recognise the thoughts as ones you have learnt, try and skip through them as quickly as possible before, in your head shouting "STOP" - this should help to break the cycle of thoughts.
4) Then use your coping statement to replace the negative thoughts.
Focus on this over and over until the negative thoughts are forgotten.
This may not come naturally at first but I would encourage you to persevere as I feel this process can be really helpful.
The last thing to remember is the importance of accepting your fears.
Fears are a natural phenomenon to help us protect ourselves.
If you are having chest pains, it is perfectly natural to have concerns about a heart attack.
Try thinking of fear as a POSITIVE emotion that reminds you to take care of yourself.
LISTEN to your feelings, UNDERSTAND them, ACCEPT them and then think about how to put them into PERSPECTIVE.
To do this we need to think about what is at the heart of the problem.
It seems well understood now that there is a pattern of thoughts at the centre of a panic attack and if we're going to stop it we'll need to try and tackle this.
Each of these thought patterns is associated with a particular fear.
This fear might be related to a place, an event or a certain circumstance.
The starting point is to identify what it is that's setting our panic attacks off.
This can be difficult but becomes easier the more you practice! Whenever you're feeling anxious or experiencing a panic attack, try and think about the thoughts that are going through your head.
Write them down or if you happen to have one, record them on a voice recorder - you might forget later.
You'll probably find that one fear leads to another, e.
g.
my heart is beating too fast - I'm going to have a heart attack - I'm going to die - What will happen after I'm gone - How will the kids manage if I'm gone etc..
..
Write down everything you can think of.
Once they're written down, try and learn them off by heart.
This way you are one step ahead of your panic by knowing exactly what is coming.
The next step is to think of some kind of positive or coping statement you can use to replace these negative thoughts.
If it is a fear of a heart attack for example, you might think "I've had my heart checked by the doctor, I know it's absolutely fine".
If it's a fear of walking down a certain street it might be "I've walked down here hundreds of times and never had any problem".
Having done this, should a panic attack set off, the steps I would suggest you take are the following: 1) Sit down, plant your feet on the ground and feel all of your weight going through your feet in to the ground.
2) Take 5 deep relaxing breaths in and out.
Counting to 7 in and 11 out may help.
3) If you recognise the thoughts as ones you have learnt, try and skip through them as quickly as possible before, in your head shouting "STOP" - this should help to break the cycle of thoughts.
4) Then use your coping statement to replace the negative thoughts.
Focus on this over and over until the negative thoughts are forgotten.
This may not come naturally at first but I would encourage you to persevere as I feel this process can be really helpful.
The last thing to remember is the importance of accepting your fears.
Fears are a natural phenomenon to help us protect ourselves.
If you are having chest pains, it is perfectly natural to have concerns about a heart attack.
Try thinking of fear as a POSITIVE emotion that reminds you to take care of yourself.
LISTEN to your feelings, UNDERSTAND them, ACCEPT them and then think about how to put them into PERSPECTIVE.