How to overcome panic attacks

1. Start with the triggers. Figure out what they are for you and take note of them. 

If you have a fear of being unlovable, you must convince yourself on the regular that you love yourself. That way you have more than one thought pattern to choose from when triggered. Being triggered is nothing more than a habitual brain pattern, one that is all too familiar. Therefore in order to truly love yourself you would need to write a new pattern and get really familiar with it. 

Sometimes all this takes is refraining from believing the old habits of thinking that bring you down and naturally good ones will take their place. 

Other times it involves intense rewiring of the subconscious mind through repetition. Repeat the new thought patterns until they stick. I like audio recordings, what’s your learning style?

Take care that you don’t cancel out your positive affirmations by continuing the old mental beliefs. You want to be congruent through and through. Consistency is everything, stay consistent by empowering yourself with new thought patterns on the regular.  

2. Have a goal that’s measurable.

An example of a good goal would be not to hurt yourself physically in any way, perhaps to remain non-violent. Another would be not to say a certain degrading phrase that keeps coming up repetitively in attacks like, “I don’t want to live anymore”. That way you will know you are successful if you can get through an attack not having experienced suicidal thoughts or self-harm. Will we always achieve our goal? Perhaps not, but it’s important to have a goal that is more specific than just “never have another panic attack”. That way we know when we are moving forward even if we still have an attack.

What is your goal? Write it down.

3. Make a list of grounding tools and safety cues to use.

Grounding tools and safety cues can be very helpful to review on a regular basis, that way they are not too far from your thoughts if an attack occurs. 

A grounding tool is something you can do that keeps you centered in your body, such as breathing, which we discussed in detail. 

A safety cue is something you have predetermined in your mind as something that makes you feel safe. Often loved ones are the best safety cue, but we cannot always rely on others, so I encourage you to use physical objects as well. An example would be a funny blanket or a piece of jewelry given to you by someone special. Think about small things that are often on hand that make you feel safe and consider making a list.

Grounding Tools that have helped me are:

• Breathing

• Watching the clock

• Using physical activity such as dance, exercise, or a simple walk

• Asking someone for a hug

• Asking someone for help

• Writing

• Listening to an uplifting recording or meditation

• Putting on uplifting music

• Using physical safety cues

4. Keep a written record of occurrences. 

Ask these questions to yourself:

• How long did the attack last?

• What happened before the episode?

• Was anything different from past episodes?

• How aware was I during the episode? Was I able to realize what was happening to me?

• Did I achieve my goal during this attack? 

I can only speak from my experience. This is not professional help.

Click here to read “What’s happening to the body during a panic attack” as well as some of "My Own Personal Experiences with Panic Attacks