Nutritional supplements, self help CDs, homeopathic and flower remedies       Tel: 0844 412 4486 (UK); +44 1726 819178 (international)

We donate at least 12% of our profits to charitable organisations. View Cart | Checkout  Cart Items:, Value:

Dealing With Panic Attacks

Health Articles | Health Products | Symptoms | Dealing With Panic Attacks

Help and Advice In Dealing With Panic Attacks by Paul David

What Causes Panic Attacks? This can vary; certain people’s personality can be a contributory factor. The person prone to worry a lot throughout their life may suddenly go from been anxious to having a panic attack for no real reason, apart from a continuous build up of worry. Sometimes they are born out of a childhood event, possibly emotional or physical abuse or, as in my case, substance abuse or withdrawal. There can be a few different factors but, however they develop, they need to be addressed in the same way. They can rule a person’s life to such an extent that the person becomes unable to do what other people take for granted - a simple trip to the shops can become an ordeal and it can rob them of their very freedom.

When we have a cold, we know the symptoms and we don't worry about them. We may have a headache or an upset tummy but we don’t have a problem with that, we all get them from time to time. But what happens when we experience the feeling of panic for the first time, for no apparent reason? AGGGHHHH … no-one told us about this, so this really must be something bad. You have no-one you can really tell about this, but: “Oh my God, what happened there?

Well, think about it this way: If you came face to face with a dangerous dog that you feared in the street, your heart would race and start beating very fast. You would feel panicky and very uncomfortable, but when it was all over, you would start to relax and your body would return to normal. Yes, no problem there; you would expect to feel like this in that situation, who wouldn’t? But, no, you felt panicky for no reason - WHY?

Imagine a cup that is gradually being topped up with water until eventually it fills up and cannot hold any more water, so it overflows. If you are stressed or worrying over a long period of time, be it through bereavement, relationship break-up or long term problems, adrenalin is constantly being released into your system until eventually it overflows and, wham, you feel panicky for no apparent reason when, in fact, your body is actually protecting itself and releasing that overflow of worry and stress that has been building up over the previous weeks/months.

Now, if you had known that this was all it was and had been told at school or by your parents that this may happen, you would have felt panicky, but, you would have been able to say to yourself, “Hey, I have been grieving/worrying for a while now; it’s just an overflow of adrenalin”. But because nobody does warn you, you tell yourself that this must be serious. You go home and question everything that happened to you and you can't understand it; not only that, you then start worrying that it will happen again. “Oh no, what if I feel like that again?” you say to yourself.

Now you really are caught in a trap because your whole day/week is going to be lived in fear of another panic attack coming. You might as well have a big hat on that says, “Panic, please come again”, because fear brings panic and your day is going to be full of fear. My God, that cup is going to fill up quickly now, isn’t it?. The more it fills, the more you fill it with “Oh, my God, what if? “What’s happening to me” all day, every day, and all because of that one day when your body was just releasing an overflow of adrenalin.

Now what? Your mind starts racing around and all the worrying thoughts come rushing in. “I might panic when I go out, and what if I see someone I know? Now I am going to stop in. I am alright within these four walls.” The only difference inside these four walls is your attitude -THAT’S ALL. You don't worry inside, so you feel a lot better. But, oh dear, when you go out, off you go again:

“Oh, I don’t know if I can do it”, “What if I collapse”?

These statements can be the first step towards never going out at all. Believe me, all of this was caused by the events of that one day. If only someone had explained to you exactly what was happening, you would have been spared all those years of suffering - so simple, but true.

Once sensitised it is all about getting your body back into realising there is no danger in these places and this means going towards the feelings of panic, with a “Come and do your worst attitude” tell yourself you will be fine and it is just adrenalin and nothing bad can happen. Letting panic come and trying to stay calm while your body rages around you is not easy, but there is no need to climb a mountain in one day, just to do what you feel comfortable with. Little victories can add up and give you the confidence to try more so you can start to broaden your life.

If you're planning to go somewhere, don’t fill your day/weeks worrying about it, just go and you may find that you do enjoy yourself and many of the fears you held came to nothing. It is not always how you feel but your attitude to how you feel that can make all the difference.

Copyright 2007 Paul David spent years after his own recovery studying the whole subject in full so he could go on to dedicate his life to helping others. He then went on to write a book entitled 'At Last a Life' telling his own story of recovery and what took him there. For more information and better understanding of the subject visit Anxiety No More.