How to cope with a panic attack and what to do at the time of the attack. Panic attacks how to deal with yourself

Panic attacks (PA) begin with a single thought and cause a person to experience an instant attack of fear and anxiety, which are accompanied by a number of characteristic signs in the body.

Your one anxious fear is a thought, and everything starts with a thought.

Let us consider in more detail the questions about what a panic attack is and how to deal with it.

What does a person experience with PA?

1. strong lump and pressure in the throat;
2. dry mouth;
3. loss of your voice and normal speech;
4. loss of control and complete lack of control of the situation;
5. shortness of breath;
6. there is a feeling as if there is not enough air;
7. heart beats intensely;
8. strong fear of death or any danger;
9. sweating;
10. desire to run away and isolate yourself from everything;
11. tense in the muscles;
12. the body trembles;
13. throws it into the heat, then into the cold;
14. in the head a mess of thoughts and confusion;
15. a person is not present in the moment, only logical thinking is included.

Why do PAs occur?

To understand what to do with a panic attack, in which pressure rises or health worsens, we first focus on the root of the problem.

Why does PA appear in humans:

16 most effective techniques for dealing with them

Let's consider in detail all 16 methods that will close your questions on how to deal with panic attacks on your own.

1. Listen to your feeling in the body, stop following logic and reason

What does it mean to listen to the body

To listen to the feeling in the body means to listen to such feelings inside as enthusiasm, love, warmth, passion and follow them. An unmistakable adviser in making decisions is your body. It tells you "yes" or "no" not with a word, but with a feeling.

In other words, it's like listening to your soul.

What happens in fact: you feel the energy in the body, and you have to use it.

After all, in the end it turns out that we live for feelings.

2. Go against thoughts that cause suffering and do not identify with them

• If thoughts come and make you worry- do everything contrary to them and do not follow them.
  Even if some excuses come up and it seems strange to you, still act against the restless thoughts.
• These thoughts are not yours and you do not need to consider them yours..
  Because they make you feel bad.
• Don't identify yourself with thoughts, and you will always know what to do with panic attacks during the next outbreak.

3. Take a contrast shower or soothing bath

As the saying goes, when I got home and took a shower, I washed the day off me.

As soon as the next attacks appear, you can immediately take a contrast shower.

This technique is also useful for those who are wondering how to deal with panic attacks in VSD.

About the contrast shower

• You need to pour over the whole body from head to toe.
• With an interval of about 20 seconds, you douse yourself with both hot and cold water.

What are the benefits of a contrast shower or bath:

1. A contrast shower strengthens your blood vessels.
2. Water will relieve tension from the body, cleanse you.
3. A warm, pleasant bath will be a good soothing prophylaxis for dealing with panic attacks during VSD.

4. Sign up for a massage, relieve tension from the body

Tension in the body is one of the most common.

Since the PA puts your body in tension and stupor, the massage will just relieve this tension.

What are the advantages of massage:

• Thanks to the massage, you will have a relaxed body without clamps and tension.
• Inner emancipation and peace will come from you.

What parts of the body can be massaged:

• fingers;
• shoulders and neck;

5. Meditate for 20 minutes 2 times a day: in the morning and before bed

How to do meditation step by step:

Benefits of Meditation:

• After a while, a stable calm will appear.
• The internal dialogue will begin to disappear, you will delve into your head less.
• You will learn to control your emotions and thoughts. Thus, you will no longer be so worried about the question of how to prevent a panic attack.
• You will understand that in order to feel good, you do not need to depend on anything. This should be your permanent independent state.

In details about meditation and you can read it on the website at the link.

6. Do yoga

If you want a real martial practice, then this is yoga.

The gym is good, but it doesn't affect you as mentally as yoga.

Yoga will be an effective help for you with panic attacks, where you will relieve all tension from different parts of the body.

Real yoga (not some fitness yoga or fitness relaxation) is psychologically and physically much harder than any other physical sport or gym.

Yoga sometimes causes crying or a desire to run away.

This happens because it is a very tough experience for many muscle groups to keep their body still in different geometric positions.

These positions are also called asanas.

Pros of doing yoga:

• Only through the asana will you work your core muscles and be able to enter another state of higher consciousness.
• As they say, yoga in the morning makes your whole day much easier.
• Thanks to yoga, you will have a lot of energy in your body for several days ahead.

7. Use effective breathing technique

This breathing technique is useful for those who do not know what to do if a panic attack has begun.

When panic anxiety sets in, first take 4 short exhalations in a row and then one long maximally deep breath of air. Repeat this procedure 50 times.

What are the benefits of this breathing technique:

1. After 50 times, breathing becomes even and easy.
2. The focus shifts from the logical part to your body.
3. You feel your body, energy more and follow it. Try to keep that feeling.
4. Negative thoughts begin to recede.

8. Write down all your thoughts in a notebook: from wise realizations to those that make you panic and steam

Opening the notebook after a while and reading the old notes, you will begin to distinguish between sound thoughts and false ones.

Staying in a calm state, after a while you will open your notes and you will laugh at your fears and anxieties about which you soared.

Thus, having learned to distinguish panic thoughts from the rest, they will lose their power over you.

Any fear can be called into question.

This way you will know everything about how to deal with panic attacks.

You can also check out our article where we talk about.

9. Let the panic disorder break you down even more, do not put up a single resistance when it appears.

Do not resist the appearance of the PA and even begin to anticipate the most intense panic of all.

What is the essence of method 9, where there is no need to resist:

1. You are asking the PA for the following: I want you to get stronger, get even stronger and eat me completely».
2. By tuning in to a stronger anxiety and expecting something more, there will be a completely opposite effect.
3. This is so because you let the panic go through you instead of resisting it the way you used to.

Most people don't know what to do when they're having a panic attack and unconsciously only make things worse for themselves by resisting.

10. Realize that all your restless thoughts come and go, I always remain unchanged and unaffected.

11. Make the next flash of fear your friend and thank her for showing up.

Thank all your seizures the following reasons:

1. Another flash of PA shows you your flaws and those weak points that you need to work on.
2. She says that you have launched something in yourself and your mind.
3. She tells you that you need to work on yourself.
4. She wants you not to turn a blind eye to the problem, as all people usually do, and become even stronger than now.

So tell her thanks for this.

Change the perception of the problem, make it your friend. So, you can help yourself with panic attacks, just by changing your attitude towards them.

You suddenly have these sensations, you should think of it as: Hooray! Great! Finally! Super!».

You should know everything about having obsessive thoughts and become more fearless.

12. Your logic automatically assumes the worst every time you encounter the unknown.

Understand this and realize it, and you will no longer wonder how to deal with panic attacks yourself.

13. Gain more reference experience that nothing will happen and there is no reason to worry

Example 1: fear of flying

For example, a person is afraid to fly on an airplane.

• And now, you are already in it, and you take off. 10 seconds pass, nothing happens. Everyone is doing their own thing. Everything is fine.
• It's been 5 minutes and absolutely nothing has happened, you're alive.
• 10 minutes pass, and you realize that there is not a single reason for alarm.
• At the helm sits a professional pilot who knows his stuff.
• The scenario from the movie “Lost” will definitely not be repeated.

Let's analyze this method using the example of a person suffering from social phobia, so that he can stop a panic attack on his own and close the question of whether.

Example 2: social phobia in a person

The same analogy can be drawn in the cases social phobia a person's fear of a large number of people.

It is enough for a person to go into the thick of the crowd, the very middle, and after a while understand that:

• No one will point fingers at him.
• The person will not die.
• No one will touch him or even touch him.
• Nobody cares about him at all.
• Everyone has more important things to do.
• So, a person comes to understand that he can still be loud and even dance in front of everyone, and nothing will happen to him for this.

It will be useful to write down all new realizations after such experiments on oneself in a notebook.

14. Learn to laugh at yourself and at the role of the victim that you used to play, do not take everything seriously

If you have panic disorder, then you are taking things too seriously.

You have to be able to laugh at yourself.

Just deliberately embarrass yourself and laugh at yourself! This will help you look at yourself from the outside and understand the absurdity of panic.

Let's analyze the case when a woman does not know what to do with a panic attack. during pregnancy at an early date.

Reveal the absurdity of her panic.

A pregnant woman should understand following:

• You are just one of hundreds of women who give birth every day around the world.
• It's not such a big event.
• There is no reason to give pregnancy too much importance.
• People give birth to twins and even triplets, and a woman worries about giving birth to just one child.
• We live in an age of modern technology, when childbirth takes place in the safest conditions.
• You don’t need to cheat on yourself and think that something bad will happen to the child.
• The dinosaur will not pounce on you because of the bushes.

15. You have PA - say it out loud to yourself and the people around you

Voice your problem out loud.

If you are performing in front of people and you are already shaking, tell them directly about how you feel and what is happening to you right now.

This will take away the responsibility and desire to be super perfect in front of them, and at the same time you will be congruent with yourself.

16. Take away the role of the victim and do not feel sorry for yourself, do not think of yourself as a poor sufferer

Everyone plays roles without realizing that they are just roles.

Aren't you tired of being a scared little person with panic attacks?

Get rid of this role. After all, it's not you!

Stop playing the role of a shy sheep and think: “What an unfortunate person I am”, “I am the only one so poor in this world”, “No one pities and loves me”, “How bad everything is in my life”.

You are stronger than this.

1. It is useless to change your focus from something internal to something external if the problem is psychological.
   By doing this, a person simply avoids the problem, instead of solving it once and for all. After all, the problems are in the head, not in the outside world.
2. Various medications are of little help they only dull the mind. But everything will come back as soon as the effect of the medicine wears off. In addition, there will still be dependence on these drugs.

Realize that panic attacks can be cured forever.

Reread all 16 methods again and live in harmony.

Panic disorder is my main specialty. What do we know about this problem today and how can we fight it?

Panic attacks stand apart among all neuroses, because the prevalence of panic disorder is very high. 6-8% of the population has panic attacks. Such neuroses belong to the group of anxiety-phobic. The main feature is that this disorder is necessarily manifested by bodily vegetative symptoms, not just psychological ones. Such neuroses are called "somatized", and panic attacks are an option. psychosomatics.

A person suffering from this condition has episodic panic attacks , and between attacks, the state of health can be quite good, both physically and psychologically. The term "panic attack" was first used in 1980 in the American classification of diseases DSM-III. The name "talking", and quickly took root in world practice. Previously, the concept was used emotional-vegetative crisis , this was considered within the framework of neurological concepts of VSD and NDC ( vegetative-vascular dystonia and neurocirculatory dystonia). That is, in general medicine, it was believed that an emotional-vegetative crisis is a symptom of VVD.

But the concept of "VVD" in the modern doctrine of neuroses (this is the area of ​​psychotherapists) turned out to be inapplicable, and such terminology is outdated. Now the term "vegetative dysfunction" is used, which is considered as an integral part of neurosis, associated with it by common causes, mechanisms and manifestations. But no matter how you call neurosis, the main question remains: how to deal with panic attacks? Even if you decidefor a consultationpsychotherapist, additional information will not hurt.

How to deal with such a neurosis, but first, let's clarify the concept of "panic attack". The attack really resembles an attack - a sudden onset state that intensifies like an avalanche for the first minutes, usually reaches its peak in the first 5-10 minutes, and then gradually subsides. In general, the state of emotional and bodily discomfort can take from 10 minutes to an hour or more, on average - about 15 minutes. After a panic attack, as a rule, the feeling of "emptiness", lethargy and "brokenness" persists for some time, I often hear the words "as if a skating rink drove over me" from patients who come for treatment.

Usually the most difficult thing in a panic attack is the experience of "vegetative" phenomena, they can be varied, but always extremely painful against the background of severe anxiety. Directly, the very anxiety, panic, a person can regard as a self-evident phenomenon: "who is not afraid if the heart jumps out of the chest." However, a high level of anxiety, a feeling of threat and panic are the basis of all other phenomena, and appear simultaneously with bodily symptoms, often . One of the most common options autonomic dysfunction with panic attacks - like a cardiovascular crisis, when there is discomfort in the region of the heart or an obvious heartbeat with a feeling of "interruptions", a feeling of a rise in blood pressure or even a real rise in it. In psycho-cardiological practice, it is believed, it is scientifically proven that the rise in blood pressure during such episodes, even in a healthy person, can be at a level of up to 180 mm Hg. Art. Of course, it means systolic, "upper" pressure, diastolic, "lower", usually rises low, on average no higher than 100 mm Hg. Art., which is a feature of such "emotional" crises. This is not considered hypertension, and the treatment is carried out in the direction of the neurotic disorder itself, that is, panic attacks.

Consciously or unconsciously, fear arises - “what if the heart stops or a heart attack?”, This in turn causes fear and turns panic during a panic attack into a vicious circle. The sensations are really not pleasant, sometimes the heartbeat is felt “right in the throat”, but more often the so-called “neurotic lump” is characteristic - discomfort, a feeling of spasm and interference in the throat area. Similar spasms can be felt lower, at the level of the upper or middle part of the chest, which is typical for such a variant of panic attacks as "hyperventilation". During a panic attack, there is a feeling of lack of air, difficulty breathing, a kind of dissatisfaction with inhalation, “there is not enough air”, “I can’t breathe in completely”. Hyperventilation in the mechanism of the development of anxiety attacks, it generally occupies a leading place, since a person unconsciously begins to breathe shallowly and often, saturating the body with oxygen, but not restoring carbon dioxide in the proper concentration, which closes the vicious circle of physiological anxiety. The brain is irritated by this blood composition and produces even more anxiety and nerve impulses that cause autonomic symptoms. Sometimes the condition is painful derealization.

Also, during an attack such symptoms are typical panic attack : You experience a feeling of internal trembling, shaking the body or hands, strong sweat may come out, a feeling of heat in the body, the intestines and bladder are often sharply activated, and you need to run to the toilet. There are many vegetative symptoms, and to simplify the diagnosis in the international classification of diseases, they are highlighted in the form of a list of criteria. Here is an excerpt about panic attacks fromICD-10.

How to deal with panic attacks? The therapist teaches how to overcome panic attacks. First you need to understand that such a vegetative crisis, a panic attack, is an outburst adrenaline in the nerve endings, this is a normal physiological reaction of the body, which is a defensive reflex. I deliberately simplify the description and terminology of complex pathophysiological reactions - it's clearer, but the meaning does not change. Anyone can experience a panic attack under certain circumstances, as a rule, almost everyone in their life has experienced something similar at least once. But, if these conditions recur, even if it is not associated with noticeable “nervous” stress or depressive phenomena, this should be considered a manifestation of a neurotic disorder and it is highly desirable to consult a psychotherapist. Of course, psychotherapy becomes the main method of treatment, because, as a rule, panic disorder is the result of prolonged emotional stress associated with unresolved or unexperienced personal problems. In some cases, a qualified psychotherapist for panic attacks additionally prescribes specialized medications. To regulate serotonin and adrenal processes in the brain, drugs from several groups are used, these are modern antidepressants, and some anxiolytics that have the desired effect. The purpose of such drugs is “jewelry” work, that is, one cannot do without an individual approach here either. As well as in deciding whether drugs are needed in this particular case at all.

ATTENTION! CONTROL A PANIC ATTACK
In some cases, it takes time to overcome panic disorders, even during therapy. Gradually, week after week, panic attacks become rare and weak. But it is very important that they can be completely controlled. Here you need to have some more information and skills. I will try to briefly outline at least a small part of how a psychotherapist teaches to understand and overcome panic attacks.

The most severe suffering in such neuroses is to go through another attack of a panic attack. Every person who is faced with this should know that no matter how terrible and ominous the manifestations of the "adrenaline explosion" may be, it always passes, it's a matter of time. Agree that only knowing that an attack is just a “wave” that covers, but will soon roll back, a person can begin to control this state. Because it makes sense, "if it's temporary, why don't I get over it quickly and easily?" Indeed, I don’t even know one sound argument.

A lot of materials are devoted to the control of panic attacks (more precisely, the manifestations, symptoms of a panic attack), but I would like to highlight the most obvious in terms of mechanism and effective in practice approach– BREATH CONTROL. This allows you to regulate hyperventilation and, due to self-induced hypercapnia (increase in CO2 in the blood), to break the vicious circle of panic and vegetative crisis. I advise you to work out in advance, at home, in a calm environment, then consolidate in any environment, as soon as you can remember your workout, at least several times a day - this will only get better!

The principle is quite simple: slow down breathing. I recommend a breathing rate of 4 breaths per minute. Usually, right at the session psychotherapist teaches breathing, and when suddenly, or after stress, panic attacks occur, you will not be at a loss, but will try to cope and overcome the attack.

An attack cannot be avoided, one must be ready for it at any moment, and even wish it would happen, since it is the experience of overcoming a panic attack, the absence of fear of it, as something dangerous, that is the key to success.

When you notice the initial symptoms of a panic attack (no matter where it occurs) such as chest discomfort and palpitations, or anxiety, start a simple exercise. Take a very slow and smooth breath, in about 5 seconds, and, after a short 1-2 second pause, start slow gradual exhalation. The duration of the exhalation is 10 seconds. You can place your hands on the upper abdomen to better feel the amplitude of inhalation / exhalation. Imagine that your lungs are a filled balloon that has been untied, and you need to deflate it very smoothly to the end.

In this case, it is better to close your eyes, give the command to your muscles to go as soft as possible, and imagine your breathing, "join" this act, usually uncontrollable. It’s easier to do this on the count - count the seconds to yourself, from 1 to 10, while trying to completely exhale and relax only by the last seconds. After exhalation, everything repeats again. After a few such breaths, the body relaxes even more, and the panic attack begins to subside. I usually recommend repeating such “exhalations” for a long time, about 15 times. You can take micro-breaks after a few such breaths. This is very effective, the panic attack subsides pretty quickly and ends. And at the end of each exhalation, you must try to relax the muscles, listening to the tension in the body. For example, we can try to loosen the shoulders, the jaws, the lump in the throat.

Everyone has heard, for example, on television or in the movies, when they give advice - "calm down, take a deep breath!!!". Now you understand that this is not quite complete advice, because in order to really reduce the level of stress / anxiety, you need to make a full, maximally slow exhalation after inhalation, and repeat this many times!
Another version of the breathing exercise is "square breathing". Both versions of the exercise are similar in principle.

In terms of self-education, or when it is really not possible at this time to fully work with a psychotherapist (usually the treatment of panic disorder takes 10-20 meetings), it is useful to study. Here, in moderate detail, in an understandable language, all aspects of the problem of panic attacks and related agoraphobia(agoraphobia is an obsessive fear that develops with an unconscious expectation of an attack). Recommendations and exercises for coping with a panic attack and controlling anxiety are given consistently. Autonomic dysfunction associated with neurosis, panic attacks, symptoms are also described in detail in simple language. amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;divamp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;img src="https://mc.yandex. ru/watch/28038878" style="position:absolute; left:-9999px;" alt="" /amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/divamp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Psychotherapist panic attacks how to deal with panic attacks symptoms how to cope on your own with neurosis

The term "panic attacks" is used by domestic medicine relatively recently, and not all doctors recognize the existence of this disease. Someone believes that panic attacks are a consequence of vascular insufficiency, someone calls this condition a mental illness, while others refuse to believe at all, consider the patient a malingerer. But for patients, the question of how to cope with panic attacks on their own remains relevant.

The complexity of this disease is that it can manifest itself suddenly in each person, and this complicates the diagnosis. Often doctors make false diagnoses to the patient, treat not what is needed for many years.
Here are the main ones.

1. Unreasonable unbearable pain.
2. Awesome chill.
3. Increase in body temperature.
4. Difficulty breathing.
5. Jumps in blood pressure, pulse.
6. Vertigo.
7. Vomiting, nausea.
8. Seizures.
9. Intrusive thoughts.
10. Fear of light, sharp sounds.

During an attack of panic attacks, a person often cannot control himself, and he needs help. But 90% of people are looking for ways to cope with a panic attack on their own, without resorting to outside support. However, for safety reasons, patients with panic attacks should not be left alone for a long time.

Treatment: ways to get rid of panic attacks on your own

Doctors prescribe sedatives, antidepressants to patients, severe cases require tranquilizers, psychotropic substances. However, there are plenty of options for self-disposal of panic attacks.

Folk remedies

Calming herbs can help relieve panic attacks.

1. Infusion of sage, mint. Mix one tablespoon of sage herb with an equal amount of mint leaves. Pour two glasses of hot, not boiling water (80 degrees). Leave for 15-20 minutes, drink in the evening.
2. A decoction of hop cones. Pour two tablespoons of hop cones with a liter of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat for half an hour. Take a glass of decoction at night. This remedy has an unpleasant taste, has a weak hypnotic effect. Contraindicated in pregnant women and women during menstruation.
3. Prunes, rose leaves. Pour one or two prunes, a handful of white rose leaves with hot, not boiling water. Insist inside a thermos for half an hour, take at night. The decoction has a mild sedative effect.

Herbs will help normalize the work of the nervous system, calm down. The effect of the treatment comes after some time, you need to show patience and perseverance.

Breathing exercises

Daily breathing exercises will improve the blood supply to the organs, soothe, and help you relax. The following is an instruction on how to deal with panic attacks with simple exercises.

1. Inhale deeply, stretching your arms up, exhale lowering your arms. Do 5-10 repetitions.
2. Inhale the maximum amount of air inside, hold your breath for the maximum possible amount of time. Exhale, hold your breath. Do 3 repetitions.
3. Take frequent, shallow breaths, exhaling quickly for 30 seconds.

During a panic attack, calm measured breathing will help.

Self massage

In China, they believe that the feet and palms reflect human organs.

Psychological methods

1. "I'm in the house."
   A panic attack is an impulse that comes from the brain, it is a phantom. You can get rid of it by acting on the brain. In calm times, you need to find a place of calm at home. Program yourself that "as long as I'm here, nothing is scary." It is inexplicable, but true, it works.
2. "Mascot".
   It can be any object "endowed" with power. The principle is similar to the place. Well suited ring, bracelet, earrings, brooch. You can use a toy, a scarf - any thing that is constantly nearby.
3. Antistress coloring pages.

These are adult coloring pages, representing a picture divided into many, many parts. Coloring calms, relieves stress, helps.

Causes of panic attacks

PA is very different from other diseases, finding the cause is difficult, often impossible. But the valuable experience of doctors made it possible to identify several main factors.

Panic Attacks: Causes, Symptoms, How to Manage and Treat

What is a panic attack? People of the older generation, who endured the hardships of the war and the post-war restoration of the national economy, in general, were not familiar with such a term, except that psychotherapists used it in their conversations. But modern man often "falls into depression." What is it connected with?

Widespread computerization, stuffy offices, a “crazy” rhythm of life and the desire to be aware of the events around us at all costs often tire a person so much that his psyche begins to refuse to work in such conditions and speeds and responds with attacks of fear, anxiety, internal discomfort. The environmental situation and events in the international arena only contribute to the aggravation of the situation.

Panic attacks, the prerequisite for which is modern life, are themselves often the cause and manifestation of various psychological problems that overcome the future patient of psychiatric doctors. Probably, our high-tech, "advanced" in all respects, age somehow contributes to the development of new syndromes that are in the competence of specialists studying the central nervous system and its activities? Perhaps this is true and it is worth talking about.

Emotions and Vegetation

Why do panic attacks happen? Probably, in order to understand the origin of the pathology, given its versatility, it is better to divide the causes of occurrence into two groups: predisposing and defiant.

to the prerequisites Causes of panic attacks include:

List of factors causing and forming panic fears, includes:

1. Psychotraumatic circumstances, emotional stress.
2. Excessive amount of physical activity, high sexual activity.
3. Great mental stress, prolonged stay in the virtual space, excessive passion for computer games.
4. Lack of fresh air, hypodynamia, deficiency of vitamins and microelements, malnutrition.
5. Climatic conditions that are not suitable for a particular person, an increased level of background radiation and the environmental situation in general.
6. chronic infections.
7. Diseases of the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular pathology, hormonal imbalance, nervous diseases.
8. Traumatic brain injury.
9. The use of alcohol in excessive quantities, psychotropic drugs on their own initiative, drug addiction, addiction to drinks containing caffeine.

In addition, panic fears can be caused by long-standing events in a person’s life that left a spiritual wound (separation, betrayal, betrayal) or nostalgic experiences.

the scheme of occurrence and “cycle” of panic attacks

Phobias formed for various reasons (falling from a height, failure in an exam, a stopped elevator, a thunderstorm, etc.) leave somewhere in the depths of consciousness the focus of panic attacks, although the case itself is erased from memory. For example, having fallen in childhood even from an insignificant height, but at the same time, being very frightened, a person will be afraid of her for life. Thunderbolts followed by a fire seen in early childhood will cause panic fear already at the appearance of an impending black cloud.

Failure to pass exams also sometimes belongs to this category of reasons. Panic begins even before entering the classroom, all learned material disappears from the head. Unfortunately, some people never manage to get rid of the panic that occurs at certain periods, and they stop studying at higher educational institutions, not looking at the excellent natural data.

Symptom, syndrome or individual disease?

What “panic attack” can mean is already implied by the name of this concept: panic, fear, anxiety, occurring episodically without warning. That is why it is an attack, so as not to depend on the desire of a person, but to arise spontaneously, starting somewhere from the inside, behind the sternum or in the throat area. Panic attacks can also occur situationally, when a person finds himself in an environment that creates discomfort, for example, in a room without windows, from which you want to escape quickly, because a sudden surging feeling of anxiety and tension prevents you from being there. Perhaps, after reading about the symptoms of a panic attack, some of us will try on its symptoms for ourselves.

When there's no reason to worry

Panic attacks start at some point (not everyone, of course). And if this happened for the first time in a person who is confident in his health, then the feeling of discomfort during an incomprehensible attack is considered by some as an accidental episode that has nothing to do with pathology. True, when the attack is repeated, the patient states that "this has already happened to him."

• A panic attack can occur, as they say, out of the blue, but it only seems. For example, a person lay down to watch TV calmly before going to bed, and suddenly thoughts about recently experienced troubles crept in, or some trifle prompted memories of bygone days. My heart pounded, my chest tightened, a lump rose in my throat ....
• Panic fear seizes suddenly: the pulse quickens, throws into sweat, it is difficult to breathe, the whole body trembles, cold sweat breaks through, dizziness may end. Noise in the ears, detachment from reality and loss of it, anxiety, fear for the outcome of what happened knocks a person out of the usual rhythm of life, however, in most cases - not for long. Most often, such a condition qualifies as, since the participation of the autonomic nervous system is obvious.
• Often, such panic conditions occur in women after childbirth. Fear for the baby, especially if the young mother is left alone for a long time, leads to the fact that she begins to be afraid for her actions (“the child is defenseless, it is easy to throw him out the window, scald, drown him ...”). Of course, these thoughts are caused by fear for the life of the little man, the mother will not harm him, but she begins to panic in fear of going crazy and losing control of herself. By the way, the fear of insanity and loss of control is quite often a companion of a panic state, therefore it haunts not only women on maternity leave, but also patients with various types of neuroses.
• Individual patients cannot tolerate a specific setting: elevator, bus, crowd, subway, that is, situations that cause far-hidden phobias, which the patient usually knows about, so he tries to avoid them or escape faster if they are due to unforeseen circumstances. Under other, comfortable conditions for themselves, they consider themselves absolutely healthy people.
• Panic accompanied by anxiety of unknown origin(like everything is normal in life?), often appears at night. A person wakes up abruptly from fear and horror, which subsequently does not allow falling asleep for a long time, or in the morning, providing a bad mood for the day. The attack lasts from a few minutes to an hour, and even when it lets go, the patient continues to be afraid and wait for the next attack, which are sometimes quite frequent.

In a state of panic, the patient is agitated, worried, he says that he anticipates an impending disaster, seeks help and understanding from loved ones, but at first (or even never) does not turn to medicine, trying to fight on his own.

The patient knows what he is afraid of

Patients in this category, with the exception of adolescents who have entered the age of hormonal changes, are experienced people. They know exactly what they are waiting for and what they are afraid of. In such cases, a panic attack is very difficult to differentiate from panic disorders. An ordinary person (and a doctor of another profession), being weak in psychiatry, is unlikely to draw a line between these concepts, because they are so similar. However, this is the business of specialists, and our task is to recognize the symptoms of a panic attack.

1. Panic attacks are often accompanied by chronic pathology of various systems: respiratory (bronchial asthma), endocrine (thyrotoxicosis, tumor of the adrenal cortex), digestive (irritable bowel syndrome), nervous and cardiovascular. (wide range of diseases). Waiting for a relapse, constant internal stress leads to panic attacks, which in such a situation are the only complaint (and symptom) of the underlying disease without exacerbation.
2. Such attacks are very typical for the pathology of the cardiovascular system. First of all, panic attacks haunt patients who are diagnosed, which is completely natural and understandable. Meanwhile, such diseases, as well as, often have anxiety and panic fear as companions, which come along with the symptoms of cardialgia. Horror, panic, a sense of impending death or madness (for each person in a different way) are rather unpleasant symptoms of an attack.
3. Transient states of anxiety and fear are very typical for adolescence or menopause, which is primarily due to the influence of hormones. Attacks of tachycardia, dizziness, jumps, suffocation, bad mood and disturbed sleep - all this fits into the clinical manifestations of vegetative-vascular paroxysms. Complaints presented during a visit to the doctor are the basis for appropriate therapy. With regard to panic attacks, its symptoms and individual treatment, such issues are rarely considered, only in severe cases. Since it can be very difficult to distinguish between these states, and the drugs prescribed by the therapist, as a rule, help, then the consultation of a psychotherapist is not prescribed for everyone.
4. The symptoms of a panic attack acquire a special, most vivid coloring in alcoholics during withdrawal. There they are all gathered together: trembling, tachycardia, melancholy, a pessimistic assessment of the future, a feeling of self-pity, a premonition of death (“my heart is about to stop”) and a firm belief that “if I manage to survive, then I will stop drinking.” The panic attacks associated with such a causal factor soon disappear, but they recur with a new binge or when alcohol has already caused significant harm to the body, even if the person has “tied up” with a bad habit.

Thus, vegetative disorders (episodes of general weakness, non-systemic dizziness, fainting spells, internal trembling, spasmodic pain in the stomach, and), as well as emotional and affective symptoms of a panic attack, manifested by fear of death, insanity, committing a rash act, are signs of one pathology, however, this does not mean that they will all manifest at the same time.

A sign linking different psychopathological conditions

Many patients who are haunted by attacks, panics and fears already have a record in the card about their presence (dystonia, neurosis, panic disorder or depressive syndrome. In general, there is no clear boundary between these diagnoses, therefore only specialists in this field can separate them. In the American classification of mental illness, these concepts are summarized and under the name "panic disorders" are included in the class of "anxiety conditions".

Among the listed pathological disorders, a panic attack often appears, which is a syndrome that is often called a sympathoadrenal or autonomic crisis, which, however, does not reflect the mental origin of the paroxysm. Such patients in most cases are being treated for NCD and need mainly emotional correction. However, episodic panic attacks should still be distinguished from panic disorders and depressive states, where a panic attack is one of the signs (symptoms) of a disease that requires a strictly individual approach and treatment by a psychotherapist.

Panic Disorders

Panic disorder is characterized by focusing the patient's attention on a single problem, for example, they are afraid for "their heart". This often happens after the transferred. The fear of sudden death due to untimely medical care makes a person be in tension all the time, do not go far from home and constantly monitor their condition. As a result - panic, attacks of weakness, palpitations, suffocation, which really begin to poison a person's life.

Fear for “your gut” is probably the second leading cause of panic disorder. Everyone knows that the famous “bear disease” that destroys plans and poisons life arises on a nervous basis, and fears and anxieties arise on the basis of the “bear disease” that cause indigestion. Vicious circle.

The cause of concern is often the transferred operations on the organs of the gastrointestinal tract and their consequence - adhesive disease. Listening anxiously to his feelings, terrified of intestinal obstruction, a person experiences severe discomfort and thus involuntarily contributes to the fact that attacks become even more frequent.

Panic disorders often accompany other psychopathological conditions (alcoholism, taking certain psychotropic drugs, depressive syndrome).

neurotic states

Without the accompaniment of a panic attack, where it is also a symptom of the underlying disease, it is difficult to imagine such a psychogenic disorder as neurosis. Similar neurotic disorders arise on the basis of various psychotraumatic situations in people endowed by nature with certain personal characteristics (psychotype). The worst thing is that it is your own character that does not allow you to defeat these situations. The personal conflict formed under such circumstances is manifested by a violation of the function of the emotional-vegetative-somatic sphere.

The variety of clinical manifestations of neurosis often makes it difficult to differentiate between them and a clear distinction from another similar pathology.

Neurosis is called a certain module of response to various life events., but the fact that neurotic disorders of any origin are accompanied by the occurrence of panic attacks is not in doubt either among psychiatrists or among specialists in related professions. Psychovegetative syndrome in these cases is also a response to stress and a traumatic situation.

Depression

Do not leave panic attacks and in case depressive states. Patients understand that their bad mood is not ordinary sadness, because the “soul hurts” so much that it does not allow you to sleep, eat and just live fully. Waking up early with an already strong feeling of anxiety, which is considered a characteristic sign of depression, despondency, irritability or apathy, loss of appetite and therefore weight loss, as well as many other symptoms. The patient (does not fall asleep without sleeping pills), his eyes do not dry out from tears, his face expresses universal sorrow, the present and future are seen in gloomy colors.

With depression without therapy, the patient quickly loses interest in life and work, focuses on his problems, "withdraws into himself" and allows suicidal thoughts. Drowning out frequent bouts of mental pain with an accidentally turned up medicine, alcohol (which is even worse) or, God forbid, drugs, the patient only aggravates his condition. Such phenomena require the mandatory intervention of specialists if they continue for more than two weeks. By the way, oddly enough, but patients with severe forms of depression respond better to treatment than people with a mild degree.

How to deal with panic attacks on your own?

Attempts to get rid of the panic attack syndrome, its symptoms and manifestations on their own, yield results in 50% of patients. In 20% of cases, attacks continue episodically, but no significant changes in the condition of patients are observed. However, 30% of sufferers may develop depression, which, without treatment, is in no hurry to leave. At the same time, anxiety attacks also do not leave the person and still visit, but already as a symptom of another disease.

Often a person goes to the doctor when he has already diagnosed himself: depression or neurosis, in general, what he knows and what he has heard, but only a specialist psychotherapist can do this. Unfortunately, the professional referral of a physician often deters patients. In addition to sudden panic fears and anxieties, the patient may experience fear of doctors of this profile. But in vain, because from a panic attack, only noticing its symptoms, you can get rid of it by taking the appropriate treatment.

The ideal option for starting the treatment of panic attacks is still considered to be a consultation with a psychotherapist. Considering the problem in the psychiatric plane, success can be achieved faster, since the doctor, having indicated the psychogenic origin of the disorders, will prescribe therapy in accordance with the degree of emotional-vegetative disorders.

Therapy without "serious" drugs

When everything has not gone very far, a thoughtful and experienced doctor in this field will try to do without the influence of strong psychotropic drugs, and if he prescribes pharmaceutical drugs, they will be from the group of mild tranquilizers and light sleeping pills.

Therapy for mild forms of panic disorder at first includes:

• psychotherapy, able to bring out the cause of anxiety and panic attacks and change the attitude towards them.
• Help in regulation of the work and rest regime, promoting a healthy lifestyle, eliminating bad habits, limiting the use of strong coffee and tea.
• Autotraining: self-regulation of psycho-emotional and vegetative disorders, suppression of negative emotions, mental relaxation. The elimination of panic disorders is achieved with the help of special gymnastics to relax the skeletal muscles, breathing exercises that regulate the rhythm of heart contractions and vascular blood flow, as well as verbal formulas pronounced in strict sequence.
• traditions of Ayurveda, the source of which is Indian yoga, of course, are good, but mastering knowledge in this area is a difficult and time-consuming task, so it is unlikely that you will be able to deal with panic attacks on your own in this way. However, if a person “knows a lot about such a thing,” then why not try?
• transcendental meditation according to modern ideas, it can help a person get rid of panic fears, anxieties, overcome fatigue and gain new health. To do this, you need to find only a good teacher (guru), who has deep knowledge and really knows how to help.
• Swimming pool, massage and various physiotherapy treatments.
• Acupuncture- a wonderful method of dealing with negative emotions and autonomic disorders: soothes, relaxes, uplifting.
• Spa treatment, it hardly makes sense to describe the merits of which, everything is already clear: such therapy, in fact, can change life for the better for a long time.
• Light sedatives: sedative collection (valerian, peppermint, trileaf watch, hop cones), motherwort tincture, valerian, valerian tablets, adaptol, afobazole, novo-passit and other over-the-counter drugs.

The criterion for the effectiveness of the treatment is a decrease in the frequency of panic attacks and vegetative crises, or even their complete disappearance.

Video: exercises for stopping a panic attack

The doctor will prescribe the necessary medicines

While maintaining a sense of anxiety and fear (after the health and therapeutic measures taken), the need for treatment with stronger drugs becomes obvious, however, in this case, the doctor goes from less to more:

Strong psychotropic drugs with antidepressant effects are not intended for the treatment of panic attacks as an isolated syndrome, they are used in the treatment of severe forms of depression. Prescribing, prescribing, and withdrawing similar drugs exclusively by a psychotherapist, and patients take the medicine for a long time according to the scheme, designated by a doctor. It should be recalled that these drugs are not simple, they do not tolerate self-activity, therefore it is better for the patient himself not to try to use them on his own initiative, because they have a lot of contraindications, restrictions and precautions.

Video: doctor's opinion about panic attacks

What should a person do who periodically experiences bouts of causeless fear - panic attacks? How to fight on your own when it seems that there is no one to wait for help from and you are alone with this trouble? Relatives do not understand, doctors shrug their shoulders, say that he is healthy, but the feeling that you are about to die. Endless trips to doctors are like a vicious circle from which, it would seem, you can’t escape. In fact, there is a way out: you need to understand the problem, and most importantly, understand that almost every person has certain vegetovascular disorders.

Panic attacks as a component of vegetovascular dystonia

Panic attacks are a companion for people with VVD. First, let's understand the terms. Panic attack - an attack of causeless fear for one's health, a feeling of impending death. Attacks can be so strong that a person will rush around the room, not finding a place for himself, he can be thrown into a shiver. High blood pressure, pulse such that close to fainting. burning and pain in the chest. Signs can be very similar to myocardial infarction. There are pains in the region of the heart, which can be distinguished from angina pectoris by the fact that they are longer (several days, weeks). A drug called "Nitroglycerin" does not stop such pain, while taking a remedy such as "Validol" can alleviate the condition.

VVD is not a disease, but a complex of symptoms indicating a violation in the activity of the central and peripheral parts of the autonomic system.

It is divided into several types:

• Hypertensive is caused by high blood pressure, tachycardia may be present. People with this type are prone to panic attacks.
• Hypotonic is characterized by low blood pressure, dizziness, weakness, headaches.
• The mixed type includes the symptoms of the other two types and is most common.

The presence of vegetovascular disorders is not life-threatening, but they can aggravate the course of existing diseases, and, together with other adverse factors, contribute to the development of such ailments as bronchial asthma, arterial hypertension, ulcers (in the presence of irritable bowel syndrome - IBS), coronary heart disease.

Physical manifestations of psychological problems

In Russia, people are not accustomed to going to doctors for every occasion, few of us have a family doctor or a personal psychologist. Some financial situation does not allow, others - a frantic pace of life. Many people think that going to a psychologist is a waste of time. Constantly haunted by the question: if there are panic attacks, how to deal with it? It is not always possible to cope on your own, you should remember this.

The habit of solving all problems alone often leads to aggravation of the situation and can lead to a sad outcome. There may be daily panic attacks. How to deal with them on your own when there is no strength? It is necessary to ask for help from relatives who will try to understand and support. When relatives are powerless - do not waste time, you should urgently contact a specialist. There is nothing shameful here. A visit to a psychotherapist in no way indicates that a person is mentally ill, there are simply difficulties that each of us periodically experiences. For the most part, we are talking about depression, which can accompany many diseases and a condition such as VVD, with panic attacks.

Can you deal with panic attacks on your own? Expert opinion on this matter

Panic attacks are accompanied by suffocation, choke, die, get sick with an incurable disease. Moreover, a person will worry about parents, children, people dear to him.

Anything can become a trigger for the onset of PA: psychological overwork, stress, factors such as an accident, being in a cramped stuffy bus, illness or death of a loved one. At one of these moments, you can experience the first PA. Then they begin to repeat every day, usually in the evening. When panic seizes a person (whatever he does) every day, for example, at exactly 18.00, on a subconscious level, he begins to wait, worry, worry, which further aggravates the situation.

During PA, the body experiences severe stress, after which a person may feel completely exhausted.

On the other hand, knowing the exact time of the onset of the PA, you can prepare yourself morally, take all the necessary measures. The time has come: panic attacks. How to fight? Kurpatov, a well-known psychotherapist, offers to look at all this from the other side. His books are written in simple, understandable language. People with PA should read The VSD Remedy.

Dr. Kurpatov says that the main thing for such people is to realize that they will not die from PA. He gives a peculiar, but very useful advice, which sounds something like this: "When you think that you are about to die, lie down ... and die." Naturally, it will not work to die, and understanding this has a good psychotherapeutic effect.

Panic attacks: how to deal with. VSDshnikov reviews

Patients suffering from panic attacks are routinely prescribed sedatives, tranquilizers, and adrenal blockers. They also prescribe massage, exercise therapy. It remains to be seen whether such methods will really defeat the PA.

Judging by the feedback from patients, exercise therapy and massage have a positive effect, but sedatives are not always. Often they make you want to sleep, but they do not stop the attacks.

Massage helps to relax, improves blood circulation. Why is sport so useful? The fact is that PA starts due to uncontrolled blood flow. Normally, this process should occur when a person is in an extreme situation, and not sitting quietly in a chair. If you know the time of the onset of a panic attack, you can do physical activity. Running outdoors or exercising at home on a simulator will not hurt. This is a very effective method that will help stop the attack, because adrenaline will have to go.

Panic Attack Treatments

You will not be admitted to the hospital if you are suffering from panic attacks. How to deal with seizures at home? There are several ways:

You can also visit a medical facility for some procedures, such as:

• hypnosis;
• acupuncture;
• professional massage.

Rest is very important, communication with people is useful. If possible, you need to go to the sea or to a sanatorium.

Medicines used for panic attacks

The next question to be considered in the topic "Panic attacks, how to fight", drugs used in PA. Drug treatment includes groups of the following drugs:

• sedatives (tinctures of valerian and motherwort, means "Validol", "Corvalol", "Novo-Passit");
• tranquilizers (drugs "Relium", "Elenium", "Librium");
• adrenal blockers (beta-blockers, such as Atenolol, Anaprilin, have the best effect).

Folk remedies for the treatment of panic attacks

Now it is clear, attacks, how to fight. What folk remedies can offer to help in the fight against this disease? Since it is impossible to lie down or sit during a panic, and all attempts to distract yourself are futile, you can resort to the following methods:

How to deal with a panic attack when there is not enough air

Consider the question: "Panic attacks, how to deal with when there is not enough air?" Often during an attack there is a feeling of suffocation: it is impossible to take a full breath (as if you want to yawn) - hyperventilation syndrome with VVD. There is a fear of suffocation.

In this case, you must do the following:

• constantly remind yourself that it is unrealistic to suffocate - air enters in the required amount;
• breathe into a paper bag (plastic bottle, scarf);
• drink mint tea;
• rub the sinuses with the usual "Asterisk" - this will soothe, greatly facilitate breathing.

Is it possible to get rid of panic attacks forever?

You can win forever How to fight on your own - that's what you need to understand to achieve this goal. Do not be upset if it does not work out, this is not a matter of one day. Each, albeit small, victory will make a significant contribution to the fight against the PA.

It is necessary to learn self-control, to understand that people do not die from PA, to believe in it. And to make sure, you need to carefully understand the problem with the help of literature, communicate with people who also suffer from panic attacks.