Overcoming Panic Attacks Without Medication

Have you ever experienced a feeling like you’re going to die? People who have panic attacks are very familiar with this. This disorder is so named because it is equated with sudden feelings of fear, or anxiety. A person who experiences this cannot really pinpoint what he/she is afraid of. Sometimes, it happens without warning and may last for a few minutes. The symptoms that surface at the same time can make one go into a panic. These are the symptoms of a panic attack:

• Shortness of breath
• Racing heartbeat
• Weak feeling
• Shaking or trembling
• Cold hands
• Fear of dying

If you ever experience these symptoms, you will most likely feel that you’re going to die. Of course, you will not die. But a person with this disorder should learn to manage these feelings so that it will not affect his daily living.

Panic attacks may be triggered by stressful situations or depression. Its effects vary from person to person. It may cripple a person’s daily routine; preventing him from doing the things he should do like working. Many even develop certain phobias such as agoraphobia in which a person fears being in places where it might be difficult to escape when a panic attack occurs. Other sufferers of this disorder may be able to function normally but there’s a constant fear that a panic attack may occur.

The first resort in treating this disorder is take medication to reduce the anxiety. But I advocate a drug free way of overcoming this disorder for three reasons. One, taking drugs may lead a person to become dependent on it. These medicines may produce side effects like dizziness. Another reason is that these are not a “cure” to panic attacks. Once the medication is stopped, the panic attacks will return. A third reason is that the person doesn’t make use of his own capabilities to handle the situation. Every person has the capacity to triumph over any circumstance in his life. He just needs to be courageous and strong. So what can you do to vanquish panic attacks without taking a pill?

Desensitization

Desensitization is a procedure usually used by psychiatrists to help a person relax in a frightening situation. The concept of desensitization is to expose yourself to the object of fear until you become less and less afraid of it. It is done gradually, beginning with imagining what happens in a panic attack and thinking about what to do in such a situation. It is a necessity to observe the frequency of a person’s panic attacks, where and when it usually happens. Does being in a large crowd, inside any enclosed place, or just stepping out of your house set off a panic attack? Once the object of fear is identified, reflect on what relaxation techniques you can use such as deep breathing. Then you can proceed to actually exposing yourself to the fearful situation. If you fear going out of your house, the worst thing to do is to lock yourself up in your room. Go out! Take the steps in conquering your anxiety. When you run away from your fear, you are actually nurturing it and it grows day by day until it becomes too difficult to handle.

Start by going out and walking about a block or two from your house. If you feel the symptoms of a panic attack appears, apply the relaxation techniques. The next time you go out, walk a little further. Do this until you’ve forgotten to be afraid of the outside world. If you fear being in crowds, start by mingling with a small group of people a couple of minutes at a time. When you become comfortable with them, move on to larger groups of people.

Fight it Off – Mind over Matter

The mind is very powerful. If your mind created your fears, it can also destroy them. Put yourself in a positive frame of mind. Every day tell yourself that you can conquer your anxieties. Whenever you feel afraid, take a deep breath and force yourself to thin that you have the power to get over the feeling. Now this may be difficult because your mind and body might be exhausted when you are having a panic attack but you have to fight it off. You have to psyche yourself up to overcome it.

Seek Spiritual Guidance

Prayer helps a lot as well as reading spiritual passages which can be used as a source of strength. Surround yourself with people who will encourage and help you resolve your anxieties in life.

Conquering panic attacks is not easy. It will not happen overnight. Patience is needed. Little by little your fears and anxiety will disappear. One day you’ll find that you’re no longer crippled by it.