10 Commandments for Panic Attacks

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10 Commandments toRemember During a Panic Attack

Surviving Social PhobiaCoping with Panic AttacksAnxiety & FearIt does not matter íf you feel frightened, bewildered, unreal,unsteady. These feelings are nothing more than an exaggeration of thenormal bodily reactions to stress.Just because you have these sensations doesn't mean you are verysick. These feelings are just unpleasant & frightening, notdangerous. Nothing worse will happen to you.Let your feelings come. They've been ín charge of you. You've beenpumping them up & making them more acute. Stop pumping. Don't runaway from panic. When you feel the panic mount, take a deep breath & as you breathe out, let go. Keep trying. Stay there almost as íf youwere floating ín space. Don't fight the feeling of panic. Accept ít.You can do ít.Try to make yourself as comfortable as possible without

escaping. Ifyou're on a street, lean against a post or stone wall. If you're ínthe check-out line of the department store, find a quiet corner. Ifyou're ín a shop, tell the salesperson you don't feel well & need tosit for a while. Do not jump into your car & go home ín fear.Stop adding to your panic with frightening thoughts about what íshappening & where ít might lead. Don't indulge ín self-pity & think, "Why can't I be like all the other normal people? Why do Ihave to go through all this?" Just accept what ís happening to you.If you do this, what you fear most will not happen.Think about what ís really happening to your body at that moment. Donot think, "Something terrible ís going to happen. I must get out."Repeat to yourself, "I will not fall, faint, die or lose control."Now wait & give the fear time to pass. Do not run away. Others havefound the

strength. You will too. Notice that as you stop adding thefrightening thoughts to your panic, the fear starts to fade away byitself.This ís your opportunity to practice. Think of ít that way. Even ífyou feel isolated ín space, one of these days you will not feel thatway. Sometime soon you will be able to go through the panic & say "Idid ít." Once you say this, you will have gone a long way towardconquering fear. Think about the progress you have already made. Youare ín control of the situation!Try to distract yourself from what ís going on inside you. Look atyour surroundings. See the other people on the street, ín the bus.They are with you, not against you.When the panic subsides, let your body go loose, take a deep breath & go on with your day. Remember, each time you cope with a panic, youreduce your fear.