I not only write about panic attacks and anxiety, but I, on occasion, suffer from mild anxiety attacks. This happened when I got divorced and did not know what my new life would be like. It also happened when I lost my job and did not really know what my future would look like or how I would put food on the table. In my case a big trigger is uncertainty. I found an anxiety cure that forgoes expensive medications with weird side effects, or herbalists, or therapists, to manage these moments.
Relaxation: While in a fit of panic it is very tough to relax, but necessary. Invoke here any and all methods you know to do this. Visualize, breathe, lie down, and get a massage whatever but find a way to break the sinking spiral of doom. That is the first step. You need to do the work and find your own though, I have found that there is no fail safe way that will work for everyone.
Observation: Now that you are relaxed you need to get into a state of introspection. Look at what you are thinking. Look at what you are feeling. Here when I say “look” I mean be aware of and understand it as close to the root cause as you can.
Analysis: The next step is to go deeper and analyze why you feel that way? In my case when I got anxious after being fired it was about feeling out of control, not knowing what would happen and my cash reserves running out. It was about feeling worthless and inadequate. I would take it farther, why do I feel this way?
Benevolent Bias: The answer to the question can be: Because you are! With the never-ending downward spiral continuing its path or it can be: wait a minute… I am a bla, bla, bla graduate, I have an MBA I am smart resourceful I have done this and that; this is just a step that had to happen to find a place where I can add even more value! This is benevolent bias. It is an effort to see things in positive light no matter what. Obviously it the things you say to yourself have to be true, but additionally they are cast in a more positive light than an objective third party might be inclined to do.
These four steps generally calm me down and break the spell of anxiety that might be plaguing me at the moment. I’m sure it will not work for everyone and it will be more or less effective depending on the intensity of the panic attack, but hey…it’s the anxiety cure that works for me. If you try this, worst case, you will be training your mind into thinking that uncertainty does not equal problems but sometimes opportunity.
For more articles and commentary about relief from anxiety and panic visit EndingPanicAttacks.com
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