How do I cope with panic attacks without any medication?

Question

How do I cope with panic attacks without any medication?

Answer 1

If your attacks are severe, talk to an actual therapist or a doctor of your choice otherwise...

Deep breaths, think calm, and if you meditate... try it.  If you pray, definitely pray.  Talk through it if someone is with you.  Try and take your mind elsewhere.  

Just keep telling yourself that the panic is coming from inside and not outside (for instance "No I am not about to be crushed, I've just triggered an attack and my fear response is unreasonable).  Simply put you're step by step retraining your response to fear by reminding yourself of real truth instead of panicked truth.  It's tough but hang in there.

Answer 2

learn how to relax and use meditation techniques.  they do help.  panic is about fear and feeling out of control of your life.  realize that you are part of the universe and have natural positive power and energy.  face your fears and try to be more rational.

Answer 3

take medicine i did and it saved my life!

Answer 4

Do you feel any of the following bodily sensations?

* Dizzy spells leading to panic

* Tightness in throat and chest- shortness of breath

* Racing heart with tingle sensations

* Hot flushes followed by waves of anxiety

* Obsessive worries and unwanted thoughts

* Not feeling connected to what is going on around you

* Overwhelming fear that the anxiety will push you over the edge?

i think this resources can help you out:http://anxietyandpanicattackssolution.bl...

Answer 5

What are some of the symptoms you are having? If for example you start hyperventilating, you need to breathe in a bag for the following reasons: hyperventilation is when you take breaths too quick and uncontrollably, this is forcing too much oxygen in your system and not enough carbon dioxide, this will give you a light headed feeling and you might pass out, breathe in a paper bag to reduce the intake of oxygen and to re-breathe the carbon dioxide that your body is putting out. I would also suggest working out, running, swimming, any type of sport helps with anxiety which may lead to panic attacks. Sports have always proved to be helpful also they release chemicals in your brain that make you feel better

Answer 6

its very very easy!!!!!!!!!!when ever you feel one coming on ignore it(i know it sounds hard but trust me)so lets play this out say you get a tingle in your chest or something!!!that will start your brain thinking an boom panic!!!but what if when you feel the tingle you sing a song in your head(best not out loud people stare:))now you had the feeling but ignored it you should master this quickly and it works everytime

oh and remember no one has ever died from a panic attack

Answer 7

Physical Anxiety

Here is a list of the distressing symptoms of anxiety.  Some people get all the symptoms, some only a few.  Some get symptoms not listed here.  Though very unpleasant they are not harmful.  No one has ever died of fright.

Feeling short of breath

Feeling tight across the chest

Chest pain

Dizziness or light-headedness

Tingling in the fingers

Palpitations

Muscle pains, including neck pain and headache

Shakiness

Feeling hot and cold

Sweating

Dry mouth

Blurred vision

Difficulty in swallowing

Sickness or wanting to go to the toilet

How Does Anxiety Cause Physical Symptoms?

Anxiety prepares the body for physical exercise.  Either to fight or run away.  It does this by:

1. Making us over-breathe

2. Putting a substance called adrenaline into the blood stream

This is fine during physical exercise but can cause the symptoms already mentioned if we get anxious at rest.

This how it happens:

Over-breathing.  When anxious, we feel we need to breathe harder, with quick deep breath through the chest.  This helps supply more oxygen to the muscles for exercise.  This is found during heavy exercise, but can cause problems if we get anxious:

(a) It can make us feel short of breath (or even suffocating).  Even if we do not actually need the extra air.

(b) The chest muscles can get too tense.  This feels like a tight band around the chest and may even cause chest pain.

Over-breathing at rest can alter the mixture of gases in the lungs and blood causing:

(i) Dizziness

(ii) Tingling in the fingers

(iii) Light headed or “floating feelings”

These feelings are distressing but NOT dangerous.

Adrenaline

Anxiety makes the body produce adrenaline which has the following effects.

(a) It increases the strength and speed of the heart beat to pump more blood around the body for exercise.  This can cause a feeling of the heart pounding which may be frightening but NOT dangerous.

(b) It increases tension in the muscles, preparing them to spring into action.  This makes us feel tense all over.  Muscles that get most tense are, the scalp, neck and shoulder muscles causing headache, neck-ache, or a feeling of a tight band around the head.  Sometimes the muscles tremble and shake.

(c) Sometimes adrenaline sends blood to the skin to help cool the body down.  Sometimes it drains blood away from the skin to send extra blood to the muscles.  This may make you feel hot or cold or even both.  You will have heard the expression “pale with fear” or “red-faced with embarrassment”.

(d) It increases sweating.  To cool the body when it gets hot with exercise.  People often find this a nuisance.

(e) Other uncomfortable feelings due to adrenaline are:

     Dry mouth, blurred vision, difficulty swallowing, feeling sick and wanting to go to      

     the toilet.

All this is very tiring and often leaves people feeling exhausted.

Mental Anxiety

When we get anxious, our minds can be full of all sorts of worrying thoughts and feelings.  It’s often hard to concentrate and think straight.  Sometimes the thoughts may be about various problems.  But they are often about the anxiety, particularly the physical anxiety itself.  This can cause lots of difficulties.  The most common thoughts of this type are:

“I can’t cope”

“ I’ll make a fool of myself, others will notice”

“I’ll faint in front of them”

“I’m going mad”

“I’m going to loose control”

“I’m having a heart attack”

“I’m dying”

“I can’t breathe”

“I’ve a brain tumour”

If any apply to you, please underline them and write any others you get in the space above.

Of course all these thoughts are very alarming.  Making a person’s original symptoms worse.  This confirms his worst fears, so he becomes even more frightened.  And so on.................

In other words, a vicious circle develops:

Frightening thoughts



Anxiety symptoms

If the symptoms get so bad that the person feels absolutely desperate this is called a panic attack.  Example: A man with fear of heart attacks feels his heart “pounding” as soon as he thinks about a heart attack.  This confirms to him his belief that something is wrong with his heart.  Making him even more frightened.  The circle continues until he has a full blown panic attack.

Pounding heart and Confirms his fear that

other anxiety symptoms something’s wrong with his

heart



Fear of heart attack

After it has happened once, every time he thinks of heart problems, death etc.  The whole thing happens again, often becoming worse.  This is how most illness phobias develop.  Whether it is heart phobia, fear of brain tumour, cancer or whatever.

Often symptoms make us frustrated or even guilty, sometimes we get terrified that the symptoms will return.  Unfortunately all three feelings cause anxiety, making the original anxiety worse.  So the person gets even more frightened, frustrated etc.  Again a vic

Answer 8

Dear Rebeccaj,

I know the attacks give you a feeling of no self control and are very scary @ times. I was tired of taking meds and the side affects made my depressed. When I realized that my daughter was starting to have them I knew I had to do some thing before  my ex had her put on meds.

First I went with my daughter to therapists. She was put on meds  for about 6 months to help her. Then we learned how to identify the triggers of an attack and diff types of situations to avoid and if you can't avoid them the things to do.

Second,   Identify the triggers & situations  that cause the attacks ,example in a crowed place, get away from it,  if you can't, then close your eyes, take some deep breaths, find a place in your mind that is your pleasing safe place and go there. It helps a lot to have a friend and a support group that you can talk to that REALLY understands what is happening  and not just  book knowledge.

Just remember when this happens that your going to be okay and you need  to be in control of these attacks &  not the attacks  in control of you. It's okay, some people can't do it on there on and need a little help with meds every day or just from time to time.

Good luck