Overcoming Panic Attacks
Knowing that we are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God, (Ps. 139:14), one of the first things I did was look at anything I might be doing to my body that would be contributing to the unrest in my mind and spirit. I began exercising regularly to allow my body to burn off the excess adrenalin that my mind was producing. I cut out sugars and processed foods that might be contributing to putting my mind in a state of unrest. (No, I haven’t cut out all sweets, just eating them more wisely. Lol!) I started keeping a journal of my thoughts and related physical condition. Wow! What an eye-opener that was! With all the negative doomsday thoughts that I was entertaining, it was no wonder that my body was arguing with my mind.
I adopted a mental "safe place"
My next step was to examine what I was doing with the thoughts that came into my mind. Keeping a journal of all the negative thoughts that I would have every day really opened my eyes to what I was allowing to stay on my mind, but now I had to learn what to do about it. What would begin as a small suggestion would grow, eventually leading me to believe that I was dying, or had some horrible disease, or was becoming disabled, or any one of a hundred other doomsday scenarios. I learned that going into a “fight” mode just triggered more adrenaline which was contributing to the panic attacks. I adopted a mental “safe place”, chosing memories from some of my favorite experiences and places so I would have them ready to call into my mind at will – whenever my mind needed an escape hatch. I memorized verses – even chapters – to make sure I had plenty of good things to think about. When the attacks came, I learned to immediately start my breathing and take my mind to its “safe place”. The positive thoughts would replace the negative ones, and I could “breathe” my way out of the attacks. No, this did not happen overnight, but with practice I got better at it, and after some months the attacks were growing fewer and less severe.
You must want to be better!
If you’ve never done controlled breathing, now is the time to start. There are many variations, and I’m sure they are all effective. The one I used was: breathe in through the nose to a slow count of 2 and out through the mouth to a slow count of 4. We are talking really slow here! And it is absolutely critical that you count. Give yourself space to make mistakes and mess up. The goal is to make progress toward the mark – any progress. Soon you will find that you really are better, if you want to be. It is worth noting here that you must want to be better. If you are enjoying the attention that you are getting because of your attacks, then you need to start by figuring out why and changing your perspective. Desiring to be better is a requirement for getting better. Life has much to offer regardless of your situation. If you feel like you have no friends, or close family, then go volunteer to help someone else worse off than you are. Go volunteer at a local soup kitchen, or check with schools and libraries to see if there are any volunteer opportunities. Local churches might also be able to help. Go visit the local jails, or nursing homes. Volunteer to work with youth programs. There are always people out there who need what you can uniquely offer. If you do have family or friends, then concentrate on making those relationships better. Find hobbies or other things to do that you find interesting. But do something!! Learning a different way to live is well worth the effort!!
Just because the attacks were coming under control did not mean that my battle with anxiety was over. Controlled anxiety is still anxiety. There was much more to learn on my path to peace.
GUARDRAIL: Remember that you can be better!
I sought the Lord and He answered me, And rescued me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4 (NASB)