How to Overcome Panic Attacks – An Analysis of Available Solutions
From my own personal experience, I have realized that certain solutions work better than others. I am a staunch believe in the no-medication philosophy, because the kind of drugs that are used to treat anxiety and panic disorders can mess up with your body completely, and I won’t even talk about their scope for abuse.
From the top of my head, these are the five best methods I could think of that are effective in treating a panic disorder.
1. Cognitive Therapy
The focus of cognitive therapy is to force a change in set patterns of thinking and beliefs in order to remove the underlying cause of a panic attack. All forms of panic disorders have certain triggers. The aim of cognitive therapy, therefore, is to help the patient overcome anything that triggers their anxiety. Strategies to combat panic attacks include rational self-talk, cognitive restructuring, training to challenge underlying fears and beliefs, and checking the flow of negative thoughts.
2. Behavior therapy
Behavior Therapy aims to fight panic disorders by deliberately exposing a patient to his/her fears. A major cause of many panic attacks are different phobias. Through a gradul exposure to those phobias, this technique can, over time, desensitize you to your fears, letting you redefine the fear aspect of the situation or trigger.
3. Medication
Medication should always be seen as a short term measure, to be used in conjunction with therapy. Most of the medications involved in fighting off a panic disorder are powerful concoctions of drugs that have a lot of side effects, along with being highly addictive. The tendency in patients to abuse these drugs, therefore, is very high. Some of the prescription medications used to fight panic include Valium, Xanax/Zenax, etc. Studies also show that therapy is a much better solution to controlling a panic disorder than short term medications.
4. Diet
An inadequate intake of nutrients, especially vitamins and minerals can amplify the symptoms of a panic disorder. All anxiety/panic conditions are hormone controlled, which are secreted by the various glands located throughout the body. These require vitamins and minerals to function at their full efficiency. It has been noted that an irregular and inadequate intake of vitamin B and calcium has been shown to worsen anxiety symptoms. Stimulants like nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, should also be avoided in the diet as they trigger the release of adrenaline – one of the major stress causing chemicals. One should adjust his/her diet to include a healthier variety of foods, with plenty of vitamins and minerals. Also consider taking dietary supplements that can fulfill a nutrient deficiency.
5. Self-Help
I am a big believe in self help, DIY. While I understand that for those suffering from particularly severe or debilitating forms of anxiety disorders, self help can’t (and shouldn’t) be a choice of treatment. For most others (and this is the majority of us anxiety patients), self help can be very very effective. Head over to the local bookstore and look up some titles, or go online and check out some websites (including Control Panic Attacks). There are plenty of anxiety management programs being sold on the internet, some particularly effective – like Panic Away – which I used myself, among others, like the Linden Method
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