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People under stress or suffering
from phobias sometimes experience moments of sudden and intense anxiety.
This
can leave you shaking, feeling confused or disorientated, with rapid
heartbeats, a dry mouth, sweating, dizziness and, sometimes, chest pain. Chest
pains should always be checked out with your doctor immediately, just to make
sure it is nothing more serious.
The symptoms
usually peak within 10 minutes. But they can last anything between five minutes
and half an hour.
If you
know something triggers a panic attack, it is best to avoid it and seek help
from a physician or counsellor. But Professor
Paul Salkovskis, a psychologist at King’s College, London, says it's
important not to let your fear of panic attacks control you.
“Panic
attacks always pass and the symptoms are not a sign of anything harmful
happening,” he says. “It’s important not to restrict your movements and daily
activities.”
Confront your fear - you may
need support do this. During an attack
you experience a whole range of frightening symptoms, and worrying thoughts may
go through your mind.
"Many
people have a sense of impending disaster, and think they're going to
faint, lose control or even die," says Salkovskis."You need to tell
yourself that this is not going to happen and the symptoms you're
experiencing are caused by anxiety."
He says
don't look for distractions. "Ride out the attack. Try to keep doing
things. If possible, don't leave the situation until the anxiety has
subsided."
"Confront
your fear. If you don't run away from it you're giving yourself a chance
to discover that nothing's going to happen."
As the
anxiety begins to pass, start to focus on your surroundings and carry on doing what
you were doing before.
“If
you’re having a short, sudden panic attack it can be helpful to
have someone with you, reassuring you that it will pass and the
symptoms are nothing to worry about,” says Salkovskis. “Then you need to try to
work out what particular stress you might be under that could make your
symptoms worse.
"There's
no quick fix but if your attacks are happening time after time, seek medical
help."
If you have panic disorder, you
may feel constantly stressed and anxious, particularly about when your next
panic attack may be. So learning to relax, which isn't as easy as it
sounds, can help to relieve some of this stress and tension, and may also
help you to deal more effectively with your panic attacks when they occur.
Regular
exercise, especially aerobic exercise, will help you to manage stress levels,
release tension, improve your mood and boost confidence.
Your
doctor may recommend drugs and/or counselling to help you.
Please don’t feel stigmatized by your experience;
you would be surprised how many famous and successful people have suffered
panic attacks in their time
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