What and why is a panic attack? A panic attack is best described as our "fight or flight" instincts coming to show. We humans are designed to survive at all costs. It is our primary priority in life. To survive. If we experience something very traumatic, our brain stem (from here on called reptile brain) takes over. Based on past experiences the reptile brain tries to take control in a dangerous situation. When you experience a panic attack it is actually your way of dealing with a situation your brain finds very dangerous. This is most often based on past experiences, and a lot of times experiences we are not even aware of happened. This is also why you may have noticed that your panic attacks usually happen in similar circumstances. It could be a place, an event (like sleeping alone) or a certain kind of people around you. Each time you suffer from a panic attack you will associate bad feelings with whatever the circumstances were. If you like to read more about the psychology behind, you can use link in the author resource box. How a panic attack feels? The symptom of a panic attack varies from person to person, but some of the most common are; - Increased heart rate - A feeling of enormous stress - Fright - Fear of dying - Sweaty palms - Dizziness - Paralyzing fear. Especially paralyzing fear is a term often used as describing a panic attack. If you experience these symptoms often there is a chance you've had one or several panic attacks. How to deal with a panic attack? The experience of a panic attack is very overwhelming. And it can be very hard to cope with in the situation. All you want to do is to run as far away as you can. This is your instincts taking over. your urge to survive.

Therefore it is always better to prevent than cope with panic attacks and anxiety in general. But if you are in the situation it is to late to prevent, right?  Try to be aware of your breathing while doing the following; First, try to focus only on the shapes of the objects around you. First find all the squares, then all the triangles, the circles and so on. Next focus on colors. Find red objects, blue objects⬦ you get the idea. This technique helps you to stay focused and to be in the now. Practice this BEFORE you are having an attack. What can you do to prevent panic attacks? Daily meditation can help you get in touch with you. For some it works as a cure against anxiety for others it just take the top of the stress. There are many great books on meditation and there are many different methods you could use. But there is no reasons to make things more complicated, I guess you allreday have a lot on your mind. This is a simple meditation technique; Go sit or lie in a place where you can be alone, and where there is quit. Turn of your phone and make sure that you don't get disturbed. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. The trick here is to let your thoughts pass by. When you start to think and become aware of you thinking, concentrate on your breathing again. A little trick I used for a long time was to keep saying to myself: breathe in, breath out, breathe in, breath out⬦ Don't try to block your thoughts. Its almost impossible, but simple try to acknowledge that they are there, and let them drift away. If you want to learn more about preventing and coping with panic attacks and anxiety in general, use the link in the resource box below. Summary: I hope that this article will add some value in your life. And I sincerely hope that you'll find a way to overcome your troubles. Remember to consult your doctor or psychiatrist before altering your medication in any way.