One of the best ways to help with panic symptoms is to try natural holistic methods of alleviating the panic attack.
Panic attacks come on quite suddenly and are very intense periods of anxiety and fear which are combined with physical effects such as an acute shortness of breath, heart murmurs, hyperventilation, feeling "pins and needles", sickness, and an in extreme cases an overriding fear of death. Quite when an attack reaches its highest intensity varies from person to person. This can be anywhere between a few minutes to several hours before panic symptoms subside. The frequency of an attack can also vary from occurring every few days to only occurring once a year.
What to do during an attack
It is best to try to take care of the panic symptoms whilst an attack is actually taking place. The best method for doing this is a natural holistic method. For instance, the person whilst having an attack should try to recall happy pleasant memories perhaps from childhood when times were a lot happier. A common way for people to be helped into remembering childhood experiences is by aromatherapy. The brain associates happy times with pleasant smells and it only takes a few sniffs of a familiar smell to help reduce a panic attack. This is one step towards ending the repeat cycle of attacks.
One of the most common odors which are comforting to people is the smell of baby powder which reminds them of carefree and comforting times. Added to this are other childhood smells which vary from person to person depending on where they were brought up. For instance, the smells of the seaside might help a person remember fond times playing on the beach or the smell of woodland would help with people who used to have vacations in the countryside. The exact smells which help with panic symptoms will vary from person to person.
Most people will be surprised by the fact that the last thing you should do during an attack is to sit down. The reason for this is that the body experiences much higher adrenaline levels during a panic attack. It therefore follows that if you are having an adrenaline rush then you should try to burn it off by exercising rather than let the levels build up. You should go for a moderately strenuous walk which will be of great help. Indeed, it has been found that exercise generally, that is daily exercise and not just exercising during an attack, helps people recover more quickly from panic symptoms than people who take little or no daily exercise.
One of the effects of a panic attack is to cause the person to hyperventilate. The way to try to stop this is to take deep and regular breaths. The person should keep their shoulders straight and breathe up from the diaphragm. They should then slowly expand and contract their stomach breathing in and out in a controlled manner.
One final word - you should avoid stimulants which can make an attack worse. These include coffee, cigarettes, tea and even cola and chocolate. Anything which has a stimulant effect and makes panic symptoms worse must be avoided.
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