How to stop panic attacks.

 

The first step in managing a panic attack is being able to recognize when it's happening. Besides sudden, overwhelming feelings of anxiety, fear, or dread, you may also have symptoms like a racing heart, nausea, or chest pain.

The simplest way to stop panic attacks is by practicing the following breathing exercise  steps:

• breathe in as slowly, deeply and gently as you can, through your nose.
• breathe out slowly, deeply and gently through your mouth.
• some people find it helpful to count steadily from 1 to 5 on each in-breath and each out-breath.
• close your eyes and focus on your breathing.

Here are some other ways you can stop panic attacks:
1. Picture your happy place.
A person’s happy place should be somewhere they would feel most relaxed. The specific place will be different for everybody. It will be somewhere they feel relaxed, safe, and calm.
When an attack begins, it can help to close the eyes and imagine being in this place. Think of how calm it is there. People can also imagine their bare feet touching the cool soil, hot sand, or soft rugs.

2. Seek counseling.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and other types of counseling can often help people who have panic attacks and who have panic disorders. CBT aims to help you change the way you see challenging or frightening situations and to help you find new ways to approach these challenges as they arise.
You can find CBT for individuals or groups, online or face-to-face, and the length of treatment can also vary. In exposure-based CBT, your therapist will expose you to something that can trigger a panic attack and help you work your way through it.
As well as changing behavior, there is some evidence that CBT might affect structures in your brain that are responsible for panic symptoms.
In 2018, some researchersTrusted Source found evidence that people who attended four weekly sessions of exposure-based CBT experienced changes in the neural pathways involved in panic symptoms. However, this was an early study, and more research is needed.
In 2018, 37 people in Korea attended a mindfulness-based program once a week for 4 weeks, to see if brief treatment would help reduce symptoms of panic disorder. One aspect of the treatment was to focus on their heart rate, as some people experience cardiovascular symptoms during a panic attack.
The findings suggested that the participants could better manage their symptoms using their own thought processes after the treatment. However, this was a small study, and there was no control group. More research is needed to find out how effective short-term therapy can be.


3. Take deep breaths.
Deep breathing can help bring a panic attack under control.
Panic attacks can cause rapid breathing, and chest tightness can make the breaths shallow. This type of breathing can make feelings of anxiety and tension worse.
Instead, try to breathe slowly and deeply, concentrating on each breath. Breathe deeply from the abdomen, filling the lungs slowly and steadily while counting to 4 on both the inhale and the exhale.
People can also try using 4-7-8 breathing, or “relaxing breath.” With this technique, the person breathes in for 4 seconds, holds the breath for 7 seconds, then exhales slowly for 8 seconds.
It is worth noting that for some people, deep breathing can make panic attacks worse. In these cases, the person can try focusing on doing something they enjoy instead.

 4. Focus on breathing.
Your breath affects your mental state, so breathing is a crucial part of stopping a panic attack.
“During a panic attack, your breathing speeds up, a signal that your body is in fight-or-flight mode,” Dr. Josell says. “Rapid breathing sends a clear signal that you’re in danger, but slow, deep breathing helps to turn off the fight-or-flight response.”
Follow these steps:

• Find a quiet place to sit or lie down, if possible. But even if you can’t, deep breathing can benefit you anywhere.
• Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest.
• Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose, and exhale out through your mouth. Breathe at a pace that feels comfortable for you.
• Notice your hands. The hand on your belly should move as you inhale and fall back into place as you exhale. The hand on your chest should stay relatively still.  
• Repeat for several minutes or until you feel calm. 

 5. Sensory grounding with ice or cold water.
If you have a washcloth and a water bottle, you have a good start to a panic attack survival kit. Sometimes panic attacks make people feel uncomfortably hot. A damp washcloth around the neck or face can ease this feeling and give you a sensation to think about.
Three ways water can calm a panic attack:
Hold an ice cube in your hand and focus on the sensation.
Place a cold, wet washcloth on the back of your neck.
Dunk your head into a bowl of ice water.

 6. Progressive Relaxation.
When you feel a panic attack coming on -- or are in the middle of one -- tense one muscle at a time and then relax it. Repeat this everywhere until your whole body is relaxed.

 7. Smell some lavender.
A soothing scent can help relieve anxiety by tapping into the senses, helping the person stay grounded and giving them something to focus on. Lavender is a common traditional remedy known for bringing about a sense of calm relaxation. Many studies report that lavender can help relieve anxiety. Try holding the oil under the nose and inhaling gently, or dabbing a little onto a handkerchief to smell. This oil is widely available online. However, people should only purchase it from trusted retailers. If the person dislikes the smell of lavender, they could try replacing it with another essential oil that they prefer, such as bergamot orange, chamomile, or lemon.

Note: Other lifestyle measures may give you some control of anxiety attacks. For instance, avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can exacerbate anxiety, causing your heart to beat fast. Eat well-balanced meals. Get plenty of sleep, especially when you are stressed. Exercise every day to feel good and stay healthy.

Credit: nhsinform, healthline, medicalnewstoday, clevelanclinic, nebraskamed, WebMD, Campbell county health, verywellhealth, everyday health.