How to Cope With Anxiety Attacks

How to Cope With Anxiety Attacks

If you’re feeling worried or anxious about something in your life, seek medical advice for assistance. Receiving early treatment can help manage the problem and may prevent it from getting worse.

Anxiety attacks are unexpected bouts of intense fear. They may manifest physically as a racing heart, shortness of breath, nausea, chest pain or trembling.

These incidents can occur anywhere and often have no external cause.

Symptoms usually last between five and twenty minutes.

Although you cannot stop an anxiety attack, you can help minimize its effect by controlling your breathing and challenging negative thoughts. Remind yourself that this won’t be the end of you, as well as that you have a history of dealing with panic attacks and knowing how to cope.

Self-help techniques like relaxation exercises and meditation can help you relax and manage physical symptoms. Additionally, you may work together with your mental health provider on strategies that reduce the frequency of attacks or their severity.

If your fear of having an attack, or the stress they cause you, talk to your healthcare provider about treating panic disorder. It’s highly treatable; many people report feeling free of panic after just five or eight sessions with their therapist.

Many anxiety disorders can be treated with medication and psychotherapy (also known as “talk therapy”), which will teach you new ways of managing your fears. Your mental health provider can guide you through some of these treatments such as exposure therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and relaxation techniques.