The Causes and Cures of Panic and Anxiety
One of the things about anxiety attacks that makes them so frightening is that they seem to come on so suddenly and without warning. Once the attack is taking place it can be so overwhelming it becomes all we think about and the rest of our life has to take a back seat until it has run it course.
People who experience anxiety and panic say they feel as if they are out of their minds or they feel unreal. Actually, anxiety sufferers are not at all out of their minds. They are in fact, normal. Panic and the unreal feelings it brings about are caused by adrenaline. It is the nervous system that is not quite right, it isn’t anything associated with the mind. Anxiety may have something to do with one’s thought process, but it isn’t insanity.
This article is a discussion about just what is happening to a person who is having an anxiety or panic attack. It also gives advice about handling anxiety is such a way one can begin to overcome this condition.
Doing the Tighten Up
We often here the old saying, “go with the flow.” With anxiety disorder these are very wise words. Nervousness is a human response to fighting or running away from something. So, when our nervousness brings about feelings that are very uncomfortable, often we respond by fighting or running away from these feelings. This is leads to the nervousness intensifying and this nervousness may before long, turn into a full blown panic attack.
When we experience panic/anxiety, our body functions differently because of adrenaline. Because of the different way our body is functioning at this time we will feel things we normally don’t and usually, these feelings can be disconcerting. However, when we fight or run away from these feelings we bring on more unusual feelings and so we compound our misery.
Also, once a panic attack has come and left, it usually has left us so overwhelmed, we vow never to let one ever occur again. Taking this attitude is likely to keep us on edge thereby making the chance another one will come on even greater. However, when we don’t realize this we keep on fighting.
As you can see, trying to fight off panic is not only futile it creates nervousness, which if handled incorrectly will result in more panic attacks. So, it stands to reason that not fighting or even giving up is a better way to defeat anxiety and panic.
A Passive Attitude
Since anxiety is always fueled by fighting and/or running away, it lessons in intensity when it is ignored. I know, this is easier said than done, but it is the key to becoming free of anxiety and panic attacks.
The more anxiety attacks with their panic and feelings of unreality are ignored or accepted the less they will dominate our lives. After total acceptance with no fighting whatsoever becomes our modus operandi, panic will leave us and we will never have to face it again. Of course, this attitude of acceptance does not happen immediately and has to be learned over time. Still, the learning period can be short once the theory of acceptance is understood.
