Monday, January 23, 2012

How To Beat Panic Attacks – Anxiety Busters

Anxiety something I have a long history with. I used to plan events for months in advance, and then when the day of the event arrived, I’d totally lose it. The night before, I’d stay up with frantic anticipation. The day of, I’d just sit around staring blankly into space as I had heart palpitations, sleep deeply or just sob uncontrollably. What was I doing? This was my moment to shine. What was happening to me?

Those were classic panic attacks that I have on occasion. When I was in 7th grade, I was in a short story reciting where we had to recite a poem that we remembered. I studied that poem inside and out, but once I got to the stage, my brain blanked out and my mouth wouldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. It was embarrassing, but it was the very first panic attack I remember.

Since then they’ve become more common in simpler settings in daily life. So far, I identified many of my attacks dwell in conjunction with an actual fear of success. The fear of success often occurs when someone feels as if they have something to prove and has one big chance to win it or blow it. So, the thought pattern is, “don’t blow it.” It’s overcompensation.

Common symptoms include but are not exclusive to:
Difficulty breathing
Irregular heartbeat
Numb nerves
Jumpy reflex nerves or muscle spasms
Fidgety behavior
Irregular Perspiration
Inability to focus on thoughts
Overactive communication
Lack of ability to speak
Sleepiness or sudden fatigue

These are pretty common symptoms, but for more severe panic attacks I would suppose seeking the help of a doctor would be in order. I have never had the unfortunate situation, but some who suffer from panic attacks may even lose control of their bodily functions altogether.

I haven’t beaten my anxiety attacks completely, but I am getting better at dealing with it. I am sharing a few of my special tips for beating panic attacks with you so I can remember them too.

You’ll want to avoid these like the plague:
Coffee, green tea or any caffeine (jitters).
Desserts, candies, and things loaded with any form of sugar.
Being around negative people.
Thinking about the future; what will happen after your moment.
Avoid self-medicating with, alcohol, pills, or drugs.

The main goal should be to CALM DOWN. Start a few days in advance of an event or situation you are anticipating.

Be sure to tell yourself over and over that everything is going to be just fine. You’ve come this far in life. You’ve got this!
Be around supportive people.
Concentrate on your present. Keep your mind on the right NOW.
Some natural supplements that have been used to help with anxiety by assisting the brain are lemon balm, St. John's Wort, omega-3 fatty acids, kava root, valerian root, SAMe, passion flower, and 5HTP. You’ll want to try these a few weeks in advance to get the advantage.

Get a massage if time allows or self-massage if you can even for a short few moments.
Stretch or do your exercise warm-up routine.
Exercise, run, dance, or anything aerobic.
Make sure you eat a good meal before your event. Chew slowly. Savor the moment.
Be patient with yourself and your body. You CAN overcome this moment of panic. Trust that you can.
Get your sleep the night before. Melatonin, magnesium, and chamomile tea can help.

I can only tell you from actually experience that these work for me and I hope they can work for you too.


  1. Nice post! Very informative to me. I am trying something like this. Anxiety is a natural human reaction that involves mind and body. It serves an important basic survival function: Anxiety is an alarm system that is activated whenever a person perceives danger or threat. Thanks for sharing!
    Natural health supplements

  2. So glad you enjoyed it Harvey and offered your keen insight. I think some people also react differently to anxiety and I am not sure if there is a chemical or genetic factor in all of this. I am still researching it. But so far, these techniques have been working out for me. I hope they will help you as well. Thanks for reading and commenting. And let me know how it turns out for you.