question for people with panic/anxiety?

Question

what is your way of calming yourself if you have a panic or anxiety attack?are you even able to calm yourself down or do you always have to take medicine when you feel it coming on?

Answer 1

I have had panic attacks for years, even before I knew what they were. But, now that I know what they are, I take control over most of them now. I used to take Ativan to help with slowing them down. Now I just do deep breathing. Inhaling and exhaling with the diaphragm very slowing and concentrating on exactly what I am doing and nothing else.

Answer 2

Since panic and anxiety attacks have absolutely no warning, I try to stay at home as much as possible. It is best to have no visitors and I always keep medication near me.

Unfortunately, no one should stay medicated for a really long time, so i don't rely on the meds, but I do need to be alone because I am afraid of what will happen when/if I get an attack.

The pathetic part is that i only get really bad panic attacks when i've left the house. I have to then stop whatever i was doing (driving, eating, visiting people) and be alone. Somehow in my screwed up head everything will be ok if I am alone.

Medications don't work. Therapy doesn't work. I just don't leave the house. It's pathetic, but i'm so afraid of the panic attack that i've let it ruin my life.

Hopefully you are not so pathetic and can do things that you enjoy. I wish i could, but I can't. I've tried and i am old and i give up.

Answer 3

If you have panic attacks or anxiety attacks which are about the same thing seldom are you able to just calm yourself down. If you have them you should be on medication to control them since most people cannot control them by themselves. There are deep breathing exercises and meditation that you can do but if you are in the middle of a crowded mall and have one there is pretty much nothing that you can do about it except get out of the place. I have them and I cannot go to malls because they set me up for a panic attack everytime just about that I go. I have to take meds to control mine but it is still hard for me to go into malls for fear of me having one. You don't take the medicine when you feel one coming on. You need to have the medicine in your system all of the time therefore you must take it everyday not just when you feel one coming on.

Answer 4

There is usually not medicine that you can take to get stop a panic attack once you feel one coming on. Those medicines need to be taken regularly to be effective for panic attacks. If you feel one coming on, the best you can do is stay calm, recognize that it is a panic attack, and wait it out.

Answer 5

I havent gone to my dcotor about this yet, and dont intend to unless it has got to the point of where I really need to.

But the way I deal with my panic attacks meaning how i calm myself is thinking about slowling my breathing, no matter what state of mind im in, i can be really bad where i get to the point of where its more like an asth,ma attack but i keep the thought of slowness in my mind, slow breathing and slowly i do slow down my breathing.

I dont rush anuthing - I am doing this for myself without anything or anyone helping me so am in no need to panic about other poeple -

Answer 6

I know of a few people that this site has helped out. Check it out at:

http://www.cureanxietydisorder.com/?utm_source=YahooAnswers&utm_medium=link%2Bpost

And the methods used don't require the use of medication!

Hope this helps you...

Answer 7

Deep breathing and slow exhale.

Answer 8

breath in to a paper bag take a bath. or take sleeping pills