How to Stop Panicking in the Face of a Problem

 

Experts haven’t found a way to completely prevent panic attacks. But if you think you might be prone to them, you can take steps to help protect yourself. And it starts with your everyday habits.

The first step is to find out what’s going on. You’ll need to see your doctor for this.” with “The symptoms of a panic attack, such as a racing heartbeat, sweating, feeling short of breath and feeeling fear or dread are similar to a heart attack or other ailments. So if you have an attack -- or think you've had one -- go to your doctor (or an emergency room, if urgent) to rule out other causes and to make sure it doesn't lead to other problems, such as developing the fear of leaving home or creating trouble at work.

Experts don’t fully understand why panic attacks happen. But they do know that the things that make people vulnerable include:

• Family history
• Stressful events, such as the death of a loved one
• Substance abuse
• Problems with the brain or nervous system
• Other psychological problems

• Nutrition

  Day-to-day life can bring stresses large and small. Taking them in stride begins with taking care of yourself.

Avoid smoking and caffeine. They can ratchet up anxiety.

Don’t drink alcohol or use illegal drugs. They may seem to calm you down. But they can throw off your emotional balance, interfere with your sleep, and conflict with medications.

Your Mind-Set

Do you get stressed out often? Try to figure out if it tends to happen in certain situations. To start, keep notes on when you become anxious and then look for patterns. Once you discover something that gets you frazzled, seek ways to handle it better. For instance, if taking a walk helps settle your nerves, go for a stroll before you face situations or events that might agitate you.

Changing how we handle negative thoughts also can help. In our minds, we all keep up sort of a running commentary about what we’re doing and seeing. Some of us get into the habit of focusing on irrational thoughts that make life harder than it has to be. We might emphasize the negative in situations, or we may think we have to be in control all of the time.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be very helpful for learning how to control our thoughts and coming up with practical strategies.

Mindfulness and meditation are other practices that can help deal with negative thoughts.

With practice, we can recognize what we’re doing and replace those thoughts with positive ones. We can see the good in what happens and let go of things we can’t control.