Mental health resource

Living with Panic Attacks – What You Need to Know Author: Sondra Millard

Living with panic attacks or someone who has them can be a challenge. However, when you are armed with the right knowledge, panic attacks don’t need to ruin your life or negatively affect the ones you love.

First and foremost, get help. Whether it’s from a doctor, psychiatrist, support group, family or friends, you do not have to do this alone. When seeking help from a professional be open and honest about your symptoms and the thoughts that race through your mind during an attack. When approaching family or friends for support let them know this is a sensitive subject and that you would like their help.

Recognize symptoms and triggers. You need to identify what may be causing your panic attacks, not so you can avoid them, but so you can be better prepared to handle them. Sometimes just knowing it is a panic attack and not a medical emergency can help to ease your mind.

Keep track. It will be easier to identify the triggers and responses if you write them down. How were you feeling prior to the attack? Was there apprehension before you were even in the situation? How did you react? What were the symptoms? What ultimately happened? Did you get through it, or did you try to get away as soon as you could? Not only is keeping track a useful exercise for you, it’s also helpful information for your treatment professional.

Avoid avoidance. It is natural to want to stay away from the things that could cause us harm. You wouldn’t go swimming in a pool full of sharks, for example. But with panic attacks the danger is not real. It feels real and the body reacts in a way that is real, but if you start avoiding the places and situations that you think will bring about a panic attack it will only make things worse. On top of that there is the possibility of developing agoraphobia and becoming completely housebound.

Take small steps in the right direction. Focus on the moment, not so much your reaction to it. If you know someone who has panic attacks, then be understanding and help them to go into the frightening situations. Do not ridicule them, and be gentle if they start to have an attack. You can always try again at a different time. It is very important that they trust you completely.

Regain control. Learn how to recognize the symptoms of your panic attack. Identify the signs as a sort of false alarm and focus on getting your breathing under control. If you are with somebody having a panic attack, try to reassure them. If you happen to know their breathing exercises you can do them with the sufferer (this will help reduce embarrassment and get them back in control).

Panic disorder does not have to sentence you to a sheltered and limited life. Help is available from many different sources; you just have to seek it out. Understand that this is a very real problem that deserves to be taken seriously.

Some Great Panic Attack Cures Author: Jan Cobb

Out of the blue discover yourself experiencing a panic attack?

The primary thing you have to make is to restrain your doubts. Panicking all the more won’t absolutely improve. Remember: panic attacks are in general risk-free – for as long as you don’t do something opposed to your supposed doubts. let the thoughts of huge anxiety and approaching doom to occur. Normally, an occurrence will be through in 10 minutes or less.

Nonetheless, the offensive state of affairs you’ll have to bear are justifiably shocking. Dealing with a panic attack may be straightforward in theory actuality, the most valiant male could find out it very demanding to cope with an occurrence.

There are, on the other hand, additional readily obtainable and simply exercisable panic attack remedies you can use.

- Provide yourself a head massage. Massage the bridge of your nose with your fingers, and run them in the direction of the temples and after that to the back of your head. Other types of such a massage would furthermore make brilliant results. Massaging your head will help you relax, and the natural strains of such an application will help you take your mind off the panic attack occurrence.

- Talk to someone. That person will work as your anchor in reality. Throughout a panic attack occurrence, your vision of reality will be blurred. You require someone else to remind you what’s real and what’s not.

- Aim to start a conventional inhalation pattern. Your thoughts will be rather bewildered during a panic attack. By struggling to institute and carry on a conventional inhalation pattern, you will be able to bring in an feeling of order all through such tumultuous moments.

- Make yourself active by activities that will permit you side track your attention while being inactive. Watch a DVD film. Engage in a video game. Play soothing music. Browse an enthralling book. The trick here is to have your mind away from your supposed anxieties by concentrating on things that are attractive enough to have you put aside emotions of alarm and shock.

- Drink a warm glass of milk. Never misjudge the helpful value of warm milk.

- As a last alternative, take appropriate drug. Once more, this must be your final option, given the fact that medicines against panic attacks can possibly make our body resistant to them following a particular level of exposure. Pills can offer on the spot outcomes, but they are not intended to be everlasting cures to the trouble of panic attacks.

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How to Handle Anxiety Disorder Author: Gerry Restrivera

Anxiety is a helpful emotion because it keeps you on your toes in the face of danger or stressful situations. But if this emotion restricts you from doing your daily activities then what you have is a disorder. If you have extreme anxiety or fear over unreasonable things to the point that you cannot function normally in your daily life, then you need to learn how to handle anxiety disorder.

This extreme terror is accompanied by physical symptoms which are really disturbing and disabling. The physical symptoms include chest pain, sweating, nausea, racing heartbeat, trembling, hot flashes, derealization or feeling of unreality, numbness and shortness of breath. Imagine what you will do if anxiety attack strikes you while you are driving or while you are shopping in a busy supermarket. The anticipation of attacks is also hard to handle because it takes away your freedom to enjoy life. You will become so restricted that you avoid things that you normally do like driving and even leaving the house without a companion. Before this disorder could totally invade your life, you have to learn how to handle anxiety disorder.

This disorder is treatable and manageable, you do not have to get embarrassed or hide if you have anxiety disorder. Here are some tips on how to handle anxiety disorder:

See a doctor or mental health professional. You need a proper diagnosis for you to understand your disorder. It is easier to handle anxiety disorder if you know what you are dealing with. Your doctor can explain to you the things you need to know and how to deal with your disorder.

Be positive. Although the physical symptoms are like those of a heart attack, anxiety disorder is not a life threatening illness, it is a treatable illness. Stay positive and tell yourself that nothing bad is about to happen because you do not have a life threatening disease.

Join support groups. Talking to other sufferers, sharing your experience and learning about their struggles will help you handle anxiety disorder with ease because you know you are not alone.

Therapy. Psychotherapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy is one effective way to handle anxiety disorder. Talking to a psychiatrist or a mental health professional is very helpful. Studies have shown that significant improvement is usually seen within 6-8 weeks and up to 90% of patients are responsive to this kind of therapy. It helps sufferers to change their thinking patterns and how they react to their fears.

Medications. Although medications will not cure anxiety disorder, it will help you handle anxiety disorder and keep your disorder under control. Your psychiatrist or mental health doctor can prescribe you with the right medication appropriate for your condition. Common medications are antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs and beta blockers.

Natural remedies. This is an alternative treatment to help you handle anxiety disorder without the side effects of drugs. If you have tried a lot of treatments and still suffering from the disabling symptoms of anxiety disorder, natural remedies are another option.

If you are into natural remedies, learn how to handle anxiety disorder using natural methods visit Panic Away

To know more about natural remedies visit Great Discovery-Health and Beauty

Recognizing the Symptoms of Panic Attacks – What Everyone Should Know Author: Sondra Millard

The onset of panic attacks can be as sudden as it is disabling. When you experience one you may feel as though you are having a heart attack or going insane. The good news is that even though the symptoms feel genuine, your body is actually fooling you in a rather horrible way. You are not truly in medical danger, and you certainly aren’t losing your mind. However, because the physical sensations feel so real, panic disorders can be misdiagnosed.

The list of panic attack symptoms is long. Some of the more common ones include a feeling of impending doom, chest pains or pressure, chills, difficulty breathing, dizziness, fear of death, feeling like you are being smothered, feeling trapped, heart palpitations, hot flashes, nausea, numbness, tingling, and twitching.

Someone having a panic attack may experience only one symptom, or several. Many of these symptoms are associated with very serious medical issues. For example, chest pains could signal a heart problem. Those in the grip of a panic attacks often interpret the physical signs as a medical emergency which only adds to their panic, escalating the problem even more.

When someone has a panic attack in public, they will often believe the location itself has caused the episode. They may avoid this location at all costs. Over time the list of safe places shrinks, and the person may develop a fear of going outside. The pattern of avoidance can also apply to activities that were taking place during an attack, such as driving or shopping. The anxiety sufferer may become trapped in their own home, or may be unable to go to certain places without a particular companion with whom they feel safe.

Those who’ve never had a panic attack may not understand how serious they are. Well-meaning people offer what they think is helpful advice. “Take a deep breath!” for example. Or they may scold the person by saying, “Oh, it’s all in your head,” or “Get over it.” Family and friends may think the sufferer is being a baby or grabbing for attention. Even though the advice and comments are intended to get the panic to stop, it isn’t that simple. If it was, nobody would have repeated panic attacks.

It can take a while for the proper diagnosis to be made. The symptoms feel so real and urgent. Other people often misunderstand or criticize the sufferer. All these things can have a devastating impact on someone who is living with the condition. But panic and anxiety don’t have to be a life sentence. Once properly diagnosed, panic disorders are treatable.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms or effects of panic attacks described above, then seek out professional help. Effective treatment options are available and may include medication, therapy, or natural alternatives. For now, just remember – there is help and there is hope.

RECOGNIZING AN ADDICTION Author: Lisa
With advances in genetic and social sciences, the knowledge that, in most cases, the problem began with an inherited, physical propensity to have an addiction, is a solid reason to know family history and to be honest with one. The significance of this knowledge is only beginning to be felt among those who have sought help and solace with AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) and other AA related groups. Those who are willing and able to recognize that addiction can take many forms have a much better chance of overcoming an addiction. Fortunately, there have been many documentaries done on the physical causes in the brain that allow the addicted person to understand that the problem is not his or hers alone, and that there is a reason the addiction other than the old notion of complete moral bankruptcy. And those affected by the painful behavior of those caught up in the blindness of addiction may come to understand how they could be enabling the addict to continue with the nightmarish behavior before jobs, spouses, and lives are lost. How does one know if he or she is addicted? People who have lost a job or someone close may, for a time, drink heavily to cover the pain or self-doubt. Excessive drinking will abate when they become more used to their new circumstances, or stop completely after the first DUI. If a new addiction, such as spending endless hours on the Internet or playing video games to the exclusion of all other activities does not replace drinking, the drinking was a temporary form of self-medication and not an addiction. Excepting certain drugs that create their own addiction where none existed before, the beginnings of addictive behavior come from a need for self-medication to cover everything from social discomfort to any physical or emotional pain. If the unmedicated brain is unable to function normally in these circumstances, meaning that it does not produce enough dopamine, for example, the discomfort and pain will continue, and the abuse of alcohol, drugs, nicotine, sex, and so on will continue, only to become worse as time passes. So, one sign of true addictive behavior includes replacing one form of addiction with another. Another sign is attempting to hide the addiction from others and hording the addictive substance. Alcoholics tend to hide containers of liquor in places like their cabinets, tool chests, closets, and empty suitcases. Addicts may frequently cut school or work and continue to do so after warnings. Their need to be isolated and away from others may be quite strong. Addicts, even an upstanding person of the cloth, will do ANYTHING to get their drug of choice including stealing and selling off the possessions of those trying to help. EVERYTHING is secondary to having that drug, be it a job, spouse, child, or home.

Cure Anxiety – Learn the Tricks to Stop Anxiety Forever: Author: John Horrax

Homeopathy

Some of the most well-known homeopathic remedies for anxiety are Aconitum, Arsenicum, Gelsemium, Lycopodium and Phosphorus.

Also, PureCalm.

Aconitum: often used as a remedy for panic attacks that come on suddenly with intense fear (even fear of death) may justify this remedy. A state of intense anxiety can be accompanied by strong palpitations, shortness of breath, and a flushed face.

Arsenicum: Recommended for persons who are extremely anxious about their health, and deeply concerned with security and maintaining order.

Gelsemium: This remedy is useful when you feel weak, tired, you’re trembling, and feel mentally feeble. A perfect example would be someone paralysed with fear. It is also useful for when a person is anxious about an upcoming event like a public performance or interview, or other stressful events: Diarrhea, chills, perspiration, and headaches will often develop in these people with anxiety.

Lycopodium: those suffering an inner sense of inadequacy, putting up fronts, pretending to be something they are not. They feel anxious from constant mental stress and have a lack of confidence. They may be extremely self-conscious and may be easily intimidated by other people they think are powerful. They may be deeply anxious and have a grave fear of failure. They usually do really well at a task once they have begun it.

Phosphorus: When the victim is imaginative, openhearted, excitable, jumpy, easily startled, and full of vivid and intense fears. Strong anxiety can be caused in such individuals by virtually anything. Such sufferers are nervous and highly sensitive to others. They can be overly sympathetic towards other people to the point of exhausting them self, becoming “spaced out” or even sick. They crave company and reassurance. Conversation or a hug makes them feel better; easily red and flushed in the face, thirst, heart palpitations and intense desire for cold are also indicative of Phosphorus.

Talk to your Homeopath for whats right for you.

For better ways to cure anxiety, stress, panic, fear, or phobia click here: <a href=”http://www.johnsreview.net/beatanxiety.html”>Link Title</a>

This article was written by John horrax.

How to Handle Anxiety Disorder Author: Gerry Restrivera

Anxiety is a helpful emotion because it keeps you on your toes in the face of danger or stressful situations. But if this emotion restricts you from doing your daily activities then what you have is a disorder. If you have extreme anxiety or fear over unreasonable things to the point that you cannot function normally in your daily life, then you need to learn how to handle anxiety disorder.

This extreme terror is accompanied by physical symptoms which are really disturbing and disabling. The physical symptoms include chest pain, sweating, nausea, racing heartbeat, trembling, hot flashes, derealization or feeling of unreality, numbness and shortness of breath. Imagine what you will do if anxiety attack strikes you while you are driving or while you are shopping in a busy supermarket. The anticipation of attacks is also hard to handle because it takes away your freedom to enjoy life. You will become so restricted that you avoid things that you normally do like driving and even leaving the house without a companion. Before this disorder could totally invade your life, you have to learn how to handle anxiety disorder.

This disorder is treatable and manageable, you do not have to get embarrassed or hide if you have anxiety disorder. Here are some tips on how to handle anxiety disorder:

See a doctor or mental health professional. You need a proper diagnosis for you to understand your disorder. It is easier to handle anxiety disorder if you know what you are dealing with. Your doctor can explain to you the things you need to know and how to deal with your disorder.

Be positive. Although the physical symptoms are like those of a heart attack, anxiety disorder is not a life threatening illness, it is a treatable illness. Stay positive and tell yourself that nothing bad is about to happen because you do not have a life threatening disease.

Join support groups. Talking to other sufferers, sharing your experience and learning about their struggles will help you handle anxiety disorder with ease because you know you are not alone.

Therapy. Psychotherapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy is one effective way to handle anxiety disorder. Talking to a psychiatrist or a mental health professional is very helpful. Studies have shown that significant improvement is usually seen within 6-8 weeks and up to 90% of patients are responsive to this kind of therapy. It helps sufferers to change their thinking patterns and how they react to their fears.

Medications. Although medications will not cure anxiety disorder, it will help you handle anxiety disorder and keep your disorder under control. Your psychiatrist or mental health doctor can prescribe you with the right medication appropriate for your condition. Common medications are antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs and beta blockers.

Natural remedies. This is an alternative treatment to help you handle anxiety disorder without the side effects of drugs. If you have tried a lot of treatments and still suffering from the disabling symptoms of anxiety disorder, natural remedies are another option.

If you are into natural remedies, learn how to handle anxiety disorder using natural methods visit Panic Away

To know more about natural remedies visit Great Discovery-Health and Beauty

The Causes and Treatments of Panic Attacks – What You Should Know Author: Sondra Millard

The release of certain chemicals by the brain when it perceives danger is the most basic cause of panic attacks. But what causes the release of these chemicals is not completely understood by medical professionals. Why do some people respond to a particular situation with anxiety or panic, while others take the situation in stride? What critical differences are there in the brain’s biochemistry and function? These questions remain largely unanswered.

There are factors apart from biochemistry that seem to play a role in triggering panic attacks. Just being aware of them can help a panic sufferer to get proper diagnosis and treatment.

Heredity

Panic and anxiety disorders tend to run in families. But the presence of the disorder in the family tree is not a sure indicator. Certainly, not all children of sufferers will develop panic disorders, and some who suffer from the disorder have no family history of it. In other words, there is definitely a greater chance of having panic attacks if someone else in your family does, but there’s no guarantee one way or the other. It’s also not clear whether anxiety is a genetic or learned trait.

Avoidance

It’s common and understandable when you have had a panic attack to try to avoid the same situation in the future. The problem is that the avoidance itself can add to the feeling of anxiety or panic. In a way, the problem compounds itself and can become even worse. You begin to avoid more and more situations, and your life may become quite limited. That’s why a pattern of avoidance behaviors indicates that a panic disorder may be present.

Traumatic events

Certain life events can have extreme psychological consequences. The death of someone close, a serious accident, or a major disease are a few examples of traumatic events. These can lead to imagined fears and heightened anxiety. Or they can make you more aware of your breathing, heart rate, and other bodily reactions – even in situations when they are normal.

The possible triggers and causes of panic disorder are numerous and go beyond this short list. Of course, knowing where your intense anxiety came from is fine, but that knowledge is only useful if it leads to effective treatment. Just as it may be a combination of things causing the problem, you may need a combination of treatments to get your panic attacks under control.

Because anxiety is caused by chemical reactions in the brain, there are effective medications available to help resolve the problem. Among the better known are Zoloft, Paxil and Klonopin. Your doctor or health care professional must prescribe these for you. Be sure to talk about any concerns you have and possible side effects of the drug. You may only need to take these medications for a short while.

Another useful method of treatment for panic disorders is cognitive-behavioral therapy. This is just a fancy way of saying that you will discover how to change your thinking and behavior to reduce or eliminate your anxiety. This therapy needs to be administered by a trained and licensed professional, or it may make the problem worse.

The cause of panic disorder may not be completely understood, but you can still find effective treatments for the condition. The key is to recognize what is going on and to seek help before things get too bad.

Panic Attacks – How Cognitive-behavioral Therapy Can Help Author: Sondra Millard

Are you struggling to deal with anxiety and panic attacks in your life? No matter how overwhelming your problem may seem, there are effective treatments for it. Medication can provide some relief from your symptoms, but some people are reluctant to take drugs or would prefer to limit the duration. Another option that is often recommended for panic attack sufferers is cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on changing your thoughts and behaviours. It deals primarily with solving problems in the here and now. Unlike some types of therapy, you don’t have to analyze every little event from your childhood or spend many hours in the psychologist’s office. People who have a great deal of anxiety usually think and behave in ways that are counterproductive. In therapy, you will learn ways to change your thoughts and actions so that you feel better and are less prone to anxiety and panic.

People may not realize how deeply their thoughts influence their emotions. Those with high levels of anxiety often suffer from “wrong” thinking. While some individuals take an optimistic view of life, anxious people may interpret events in the worst possible light. They distort and exaggerate events in their mind to make them seem more catastrophic than they truly are. They may fret about problems that don’t really exist or aren’t important. Negative and unrealistic thoughts like these contribute unnecessarily to anxiety, panic, and depression. The therapist can gently steer you away from unproductive thoughts, put things into perspective, and teach you more helpful and realistic ways to think.

Using cognitive-behavioral therapy, you can learn how to stop a panic attack before it develops. For example, there is a cycle you may get caught up in. It goes like this. You feel a little anxious. You become hypersensitive to the internal bodily sensations you associate with a panic attack. You start worrying that a panic episode is imminent, which adds another level of anxiety. Thinking and worrying can escalate those mildly anxious feelings into a full-blown panic attack. However, if you can interrupt this cycle, you can prevent an attack from occurring.

One CBT technique that can give you relief from panic attack symptoms is proper breathing. Breathing patterns can affect how you feel and how much anxiety you experience. If you tend to hyperventilate (breathe rapidly and shallowly), you will increase your anxiety. Instead, you want to learn how to breathe deeply and slowly. Practice is essential, so that it becomes second nature even when you’re feeling panicky. Your therapist can also teach you other ways to reduce anxiety, such as relaxation exercises or biofeedback.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy can produce very good results for panic attack sufferers. It will teach you more constructive and rational ways to think about situations and events, reducing your anxiety and worry. Instead of being held hostage by panic, you become empowered and capable of changing how you feel.

Stress Reduction Management and It’s Importance During Tough Times Author: Lawrence Pointer

An estimated thirty three percent of Westernised populations are now thought to be living with too much stress in their lives. The majority will unfortunately continue to struggle on as best they know how and will never attempt to manage their stress.

If stress and anxiety are left unchecked, the repercussions can be severe. Ranging from weight gain and depression, to heart failure and diseases such as cancer. Some genetic disorders that may lead to similar complaints may not be avoided, however stress reduction programs do exist that can assist us to start understanding this crippling and debilitating state.

The human mind was never designed to deal with such overwhelming levels of stress. The modern world and the lives people are living now, are placing these demands on people from all walks of life. It is now apparent for many that stress reduction management is actually one area of health and mind that can be improved upon with the right tools.

The first step that can be undertaken, is for any individual to identify and consider changing some of their daily habits, firstly their diet. Certain foods aggravate stress so a good varied diet, with lots of fruit and vegetables and therefore vitamin and mineral intake should be a start.

Where possible, consistent and regular exercise regimes are known to have an uplifting and positive effect. Coupled with not smoking which is proven to raise blood pressure, and a balanced diet as mentioned you will be helping to reduce your stress.

Some studies have shown that vegetarians are less like to suffer from acute stress than meat eaters. Caffeine products not only drive up your blood pressure but can also hinder your sleep patterns. Consideration of their intake should be part of your overall stress reduction program.

Time mismanagement or work overload are consistently known to be direct causes of stress. To help manage improvement in these areas, tasks as simple as priority list writing and consideration make for a good start. For example taking a few minutes of quiet contemplation where possible to consider what actually has to be done, measured against what needs to be done to quantify priority sequences.

The fact is these days it is not necessary to go through your life with uncontrolled levels of stress, the tools are out there to help. There are some fantastic holistic stress reduction programs on the market that really can help you also.

Systems that can:

Eliminate the effects of stress, enabling you to lose weight and increase your energy levels.

Utilise simple exercises to reduce stress.

Prepare you for future encounters with stress.

Increase your levels of self-awareness so you can build on your strengths and get rid of any weaknesses.

Sharpen your mind enabling you to access increased creativity.

Help you strengthen your relationships with your families and loved ones.

Help you to understand all the stress disabling tools you have at your disposal and much much more.

Modern life and the pace that it demands, can reduce the perceived time that people think they have. There are stress reduction programs that do not require any time off work, or evenings going to a local therapist or class. Home study stress reduction courses have been developed by some of the most qualified professionals in this field.

It may take some researching to find the best and most suitable stress reduction program at the right price for you, but there are stress reduction programs out there which are proven to work. The benefits of finding the right one for you will potentially exceed any time or money spent.

Stress reduction programs can help you increase the quality of your life. Creating more time to do the things that you want. Whilst enjoying a life with less stress and potentially less illness in your future. Helping you also to benefit from stronger and more fruitful relationships.