How To Stop A Panic Attack
Are You Having A Panic Attack?
Everyone feels stressed out occasionally, but some people experience episodes of intense fear or apprehension that seem to come from nowhere. These episodes don’t seem to be caused by anything and may be a panic attack. Most of the time, panic attacks last for no more than a few minutes, but on rare occasions they can last for a couple of hours. During this time, the person may experience some of the following symptoms. Even having as few as two of these symptoms may indicate that you are having a panic attack. First let’s see if you are having a panic attack then we can see how to stop a panic attack!
- Shortness of breath
- Pounding heart
- Dizziness or faintness
- Trembling or shaking
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Feeling as if you are “not all there”, feeling of unreality
- Numbness in hands or feet
- Hot or cold flashes
- Chest pains
- Fear of dying or going crazy
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Top 5 Ways Of How To Stop A Panic Attack
1) Breathe! One of the things that happens during a panic attack or anxiety is that we stop breathing correctly. Our breath becomes shorter and we starve our bodies of much needed oxygen right when it needs it the most. Find a comfortable spot and close your eyes. Now breathe in for a count of ten seconds then exhale for a count of ten seconds. Try to take nice deep breaths. Do this for about ten minutes and you will feel much of your stress fade away.
2) Relaxation techniques: Practicing relaxation can slow your heartbeat, lower your blood pressure, reduce muscle tension, reduce pain as well as reduce anger and frustration. It is one of the best answers to how to stop a panic attack. There are many different techniques you can try and it is important to find one (or a couple) that is right for you. There are several techniques you can try when finding out for yourself how to stop a panic attack.
- Progressive muscle relaxation: Find a comfortable place. Start by tensing the muscles in your feet. Do this for about ten seconds and then relax. Wait another ten seconds and then tense your calf muscles for another ten seconds. Do this while working your way up through your legs, buttocks, stomach, back, hands, arms, shoulders and even face. It is important to continue to breathe deeply while doing this.
3) Meditate
- Guided meditation: Guided meditation is listening to an audio recording while meditating. It is one of the simplest ways to get into meditation. When looking into how to stop a panic attack through meditation, this is one of the easiest ways to go. It usually has soothing background music or nature sounds. A guide will talk you through what to do and imagine.
- Visualization: Find a safe and comfortable spot where you are free from distractions. You can also listen to soothing music on headphones. Now close your eyes. Repeat words or suggestions to relax the mind. You might think about a calm setting such as laying out at the beach under a warm sun. Imagine hearing the ocean waves rolling in and out against the beach. Breathe deeply in and out. You can smell the salt air and hear the gentle call of sea birds. Let all the stress out of your body as you feel yourself sinking comfortably into your beach chair. It may be one of the more pleasant ways to find how to stop a panic attack.
- Mindfulness: Mindfulness comes from a Buddhist tradition, but it has been increasingly studied and accepted in Western psychology. Once again, find a comfortable place. You can sit or lay down whichever is more comfortable. If you are sleepy you might want to sit so there isn’t such an urge to go to sleep. Now close your eyes or focus them a few inches in front of you so that you aren’t really looking at anything. Breathe deeply. As you breathe, many thoughts will run through your head. Just let them go. You might be thinking about an important task you need to accomplish or something someone said to you, but tell yourself these things aren’t important right now. Right now you are meditating. Thoughts will keep coming into your mind. In fact, our minds are constantly racing with thoughts at all times. But each time you find your mind wandering or focusing on something, just let it go. Focus on your breathe. Don’t take it too far and scold yourself for continuing to think, just accept it and return to your breath. Soon you will know how to stop a panic attack through your breathe.
4) Control Negative Self-talk: Sometimes panic attacks are caused or provoked by the things we tell ourselves. We might be looking for things outside of us how to stop a panic attack, but one big cause can be inside. Thoughts such as “I am going crazy” or “I cannot handle all of this” cause our body to react as if these things are true. It’s important to recognize when we are speaking negatively in our own heads and try to stop a panic attack from happening. One of the most effective techniques is to try to answer this negative talk with something rational and positive. As soon as you hear yourself saying something negative, question it. How likely is it that you are going crazy? If you are afraid of an outcome, how likely is it to happen? Most of the things we worry about are fears about the future that don’t even happen. We spend hours and hours scaring ourselves about things that may or may not happen. If something needs to be done right now, do it. If something needs to be done later, write it down in a calender or to do list. If nothing can be done, you time is better spent on other things. Not only will you feel better, you will work better and get more done than if you stress about your fears.
5) Medication: Only a Psychiatrist can prescribe medication for panic disorder. They are experts on how to stop a panic attack with medication. This is best done in combination with other stress relief techniques described above and possibly in connection with therapy. Medication such as Xanax can be extremely effective at combating or lessening the impact of a panic attack but it can be habit forming or abused. As such, it is usually not seen as the ultimate tool to stop a panic attack.
Diagnosis:Only a therapist or Psychiatrist can diagnose a panic disorder. This website is dedicated to giving you some information about how to stop a panic attack or stress.
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