If you suffer from panic attacks on a daily basis, these can easily start to take over your life. These can hinder people from a lot of different experiences. Most people avoid situations they know will cause attacks, but never know when they will come about.
6 Treatments for Panic Attacks
There are treatments out there, which can help you get back to living once again.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy:
This treatment option is very effective for all different types of people. Instead of using medications, this changes the way a person thinks. The therapist will focus on the thinking patterns of the person and then look at their behaviors that cause the attacks. When you are focusing on what your fears actually are, they become far less of a threat. People who seek this type of treatment are able to realize that the fears they have really aren't as much of a threat as they think they are. It's important for everyone to realize disasters are never very likely to happen and that everything will be fine. This is a treatment that also works on some individuals who suffer from agoraphobia and panic disorder.
Exposure Therapy:
When people go through this type of therapy they will be exposed to panic attacks, but will remain in a safe environment. This will result in them being able to cope with the feelings and learn how to control them. The therapist will ask the patient what their anxiety level is and then work with them to lower that within only a few minutes. There are a lot of different techniques that will be learned, which can greatly reduce that number and bring the patient back to the surface of a low anxiety number. This treatment can help anxiety sufferers become more social because they no longer fear situations that might cause attacks. Having control over emotions can make anyone feel more comfortable on a daily basis.
Medications:
Medications are extremely common because they work more quickly than progressive therapy does. Unfortunately, this treatment option does to treat the problem; it's only going to reduce the symptoms. There are a wide variety of medications that can be used, antidepressants and benzodiazepines are the most effective. Antidepressants have to be taken on a daily basis, not just when panic attacks are occurring. They will take a few weeks to kick in for most people. Benzodiazepines act quickly to get rid of anxiety. One drawback is that these can become addictive for some people. There are a lot of serious withdrawal symptoms associated with them.
Self-Soothing:
People who learn how to soothe their panic attacks on their own can end up living better lives. This is due to them not having fear of being in certain situations because they know how to treat their attack if they have one. Giving up caffeine and smoking is the first thing people should do. Both of these can provoke the attacks and cause them more often. The next step is to learn how to control breathing. This is something that makes a huge difference with anxiety levels during attacks. Those that can get their breathing under control are normally able to think more clearly and reduce their fears. There are also a lot of relaxation techniques that can be used. Something as simple as learning yoga moves could end up being very beneficial. Meditation is something a lot of people use to treat their panic attacks as well.
Massages:
Some people who get massage therapy on a regular basis use this to help relieve stress. This loosens up the body and also diminishes muscle tension. When people have less tension and stress in their body, they are far less likely to have a panic attack and general anxiety each day.
Herbs and Supplements:
These are all-natural treatments for panic attacks, so they are great options to try out for most people. Passion Flower is one of the most popular herbs that is well worth trying out. It calms the body down and reduces anxieties pretty quickly. It's also very relaxing, so it gets rid of heightened emotions. St. Johns Wort is another herb that is worth looking into. This is especially useful for anyone who suffers from feelings of depression and sadness. Valerian is also great for anxiety, but insomnia as well. It can help people get to sleep without completely knocking them out for long periods of time. All of these treatment options can prove to be very effective. It's very important for the person who is trying them out to be willing and open to them. This can increase chances of them working out in their favor.
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