How do I stop worrying and stop panic attacks and just learn to live?

Question

I worry excessively and have been having panic attacks. No one can calm me down, even my boyfriend who I love more than anything. I get scared and worry so much that it is almost like I stopped living. I want to live my life and not waste it. I need some advice. I try not to worry and everything but it just doesn't work. Can anyone help me? I need to know what I can do to relax too. Please help

Answer 1

Thinking is a FUNCTION of your mind. The purpose of your mind is to keep you alive and to make you happy. To do this your mind is constantly on the lookout for things that might harm or kill you or things that might make you unhappy. Notice I said 'might.'

Your mind is a problem solver and is constantly looking for problems to solve (how to keep you alive and happy). Unfortunately (as in excessive worrying) when there are no real problems to solve the mind just makes something up to keep busy. If you not feeling happy your mind will look for a reason why you're not happy and then just keep trying to solve the problem to make you happy. It becomes a viscous circle.

You think you have no control over your thinking, but you are forgetting that YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS DOING THE THINKING. YOUR THOUGHTS ARE NOT REAL....THEY ARE ONLY THOUGHTS.

Please read Richard Carlson's book "You Can Be Happy No Matter What." Carlson gives advice on taking control of your thoughts. You can control what you think about and it is not that difficult.

One thing that can help calm you down when your thoughts are out of control or you are worrying too much is using EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or Emotional Tapping. In EFT you apply gentle acupressure tapping to specific body points to release blocked emotions (like anxiety). EFT is easy to learn (you can learn the basics in 15-30 minutes). You can use EFT anytime, anywhere for any emotional or physical issue. One basic round of EFT takes about one minute.

Please download the FREE EFT Instructional manual from the EFT website (www.emofree.com).

I learned how to use EFT last year and now use it everyday. A couple of minutes of EFT tapping really RELAXES me and helps me stay calm and centered.

Answer 2

Being someone who also has some fairly severe panic attacks, I can sympathize with you completely in your plight...

And about the only thing I can really suggest is that you begin some sort of exercise regimen. I began doing Vinyasa Yoga to try and combat my panic attacks-- something that would be able to draw my mind away from all my worries and force me to concentrate on what's presently at hand... and Yoga is a wonderful thing for doing exactly that. If you've never done Yoga before and try holding all those poses and positions you learn in class, you can't concentrate on anything else... trust me on that one.

Not only do you get yourself in better shape, but you start feeling calmer all the way around throughout the day. You might want to ask a health care professional about starting the class before you do it for the first time; but I've never run into any doctor who said exercise is a bad thing, so chances are, you'll be cleared for it very quickly.

Here's a website for the guy whose DVD's I bought to begin my own Yoga practice. Navigate his site a little bit and see if this seems like it will work for you... Yoga is some hard work, but it does get easier as you go. Good luck to you, and namaste.

Answer 3

First off, you're not alone! I grew up with panic attacks and feeling like a freak, until I learned just how many people suffer from them! The best news -- I have been panic free for over 12 years now!

Learning to overcome them isn't an easy process, but you can accomplish it with hard work, and mostly, with determination! I am luckily enough to be in an area where a well-known doctor lectures on panic attacks and I took his course.

Its all about learning to "re-train" your brain. When you are obsessing over your latest worry, tell yourself, "STOP". Okay, so it sounds dumb -- but it works! Its one of the tricks we learned in class. If you start to think about it again, "stop". Continue to say, "stop" until your brain moves on to some other thought process.

Now, while you are in the middle of a panic attack --- do math! LOL, I know it sounds crazy, but the part of your brain that is in that fight-or-flight mode can process the same when you are doing math and you will calm down. So brush up on those timetables and you'll be amazed at the difference in yourself!

Learn to relax and meditate.

Avoid alcohol. You may think it is "relaxing", but we learned in class that it can actually make the condition worse.

Also, my doctor that helped me to overcome them taught us that because this is a medical condition they won't go away, it is a matter of learning to overcome them. You (and I) will always be pre-disposed to them, but learning on how to deal with them is definitely worthwhile and promotes a healthy living style. He also taught us that medication is not the answer because you are only masking the problem versus overcoming it. That doesn't mean you can't use them in the interim while you are learning to overcome them, it just means use them as a "temporary" measure instead of a permanent one.

Live life, enjoy it, and you can overcome any obstacle with determination. Trust me, after suffering with it for over 28 years -- if I can overcome it, then you can too!

Good luck!

Answer 4

Pray to Olympians. Apollo's Hymn Zeus Hymn Dionysus Hymn Pan's Hymn Hermes Hymn Hestia's Hymn Pluto's Hymn Persephony's Hymn Stop watching tv (If u watch) Don't change oxygen levels fast.. you know from the environments.. And pray. Don't rely only in medicine.. concentrate all together in a way of life. Learn zazen. Learn how to fight. Don't drink coffee. Choose an element. Then if you like that idea of element after time choose other element. Use symbols of it. Draw.. make pictures... paint.. (if you don't painting and drawing) Draw panic.. paint it... make a story. drink the milk of a cow nearby eat the honey together in hot milk or on a soft bread with orange flavour.. Lit the candles choose 2 col0urs or 3 or 4 or 1 Το buy first... Kiss the wall the door. Get microbes ....then disinfect... Pray to ΠΑΝ to let you be ...with all the gods around him in a circle. ΜΗΔΕΝ ΑΓΑΝ.

Answer 5

I have read some litterature about panic attacks. But they allways seem to have a more scientific approach and that is nothing I need in my struggle to survive those horrible panic attacks. This is a "hand on" and very practical book. I felt it was written to me. I am sure that you are going to feel the same.

Joe Barry writes exactly how I think. The examples are perfectly described. And the method is genius. I recommend this book and thanks Joe Barry for writing it. It changes your life

Answer 6

Hi,
There is this guide by anxiety expert Joe Barry , he has taught thousands of people to be panic free without any medication using a revolutionary new technique, http://www.panicaway.co.nr , its really a great guide , it should help you get rid of panic attacks forever in a few days

Answer 7

Deep breathing and relaxation techniques are good ways to calm down during a panic attack.
Also, plenty of exercise helps as well as restricting coffee and alcohol intake.

I recommend you see a doctor, some coaching will help you with this.

Good luck!

Answer 8

You can learn to control panic attacks to some extent, but medication will help get a handle on it. Talk to your doctor.

Answer 9

I too was a very worried person. Worried about everything. I especially worried about my weight. I have since learned to relax by using breathing techniques. I have also learned to tell myself (on a daily basis) If I didn't cause it I probably can't fix it. Find a local counselor in your area and they can teach you to do this too.

Answer 10

I have too panic attacks and axiety am attenting mto am center Texas tropical amtaking seroquel for that and too trileptal ,but trileptal is for sijures , that help me tto to control the pannic too