The Panic trap

Anxiety is a natural human instinct to difficult situations that they often face. The pressures of the modern day can be tremendous and one has to be strong enough to be able to handle these. Sometimes the functionality of an individual is affected by minors issues, but majorly keeps going. The stressors are way too many and reactions to situations can often cause constant anxiety. When your in-built mechanism cannot handle anxiety, you suffer a panic attack. We all have PANICKED at some moment in the past.  

A panic attack has more physical and cognitive symptoms, a feeling of dread and paranoia which elevates the anxiety, the heart beating like never before, shortness of breath, hands sweating profusely as nausea takes over; its time to get some help. We all have been through this situation at some point of time. Some of us panic more than the others and that depends on one’s personality. Such people are predisposed to anxiety traits due to the personality factor. For such people, the intensity of the panic attack is more than others. The attitude of a person and their response to the stressful situation often decides the reaction to the stressors.

Sometimes people panic without realizing that the sky is not really gonna fall, it’s only the acorns on their heads. I am surely one of them!!

A panic attack can strike one anywhere and anytime. Sometimes without any reason (remember the acorns), Sometimes hectic schedules, decreasing timeline of a deadline, tough bosses, hostile colleagues or  just a past experience that can bring about the panic. It can build up within few minutes but it takes its own time to subside – it can be few minutes or even hours. After striking regularly, unless action taken, a person becomes increasingly nervous & apprehensive. The anticipation of the next attack itself, many a times, stresses out the victim more.                   

Panic creates more perceived damage than an actual one. You won’t die but it certainly restricts your lifestyle. It creates mental blocks that heighten your paranoia and decreases the confidence levels.

• Panic can be fought calmly. We can train our minds to betray the situation before it happens. Monotonous acts like humming or saying words that increase your self – confidence can layer the stressor and ease out the fear. Remember Aamir Khan’s famous words “ALL IS WELL”  Such words are readily accepted by the subconscious mind when tactfully applied to alter the panicky situation. Anybody can do it and it betters with practice.

• Identifying the sources of our fears is very important in trying to tackle them and preventing the step down  to the panic lane.

• Affirmative statements take off the anxiety and the situation can be handled easily then. So always run affirmative thoughts.

• Immediate family plays a very important role in helping the affected person by bringing back their self-confidence which can help them to adjust with the rest of the people in the family.

• Changing “What If” to “So what” can help take off a lot of burden while trying to stay on the circuit.

• Going slow deliberately can help relax a person. Rushing makes the body pump up more blood and ups the anxiety. So go slow always. The tortoise always won not just in the tortoise race but also in “The hare and the Tortoise race”

• They say misery loves company!! Well, then find some good company and stay away from misery to prevent anxious moments. Lighthearted people will surely light up your life. Find them…

• Once panic starts affecting your interpersonal relations, its time to understand that all these soft methods are not working and one must head to a specialist.