The best way to overcome a panic attack consists of a few simple steps. I try to describe them below. Reading takes longer than applying them, I assure you. That’s because the person in the middle of a panic attack often feels in a trap and time seems to stretch on to infinity.
As you read the steps below, think about whether or not they are similar to what you usually do during a panic attack. The instinctive response is one that makes the problem Goliath-sized rather than solving it. The path to overcoming panic attacks requires responses that are quite different from what we usually do.
Keeping the same pattern, we will get the same result. If you are looking for effective methods to reduce and then eliminate panic attacks, you need to look for the ones that are suitable for you. Here are some suggestions that you can experience risk-free and shape at your own pace:
Step 1 – I admit
All progress starts here. I admit I’m afraid and start to panic. I won’t try to ignore or pretend that isn’t there. I imagine I’m in a competition with this monster who embodies my anxiety. I hold one end of a rope and he has the other end. There is a bottomless pit between us.
I pull back as much as I can, but he also pulls with great force, bringing me closer to the gap. What is the best thing to do in this situation? Pulling harder is a natural instinct, but the harder you pull the harder he will pull. You’re stuck. What should you do? Letting go of the rope means that the monster is still there, but you are no longer bound to it. Only now you can do something more useful for yourself: “I admit that I’m afraid, not that I’m in danger.”
Step 2 – I accept
I accept that I’m afraid right now. I don’t fight this feeling. I accept as best I can that I’m afraid in the same way I would accept that I have a headache. Overcoming a panic attack begins with working with, not against panic and its symptoms.
What makes a panic attack acceptable (but not desirable) is that while it makes me feel sick and fills me with dread, it is not dangerous. It won’t kill me or make me crazy.
Accepting the existence of symptoms is a big step in overcoming a panic attack. “What I feel is a natural manifestation of my body. I accept and understand that I’m sick, but I’m not in danger.”
Step 3 – Wait
Waiting, in this case, is similar to the “count to ten before falling asleep”. Inhale and exhale. Read something. Stay in the situation. You don’t need to run to break free. Let freedom come to you.
Step 4 – Observe
The best way to observe how we respond to panick is to fill out a panic diary. My clients often report that simply filling out a journal helps them calm down. How does this work?
You are not distracted from the “panic” topic, because the requirements in the diary are all related to panic. It’s just that it helps you take a little distance from your emotions. In other words, put them under rational control. As you complete a journal, you experience the role of observer rather than victim. The best way to use the journal is to complete it during the attack. If a diary is too demanding for you, simply take a sheet of paper and write down all the symptoms. They will fade as you let them run down the paper.
