Saturday, July 19, 2008

Anxiety Help-The Anxiety/Panic Attack

Anxiety Help-The Anxiety/Panic Attack

To all my readers and fellow Anxiety Suffers.........I had a horrible panic attack the other day and I am still suffering the after effects of it 3 days later. Now I'm sure that you all know exactly what I am talking about, but what I'm here to tell you is that I am still here I am still kicking and I got through it.
Stress can be a great contributor to anxiety/panic attacks and that is just what is happening to me.
I had allot of things come my way all at once, and I had a hard time dealing with it all.

What I did do though, was go through some of the tips I have posted here already.

I concentrated on my deep breathing. Holding in for as long as possible without passing out, as when we shallow breathe we need more carbon dioxide, not more oxygen. It is a great misnomer that when you hyperventilate that it's oxygen you are deprived of , when its not.

Do you ever remember a parent or loved one, or even on t.v. seeing someone upset and breathing into a paper bag, .....well that's the same concept.
You are re-breathing the carbon dioxide, helping you to calm down.

I also have sat quietly, and tried to focus on being well, a form of meditation, what ever works for you is the best way to go.

For now I am just going over tips I have already left in my postings, I just wanted you all to know, you are not alone in this, many many people suffer from the same thing, and you can get through it, you can march past it, it just takes some time and focus.

We Can Beat The Attack!

Please make sure to read DISCLAIMER
For more insight into Panic/Anxiety Attacks!

Anxiety Help- The Panic Poem

Panic

With every move I make, I cry
With every thought I think, I cry
With every one I love, I cry
With every heart I break, I cry
I cry for the life I had
I cry for the soul I lost
I cry for the love I gave
I cry for the ones I miss
Panic took my life
Panic took my soul
Panic took my family
Panic took it all

But Not Any More

No more will I cry
No more will I quit
No more will I hide
No more will I die
I take my life back
I take my soul back
I take my family back
I take myself back,
Panic you lose!

Cheryl L. Edwards Copyright ©2008
Cheryl L.Edwards


Please make sure to read DISCLAIMER
For more insight into Panic/Anxiety Attacks!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Anxiety Help- Symptoms of an Attack

Anxiety Help-Symptoms of an Attack

If you an adult, sometimes kids have them as well, but as an adult I think we all know what a bit of Anxiety feels like. Usually we get shaky, breathe shallowly, and for most people it passes quickly. For people like us who's anxiety attacks do not pass quickly we have a whole gamut of symptoms that we go through such as:
Your cardiovascular system leaps into action.
Your heart beats hard and fast to pump blood 5X's the normal rate
Blood rushes to the outer extremities in the muscles to enable sufficient strength for fight or flight.
Blood is constricted in other less essential areas like the surface of your skin (you end up looking quite pale as a result).
Blood vessels in the kidneys and digestive system also constrict and your mouth becomes dry as a result.
To lighten the load your bladder or bowels may open up--hence irritable bowel and/or upset stomach, usually a feeling that you have to poo , and right now!
Sweat glands open up to cool your body down.
Your respiratory system acts up,
Your lungs and nostrils open up and your breath speeds up. This allows more air so more blood can be oxygenated, delivering more blood to the muscles. This also gives you the ability to scream loudly!

Also:
Endorphins are released providing a natural pain reliever (sore joints won't limit your strength or speed).
Our senses sharpen and our pupils dilate. We can even see better in the dark.
Energy is metabolized. Fat is broken down from the cells and glucose from the liver creates a ready source of energy.
Your higher brain gets slowed, makes it hard to think

Your thinking becomes intensely focused on identifying the source of danger even if it is not readily known. Any clue from past experiences is called up from the deep files in the far recesses of the brain.
You are more reactive and spontaneous. This is not a time for reflection.

Anxiety attack symptoms are provoked by our fight or flight response!

In conclusion, for most of us it feels like a heart attack, or in extreme cases it we feel out of our body's, and a feeling of not being here happens. We can also think we are dying.

You are not dying, you can work through these attacks and the more your practice the better and easier it gets.
There are some other tips to getting through an anxiety attack, just look at my past blogs.

Try to reduce stress, knock out caffeine, and relax as much as possible. Every step helps.

I hope you all have a calm day!

Please make sure to read DISCLAIMER
For more insight into Panic/Anxiety Attacks!

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Anxiety Help-Aroma Therapy

Anxiety Help-Aroma Therapy

Here's one for the books.

The smell of vanilla in your home, or during an anxiety attack can greatly reduce the attack or the chances of having one!

There was actually a study done, and 63 percent of the people who were breathing the air with the vanilla scent had less anxiety than those who were not.

When you make your coffee in the morning, and I hope its Decaf, or you have cut back, add a drop or two of vanilla to the pot before the coffee brews, it will fill your kitchen with this wonderful scent. Or simply light vanilla scented candles and put them around your house.

Adding vanilla scented oil to your bathwater, is a great way to relax and loose the stress of the day.

Try it, it works!

Please make sure to read DISCLAIMER
For more insight into Panic/Anxiety Attacks!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Anxiety Help-Meditation

MEDITATION


If you have anxiety/panic attacks. You really need some form of meditation. This helps to reduce stress, and recharge yourself to lessen the anxiety in a day.


I would suggest taking a good Yoga or Tai Chi class, but we all know , that they are either not available to us, or we just cannot afford the time or the money for a class.


This gets us back to meditation, really it just means taking some quiet time out for yourself to sit in a calm atmosphere and deep breathe.


Find a quiet spot at home or at work, take about 10 min, 5 if you can't take more, and just sit, close your eyes, breathe in deeply and out forcefully and try to relax your muscles as you do this.


A good method it to picture your muscles relaxing in your head. Start at your toes, breathe in and as you breathe out, say relax ( or think it, either way works). Continue on up your body finding each muscle as you go until you reach your head.


As you do this, and it may take some practice, you will find that in the process of deep breathing and relaxing the muscles that you will feel all together better.


The more often you do this the better and easier you will find your day will go, and stress will soon be out of your vocabulary.

Remember to eat well and exercise everyday!

Please make sure to read DISCLAIMER
For more insight into Panic/Anxiety Attacks!