Here Are The 5 Life Changes I Made That Eventually Eliminated my Panic Attacks Naturally
Many people who suffer from continuous anxiety and panic attacks don’t really see how certain daily habits, are contributing to the anxiety and panic attacks in their lives. This is dangerous, VERY dangerous. Why is it dangerous you ask? Simply because we become what we constantly do.
We become our rituals and habits, it molds us as people.
People who are successful in today’s world financially haven’t gotten there by accident, they’ve structured their habits around the idea that success will come to them. This is a very important lesson for someone experiencing panic attacks. Because I can guarantee with certainty, that many of the habits you consciously and unconsciously do throughout the day are adding to your anxiety levels. Therefore triggering panic attacks at some time of the day.
1) Avoiding Panic Attack Forums And Chat Groups
New sensation, run to get assurance. Feelings of panic, speak to someone on a forum. This was my daily habit during my days with panic attacks. The problem is you’re talking to people who are going through the same debilitating anxiety cycle as you, they are as confused as you are, so how in the world can they do anymore than assure you that things will be ok? As soon as I realized forums and chats were a comfort zone crutch for me to cope with my panic attacks, I ended my relationship with them, thus making me look at other more permanent natural solutions for my panic attacks.
2) Learning About Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT is a structured way of looking at your panic attacks. It helps re-structure your thoughts towards what you fear, and helps you see how irrational your thinking process is that may be causing your panic attacks. If you can do CBT sessions with a coach or practitioner, great! If not, get a good CBT workbook and begin re-wiring your current wired-to-worry mentality.
3) Exercise
Many people feel similar effects of anxiety when exercising, and this is normal. Breathing becomes shallow, adrenaline kicks in, and even some dizziness might form during exercise. These were few of the many reasons I stayed away from exercising for a long time. But little did I realize at the time after doing much research, no one has ever died from a panic attack.
This includes during exercising. So I changed my perspective to exercise = a challenge, rather than exercise = panic and potential death. The challenge was I could practice getting comfortable with my sensations of anxiety that spurred my panic attacks on. In time I became disinterested because I had already experienced those sensations daily during exercise.
4) Slow Down!
When your fight or flight system is full charged up, with no sign of an off button it’s easy to speed through life. A lunch turns into a race to the finish, you feel like a ticking time-bomb on your drive home after work, and day’s rush from one to the next without even knowing what your purpose of life is anymore. When I looked deeper into the speed I was doing things, I recognized that I really did have a choice.
I had a choice to wake up a few minutes earlier to have a longer, slower shower, which led to a slower breakfast. I structured my work days so I had extra time to finish things, and finally, I got a playlist of my favourite songs to listen to on my way home from work which helped me slow down and enjoy the drive. See how your life may be speeding by, and how slowing down can affect your mental and physical health for the better.
5) Fully Understanding That No Permanent Damage Was Done
With all this constant anxiety, and panic attacks, it can really make a sufferer feel like they are inches away from being 6 feet under. The truth is, no real damage is done. A panic attack doesn’t affect your heart in the long-term, and that fatigued feeling that you live with daily, is only there because you are in a constant battle with yourself. Remember that everyday you have a new opportunity to start fresh. To start all over again.
Your physical body regenerates every 30 days. You are not digging yourself a giant hole, what you are doing is reacting in a sensitized way to a perceived threat over and over again. Panic attacks are con artists, we needed this inner protective system back in the old days when saber-toothed tigers lurked around so that we could run or fight it. But in today’s world understand that this reaction is almost completely useless, and your past panic attacks have not hurt you physically one bit.
Conclusion:
People who suffer from constant panic attacks have consciously and subconsciously trained themselves to react this way, and general levels of anxiety are high. Your subconscious is spotting patterns in your environment similar enough to the ones where you have previously had a ‘fight or flight’ response. But is it possible to re condition yourself to react a DIFFERENT way during an oncoming panic attack? Of course it is.
Fortunately online forums did not exist when I was going through my recovery process. I agree with the rest of your ideas and those are what worked for me as well. I did belong to a couple of support groups, and we did talk about the idea of not “symptom swapping” which I found to be very helpful. I didn’t need to add any new ideas to my list of phobias. Listening to tapes also helped.
Thanks for sharing your experiences Amy. I like the idea of not symptom swapping very much.