A Panic Attack can feel very intense. A panic attack is part of the fight or flight response we have and when it launches, the entire body thinks there is a clear and very important danger.
So during a panic attack the body reacts as if it just came in contact with something that is really life threatening, like a cobra or another poisonous snake.
And this is where the problem starts for most people who suffer from panic attacks. How do you react when your body starts behaving as if it has been bitten by a cobra, but you are just standing somewhere, minding your own business, or you’re driving your car. How do you react?
Most people will start to panic even more. They’ll feel strange things that will worry them and the panic attack cycle will become bigger and bigger.
At that point something else kicks in: fear of the fear.
When you’ve had a panic attack in a certain place, or while you were doing something, it will be difficult to feel calm the next time you are in the same or in a similar situation.
So then here’s the million dollar question: How do you deal with panic attacks?
The first step is taking away the fear of the fear. As long as you fear having another panic attack, you will get new panic attacks. The more you try to avoid them, the more you think about them, the more stressed, tense and anxious you will be. This alone will make you prone to another panic attack.
The second step is to learn how to react when the panic attack tries to get to you. Remember, what you are feeling will be nothing more than the fight or flight response you have in your body. Don’t be afraid of it. Reason with yourself and explain what you are feeling.
If what you feel scares you because you feel symptoms in your body that aren’t normal, visit your doctor so you can rule out physical conditions. When your doctor doesn’t find anything, keep repeating to yourself that what you are feeling is the fight or flight response from your body.
It will react just as it has been bitten by a cobra, even when it is not.