 Stopping Panic attacks in Their Tracks with Meditation Skills
For the person who suffers with panic attacks, there is a two-pronged problem. The attacks themselves can be terrifying and almost impossible to control. But the second problem is how little people understand what you are going through. Panic attacks are a serious syndrome that are much more than just a moment of feeling anxious or afraid. But anyone who suffers with panic attack episodes has had the experience of a friend or even a relative telling them to "snap out of it". The last thing you can do is just "snap out of it".
A panic attack is a combination of a medical and emotional reaction to something. Often it is associated with a phobia such as fear of heights or enclosed places. But the effects are quite physical because you experience shortness of breath, sweating and even nausea in some cases. Meditation can give you the tools to deal with panic attacks when they strike.
It is always advisable when you have a significant problem such as panic attacks to utilize the medical resources you have to get help. Your doctor can help find out if some of the problems associated with your panic attacks can be dealt with medically. But few doctors would dispute that beginning a discipline of meditation will arm you to fight the onset of a panic attack when it begins to take control.
To stop a panic attack, you need something you can do quickly when you feel the early inward signals that it is about to strike. That is a short window of time. The use of deep breathing and focusing on the drawing of breath and it's release is a well-established method for dealing with emotional moments, panic attacks and other times of extreme stress. It is no accident that mothers in the throes of childbirth are taught to use their breathing to get through those tough contractions. Meditation can equip you to use that same resource when panic attacks threaten to interrupt your day or evening at any given time.
It is during those times when you are not fighting off panic attacks that you can build your skills at quieting your mind and emotions using meditation exercises. As you sit quietly each time you are in meditation, you begin to breathe very deliberately and very deeply. You focus on the feeling of your lungs filling completely. Then you focus on a slow and controlled exhale.
The outcome is your lungs are fully exercised which means your have all the oxygen you need. Your blood is fully oxygenated and your circulation system delivers plenty of oxygen to the brain. Right away, those simple biological steps are things that can derail a panic attack in its tracks. There is something about deep and steady breathing that calms the mind and the soul like nothing else.
But you are not waiting until you are in the middle of a panic attack to learn how to take charge of the situation through controlled meditation and breathing. The great thing about what you learn during your times of seclusion and meditation is that those skills don't stay in the meditation chamber. You are empowered to use those skills any time day or night when the symptoms of panic attacks begin to threaten.
During those first crucial moments, you can allow the training you gained during meditation to take charge. Anywhere you are, you can close your eyes and begin to use your controlled breathing techniques.
In the large majority of cases, these simple steps will return control of your body and your feelings to you and the panic attack will be defeated. And because meditation improves your ability to sleep, your appetite, and your ability to focus at work or at play, adding this simple exercise to your daily schedule will help defeat your panic attacks and make you a happier person in just about every possible way.
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