Cure for Panic Attacks - Continued
In the first part of this article we asked the question: Is there really a cure for panic attacks? We started evaluating the possible ways of dealing with panic and anxiety. In this second installment we continue our exploration of many of the other ways to cope. Hopefully at the end we will have answered the question: How to cure panic attacks?
Finding Your Safe Place
Many times panic attacks are a side-effect of
Agoraphobia and those who suffer from both understand all too well what a “safe place” is. This is the
reason that many Agoraphobics feel comfortable only in their own home, and
end up never venturing out. Finding a safe place does not necessarily mean some place physical, though –
you can conjure up a safe-place in your mind, somewhere you can get to no
matter where you are physically.
If there was a place that you remember from your childhood as making you
feel especially protected and safe, you can close your eyes and transport
yourself back there mentally. (Don’t worry if your safe place is something like sitting on your mother’s
knee or being cradled by one of your parents or grandparents – no one can
see what’s going on in your head!) If it is your home that makes you feel comfortable, try imagining
yourself there when you start to feel that familiar flutter of your pulse
that tells you an attack is coming on. Such mental imagery, combined with breathing and relaxation
techniques can work wonders in your efforts to cure your own panic attacks.
Ramping Up Your Assertiveness
Research has shown that many people who suffer from panic attacks are less assertive than those who never experience an attack. While it is not impossible for a “type-A” personality to suffer from attacks, it is more likely that those people who are used to giving in to others are more likely to have attacks. You know yourself better than anyone else does, and you should be able to determine if this is a factor in why you suffer from the symptoms of panic or anxiety. Where this is the case, forcing yourself to become more assertive in your everyday life can help you cure panic attacks.
Why is the Linden Method the answer? Click Here to find out!
You can’t change a tiger’s stripes, though, will likely be the conflict here, and many of you will argue that you cannot change who you are. No one is asking you, to, however, and this method should be viewed as a way to improve upon the qualities you, as an individual, already possess. As an example, if you know that public speaking is a trigger for you, start by speaking in front of your family or friends – people who make you feel comfortable already. Their encouragement can work wonders in helping you to overcome the fear that prompts attacks.
Because panic attacks are a response to our “flight or fight” mechanism, there are those who believe that facing the exact situation you fear is one way to overcome the fear. No one is suggesting that you have to sky-dive out of an airplane if you have a fear of heights, though, and maybe just making it to the top of the highest building in your area, one floor at a time, and looking out the window at each stage, could help you to overcome that fear and reduce your instances of attacks when you are required to be up high. Doing this at your own pace, and on your own terms, is mightily different than being in situation where you don’t have a choice.
