You have your hotdogs and buns for the barbeque; the line has been long although there is only one customer between you and the cashier. When a strange sensation begins to creep over you, as your throat begins to tighten as you take a hard swallow. Then your chest begins to tighten and you feel short of breath. You feel your heart take a skip that leaves you feeling as if you want to disappear. Not here, you plead inside, not here.
A quick scan of the territory - is it threatening? Four unfriendly faces queue behind, one person in front. Pins and needles seem to prick you through your left arm, you feel slightly dizzy, and then the explosion of fear as you dread the worst. You are about to have a panic attack.
There is no doubt in your mind now that this is going to be a big one. Okay, focus: Remember what you have been taught, and it is time now to apply the coping techniques. Begin the deep breathing exercise your doctor recommended. In through the nose, out through the mouth.
Slowly now, remembering to think relaxing thoughts and again, while inhaling, tell yourself to relax then exhale. However, it seems that you may be feeling very self-conscious of concentrating on breathing and even more stressed than before.
Okay, coping technique 2: Gradual muscle relaxation. Tense both shoulders, hold for 10 seconds, then release. Try it again. No; still no difference. The anxiety is getting worse and the very fact that you are out of coping techniques worsens your panic. If only you were surrounded by your family, or a close friend were beside you so you could feel more confident in dealing with this situation.
Now, the adrenaline is really pumping through your system, your body is tingling with uncomfortable sensations, and now the dreaded feeling of losing complete control engulfs your emotions. No one around you has any idea of the sheer terror you are experiencing. For them, it's just a regular day and another frustratingly slow queue in the supermarket.
You are out of options. Time for Plan C. The most basic coping skill of all is "fleeing." Excuse yourself from the queue; you are slightly embarrassed as it is now that it is your turn to pay. The cashier is looking bewildered as you leave your shopping behind and stroll towards the door. There is no time for excuses - you need to be alone. You leave the supermarket and get into your car to ride it out alone. Could this be the big one? The one you fear will push you over the edge mentally and physically. Ten minutes later the panic subsides. It's still only 10:30 a.m. How are you going to make it through the rest of the day?
If you suffer from panic or anxiety attacks, the above scenario probably sounds very familiar. It may have even induced feelings of anxiety and panic just reading it. The particular situations that trigger your panic and anxiety may differ; maybe the bodily sensations are a little different. Or maybe it happened to you for the first time on a plane, in the dentist chair, or even at home, while doing nothing in particular.
Nevertheless, you should take comfort in knowing that you are not the only one who suffers from panic attacks. An acute sense of impending doom often accompanies a panic attack. You experience a fear of either collapsing in the middle of the check out line, or that you are about to lose your mind in public.
Did you know that in America alone, estimation has it that nearly five percent of the population suffers from one sort of anxiety disorder or another? This means you are not alone at all. For some, inconsistent anxiety attacks are triggered when having to address a crowd. While there are others who suffer from attacks so frequently, that it keeps them homebound. Physicians refer to frequent panic attacks as an anxiety disorder.
The beginning of your recovery starts here. What you will learn is that there is a very good chance you are about to end the cycle of panic attacks in your life. You will learn not only to regain the carefree life you remember once having, but will also gain new confidence in living. Your answer to living free from "panic" or "anxiety attacks" is at hand.
First you must realize that key to avoiding panic attacks is to want to have one as this will naturally push it away from you. For example, give it a try right this minute. Are you able to have a panic attack? No. The reason is that what ever you choose to refuse to go along with will refuse to go away. This fact also includes the feeling of fear. That is to say that if you resist a fearful situation, that fear will continue. The way you stop an anxiety attack is to embrace it as you move directly in its path, doing so will discourage the attack.
The heart of this technique is that by trying to have a panic attack you will not be able to have one. If you try to have a panic attack I assure you, you will not be able to trigger an episode. Whether you realize it or not, you have always made a choice to have a panic attack. You make such a choice by thinking that any scenario you are experiencing is out of your control.
The good news is, in all reality you cannot be harmed by a panic attack. Even though your heart is racing, you will not be harmed. You are perfectly safe and you can control your emotions.
This process can be divided into six basic steps:
1. Recognize our emotions. 2. Accept them as they are. 3. Release them when necessary. 4. Understand how they are created. 5. Transform the negative ones through understanding and create more positive ones. 6. Transcend them.
Here we will present a short profile of some of the basic emotions. We have developed specific questionnaires for understanding each one.
Answering those questions will help you discover how those emotions are created and how you might transform them.
ANXIETY AND WORRY
Anxiety and worry, although obviously forms of fear, have become so common that it is worth looking at them separately.
Anxiety often concerns the factors of time and results. We are anxious because we fear that we will not have enough time to complete all that we have planned, or that the result will not be successful, perfect or acceptable to the others.
We worry often for the same reasons, but also when we fear something may not turn out as we hope. That "something" may concern ourselves, our children, or our parents or spouse, which of course, ultimately, through our attachment to these people, has to do with ourselves.
We learn to worry as children, and this becomes a habit causing us to search for issues to be anxious or worrisome about, even when there is nothing really important enough to merit such a concern.
We may wonder at times why our mind thinks so much about a particular matter, creating anxiety and worry, when in reality that matter is not so important to us.
Anxiety and worry contain a feeling of danger, that we are unable to achieve what we want or protect ourselves from others or events. It is a form of self-doubt and lack of faith in ourselves, others and the Divine Laws of the universe.
"Soul-utions"
For this reason, we would do well to employ a daily program of: 1. Exercises 2. Breathing techniques 3. Deep relaxation with positive projection, 4. Meditation 5. A healthy diet 6. Creative self-expression.
These activities will help reorganize our energy patterns, freeing us from the hold of negative thoughts.
Positive antidotes to anxiety and worry could be:
1. Faith in divine wisdom and justice; that all will occur as is necessary and beneficial for our growth process. This belief allows us to surrender to the wisdom of the universe and feel secure even when externally we are being challenged by difficult situations.
This does not mean that we do not seek to create the reality we prefer, but simply that we feel sure that the results of our efforts will be the best for our growth regardless of whether they are what we prefer.
2. Confidence in our ability to deal with whatever life brings us. Why should we doubt that we can deal with whatever comes? We have encountered so many tests in life, and here we are ? alive and reading this. We have survived. We, as spirit, are greater than any possible human experience.
3. Realizing that we are worthy of love and acceptance as we are.
Much of our anxiety has to do with our doubts about our self-worth which we tend to measure by what others think and by the results of our efforts. Accepting ourselves as we are removes much anxiety.
4. Living in and enjoying the present moment.
Our fears, regrets, anxiety and worry seldom have to do with the present, but rather with the past and future. But neither actually exist. The past exists only to the degree that we carry it in our minds. The future is equally an illusion.
Focusing on what we are doing in the present moment releases us from anxiety and worry.
Both Wendy Brausch & Robert Elias Najemy are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Wendy Brausch has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cure Anxiety, Health and Cure Anxiety. About the Author: Wendy Brausch runs an anxiety disorder support website. For self-help tips and advice on dealing with