If you suffer from…

* Palpitations

* a pounding heart, or an accelerated heart rate

* Sweating

* Trembling or shaking

* Shortness of breath

* A choking sensation

* Chest pain or discomfort

* Nausea or stomach cramps

* Derealization (a feeling of unreality)

* Fear of losing control or going crazy

* Fear of dying Numbness or a tingling sensation

* Chills or hot flashes

…then you’ve experienced firsthand some of the possible symptoms of a panic or anxiety attack. If you are reading this page because a loved one suffers from these symptoms and you are trying to understand or help, it’s hard to appreciate what they go through.

Just try to imagine what it feels like to experience one, if you can.

Here is a typical example:

Standing in a supermarket queue, it’s been a long wait but only one customer to go before you make it to the cashier. Wait, what was that sensation? An unpleasant feeling forms in your throat, your chest feels tighter, now a sudden shortness of breath, and what do you know—your heart skips a beat. “Please, God, not here.”

A quick scan of the territory—is it threatening? Four unfriendly faces queue behind, one person in front. Pins and needles seem to prick you through your left arm, you feel slightly dizzy, and then the explosion of fear as you dread the worst. You are about to have a panic attack.

There is no doubt in your mind now that this is going to be a big one. Okay, focus: Remember what you have been taught, and it is time now to apply the coping techniques. Begin the deep breathing exercise your doctor recommended. In through the nose, out through the mouth.

Think relaxing thoughts, and again, while breathing in, think “Relax,” and then breathe out. But it doesn’t seem to be having any positive effect; in fact, just concentrating on breathing is making you feel self-conscious and more uptight.

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Not everyone gets angry and filled with rage when they’re feeling stressed.  Some people wind up feeling an intense amount of worry in the pit of their stomach when they’re driving or stuck in traffic.  They can’t stop fidgeting and feeling nervous about what the outcome will be, some even fear a loss of control and panic.

Do you bite your nails when stress is seeping into your life?  Do you get a bad case of insomnia whenever you’re mired down in stress, unable to sleep because the situation keeps replaying itself in your mind?  Does it manifest into anxiety about driving?

Stress happens for all of us when we can’t control a situation – when something doesn’t go our way.  Unfortunately, when stress causes you this sort of intense anxiety, you’re even less in control than if you were calmly able to analyze your next move.

Worrywarts generally feel stress over even the smallest things in life.  If their loved one snaps at them slightly, they spend all day wondering what they did wrong.  If the boss takes their assignment and doesn’t offer up compliments, they sit there concerned that he didn’t like it.

Do you “what if” every situation that causes you stress?  What if I get lost in the car?  What if I lose control?  What if I embarrass myself?  Stress isn’t always about something being done to you – it can often occur out of pure dread that something might happen.

You may need an anti-stress therapy that helps your body create or absorb melatonin.  Not only does melatonin help stave off stress, but it also helps you sleep, which the usual worrywart needs to be able to manage his or her stress better.

When your body is under stress, it goes into overdrive producing cortisol, the stress hormone.  Melatonin controls this excess production and allows you to remain calmer and feel more in control.

There are supplements on the market that you can take to get more melatonin in your system, but you can also get it from certain foods, like dried cherries or walnuts!  Check with your doctor before taking a supplement, but the dosage will probably be somewhere along the lines of 1-3 mg that you take about half an hour before bedtime.

Melatonin will help you sleep, but it isn’t something that will knock you out or make you groggy in the morning.  It’s something your body naturally produces, but during times of stress, gets overpowered by the cortisol production your body’s delivering.

 

Why does deep breathing help anxiety and how do you do it in the car?

 When people think of anxiety, they often think of certain situations. While they realize that there are certain situations that can cause anxiety, like flying or public speaking, people tend to forget that anxiety can also happen while driving. Many people think that driving anxiety is easy to overcome, but there are many who have trouble getting into a car, driving, or traveling long distances outside of their comfort zone. They become anxious, and begin to have trouble with anxiety or even panic.

When people start to feel anxious or upset, they start to breathe shallowly. This causes many of the physical symptoms which  scare people and makes their anxiety worsen, such as lightheadedness, unreality, or tingling.  Deep breathing has been known to be a great way to help someone get rid of panic attacks and anxiety. The techniques of deep breathing help people to calm down and relax; if someone is having an anxiety attack in the car, calming down is what they need to do the most!

How does Deep Breathing Work?

Deep breathing techniques use breathing to bring your body and mind into a calm state. For some people, deep breathing techniques simply require that you take deep breaths repetitively. For others, you are required to completely focus on breathing and nothing else. You are asked to turn off all appliances and lights so that you may close your eyes and completely focus on your breathing. Focusing on your breath is a great way to calm yourself down, both body and mind. Deep breathing gets you to focus on the breathing instead of any other aspect; if you are having anxiety, you simply breathe deeply to take your mind off whatever is causing the anxiety and reduce the bodily sensations that hyperventilation can cause.

How Can Deep Breathing Works in the Car?

Deep breathing can easily work in a car for those who are struggling with anxiety due to driving. If the anxiety is slight, you can simply work on deep breathing while you drive. This is the form of simple deep breathing that only requires you to take deep breaths and concentrate more on breathing than your mind’s reaction to driving.

If you are having a harder time with driving and are having a major anxiety attack, it is still possible to practice deep breathing techniques in the car. Pull into a parking lot (or onto the shoulder of the road) while you are beginning to have the attack. Turn off your car and focus on your breathing. Continue to focus on your breath until you notice that you have become calm, cool, and collected. This can be repeated as much as needed over the course of a car trip.

A lot of people think that deep breathing could not work for them, that it can’t be powerful enough for their anxiety.  Deep breathing can actually be a great way for those who are anxious driving to get some quick relief and put their reaction into their own hands. If you are having anxiety or fear while driving, you can simply practice deep breathing on the road, or by pulling off of the road; no other type of work for anxiety can help you on the spot as quickly and easily as deep breathing can.

Another thing to do is check out The Driving Fear Program

PANIC AWAY

PANIC AWAY

One Of The Coping Techniques For Panic Attacks: 

 Gradual muscle relaxation. Tense both shoulders, hold for 10 seconds, then release. Try it again.  No; still no difference. The anxiety is getting worse and the very fact that you are out of coping techniques worsens your panic. If only you were surrounded by your family, or a close friend were beside you so you could feel more confident in dealing with this situation.

More Info . .