Stress is one thing. Anxiety attacks are another. They cripple your daily life. They stop you from living. They paralyze your minds and thoughts. They send you into an emotional tailspin with no end in sight, but a complete crash. Anxiety attacks affect millions of people, keeping them from living productive, happy lives. The panic isolates loving, social people from their closest friends and loved one.

Yet, panic attacks do not have to be the crippling, debilitating force they are. For many people, learning to control them will help them lead longer, happier and more successful lives. The key, like stress, is learning coping mechanisms to hold back anxiety, before it morphs into panic and an attack ensues.

1. Breathe easy

A steady, calm breath in a heated moments cools an anxiety attack. Learning to breathe effectively steadies the blood flow, calms the mind, eases the nerves and ultimately clears the head. When you breath, take in all the air you can for several seconds, then slowly exhale, let the air go. Continue this steadily for anywhere from thirty seconds until several minutes, depending on how strong the attack is. When done, shake out your arms and legs to keep the blood flowing and relax.

2. Rethink the Situation

The tightness. The pangs. The anger. Mental stress manifests itself through panic attacks. Remember most attacks start in the mind as a response to external stress. Therefore, the solution is in your mind. Consider rethinking your situation before the attack takes over. If you’re feeling stressed, imagine yourself as someone else, another person watching you interact with the world. In this case, their perspective would often be that your situation is not as bad as it seems. You’re stressed, but more than you should be. Ask the third-party, all the positive characteristics about your life. A constant stream of positive thoughts is a key weapon when it comes to fighting panic attacks.

Imagining yourself as someone else opens you to a new experience where you see yourself more objectively for a few moments.

Some people create imaginary friends that fulfill the role of the third party. They imagine, “What would my imaginary best friend say to me?” Because it’s their best friend, the response will be soft and gentle.

3. Practice before you Panic

Simulating a panic attack might seem like the worst thought for some, but a fire drill is better than being unprepared for a full-blown blaze.

Imagine a panic attack before it happens. Imagine the worst panic attack. Imagine your thought process. Then when you think you might be at the brink of an anxiety attack, practice breathing. Think happy thoughts about your life. Remember pleasant childhood memories like the pies your grandmother made or the community park where you swung happily with friends. Grab a picture of a happy time and imagine yourself in that situation. Feel those pleasant emotions.

Do this several times and train your body to respond differently. By doing this, the next time you’re in an anxiety attack, your subconscious should give you better control over the attack. The mental trigger of a happy thought will trigger better breathing, a calmer state and stave off a full-blown panic attack.

The practice also teaches you the negative thoughts and emotional roots of your panic attack. Knowing the thought processes shows you where to let the healing begin.

Learning to cope with your panic attacks will help you cope with stress and the rigors of daily life. If you learn to cope, you will breathe joy into your life where stress used to live.

Please Share with your friends