Tips To Overcome Anxiety Attacks

Anxiety attacks are actually fairly common; making it important to learn how to overcome anxiety attacks. Many people mistakenly believe that you must suffer from some type of anxiety disorder to experience an anxiety attack; however, this is not the case. Statistics indicate that at least one person in sixty will experience an anxiety attack at some point in their lives. While they may never experience another anxiety attack again, the fact remains that anxiety attacks can literally seem to come from out of the blue. When you feel an anxiety attack coming on, it can be quite frightening. The severe symptoms of anxiety attack lead many people to feel as though they may be dying during the attack. nnThe fear that an individual experiences in the midst of an anxiety attack can be quite paralyzing. Even more frightening is the thought that most of the time the person has no idea why they are having those feelings of fear and anxiety. Symptoms of an anxiety attack can include dizziness, sweating, heart palpitations, chest pain, trembling and shortness of breath. Hyperventilation and nausea can also be common in many people as well. nnThe important thing to remember when you begin to experience these symptoms is that you can learn how to overcome anxiety attacks. You do not have to give in to them. The best way to learn how to overcome an attack is to learn how to change your response to both the attack and the situation which triggered it, if you can pinpoint the stimulus. nnDeep breathing exercises have been beneficial for many people when they feel as though an anxiety attack is impending. This technique can actually help to ward off many other symptoms of an anxiety attack because they can actually be a result of your respiratory system not functioning properly. Generally, it is best if you practice deep breathing exercises when you feel most calm so that when you do need to call upon this technique in an anxiety attack it comes as second nature and you do not have to worry about remembering the steps. Also, you should try practicing deep breathing exercises on a routine basis, ideally at least once a day, in order to for them to work well. nnWhen practicing deep breathing exercises, remember to breath in through your nose slowly and then exhale slowly through your mouth. This will keep the oxygen flowing to critical parts of your body which may be deprived of oxygen during a panic attack, thus making the attack worse and resulting in more symptoms. nnYou may also find that simply distracting yourself will work to end an anxiety attack before it actually has a chance to progress. For example, try saying the alphabet backwards, reciting all of the state capitals, naming the presidents, etc. These types of exercises will get your mind off of the situation and onto to something else, which is critical in cutting the line of fuel to your anxiety. The important thing is to not focus on negative thoughts, because this will only compound your anxiety. Learning how to overcome anxiety attacks can take some time, but with practice and dedication you can do it. n