Anxiety Attack Symptoms: Know the Symptoms and Learn How to Prepare
If you suffer from an anxiety disorder then panic attacks may be a part of your life. Predicting when an anxiety attack will happen may not be easy but you can take steps to prepare for these attacks and take back control of your life.
Unfortunately even with proper medication, many patients will still suffer from anxiety attacks. Understanding anxiety attack symptoms is helpful but everyone reacts differently and even you may experience different symptoms during repeat attacks.
A symptom of an attack may feel like you have a serious health problem, such as feeling as though you are having a heart attack because of chest pain. The main anxiety attack symptom is one of extreme fear.
There may be feelings of being light headed or experiencing dizziness. Sweating or trembling and having hot flashes are common. Other symptoms may include:
A fear of doing something embarrassing
Experiencing a feeling of doom – even feeling that you are going to die.
Stomach upset
Numbness or tingling of hand, feet or lips.
When you know what triggers panic reactions in you, you can do your best to avoid or minimize these situations. To prepare for an anxiety attack, know your triggers. Do you have a specific phobia? Is excessive stress your downfall? Are some situations seemingly impossible for you?
The first step to taking back control of your life is to learn to breathe. When an anxiety attack occurs, people often feel so overwhelmed that they forget to breathe properly and tend to hyperventilate. When you hyperventilate your breathing becomes too fast and shallow.
One method is to breath into a paper bag (not a plastic bag). This may or may not be a good solution for you, but the fact is that you should know your breathing exercise and practice it before you have an attack. Have a plan—learn calming breathing techniques and practice these at least twice a day.
Learning relaxation techniques may also help you when you have an anxiety attack. Of course, you might find it hard to even consider meditating while having an attack, but by learning calming methods, you can use some of the same techniques that help you to meditate to help calm you down.
You should also be prepared for any anxiety attack with any medications you have been prescribed. When you leave home make sure you take a list of emergency contacts with you. These should include your doctor’s number, your local crisis hotline, and members of your personal support network. You can use these phone numbers yourself if you feel a panic attack starting, or another person can easily find this information in your purse or wallet if you are incapable of helping yourself.
Take with you a bag which contains items that will help to give you a level of comfort and which will help to calm you down during a panic attack. A vital part of the contents of the bag is that you have any medications you may be taking, together with instructions on taking the medicine. You can also include any items from home that will help give you comfort. This could include herbal tea, a stuffed animal, photos, rubber bands to snap onto your wrist, mints, hand cream, money, a puzzle book, in fact anything else that may help you to relax, stimulate your brain, or distract yourself. Keep in mind that one of the ways to reducing your anxiety attack symptoms will be to gain comfort by having familiar objects close at hand.
Anxiety and panic attacks can be treated successfully without medication. Try these revolutionary technique to help you to be free of anxiety attack symptoms.