For Panic Attack Relief, Try These Meditations Tips

That unexpected and sudden feeling of fear and horror that hits you out of the blue, which some people even experience during sleep, is called a panic attack. Have you ever had a panic attack during sleep, or does it usually happen while you're awake? Either way, it's a terrible experience. That's why learning how to prevent a panic attack is something you ought to learn if this happens to you often. 

What A Panic Attack Feels Like

It is said that panic attacks are like the flow of the ocean tide; they start off gradually then eventually speed up until such time you are entirely drowned and overtaken. Even if your fear is not based on reality, the manifestations are tangible, such as having blurry or tunnel vision, or feeling like the earth has vanished underneath the feet, or feeling out of breath. 

A person suffering from a panic attack thinks they are experiencing cardiac arrest, going mad, or worse, they feel like they are dying. What a person feels is not necessarily related to a real-life situation or may not even be connected to what is taking place in reality.

A panic attack is a complicated condition where it is challenging to remain calm. In order to lessen, if not stop, its impact, it is better to establish strategies that you can do before an attack. A good example of this is doing breathing exercises for panic attacks. 

How To Prevent A Panic Attack From Getting Worse

There are treatments and medications available, but meditation and breathing exercises are natural ways to combat panic attacks. With constant practice, these exercises will surely bring relief. According to research, making these exercises a conscious habit is an effective approach to combat anxiety. Here are some tips and techniques to remember.

Check stress levels proactively

Anxiety attacks are most likely to happen if you are already tensed or distressed, so it is best to figure out how to control your stress level before things get out of hand. And to get the most out of the stress management, avoid consuming caffeine, pseudoephedrine in cold medicine, and illegal drugs. 

Investigate what causes a specific fear, anxiety, or worry by asking yourself if those fears are valid or based on facts. Sometimes fear comes from overthinking the future, so try not to think about it and focus on the present. 

Relax, take deep breaths, and be mindful

When you think you are about to get consumed by a surge of restless thoughts, try shifting your attention and focusing on something tangible and controlled, such as breathing. 

Direct your thoughts in deliberately taking slow and deep breaths from your abdomen while expanding the lungs then release normally. As you breathe deeply and slowly, count from 1 to 10 and repeat as necessary.

Also, connecting with your senses will help in anchoring your thoughts in the present. Be aware of your surroundings and observe different shapes, colors, and textures of objects. Listen and notice the different sounds of your surroundings. 

Take note of the serenity and intensity of the sound and try to listen without labeling it. Focus your attention on all the distinct smell you can sense. Lastly, be mindful of your sense of touch. 

Reach and feel the ground with your fingers or walk barefoot and feel the grass with your toes and pay attention to the various sensations you felt. Most people feel immediate relief after a couple of minutes of doing these activities.

Exercise and meditate

Aside from the helpful tips above, this technique helps manage and reduce panic attacks' symptoms. You can even try meditation and yoga for panic attacks. 

One of the readily available and convenient kinds of self-help is meditation; whatever good and affirmative action that you do consistently to reach that sense of serenity, focus, and control to help you manage the attack is a form of meditation.

Exercises like yoga, as studies suggest, can also curb panic attacks, especially if done regularly. We all know that exercise helps release happy hormones called endorphins, which calm down the body and enhance the frame of mind. 

Moderate to high-intensity activity increases the heart rate and encourages sweating safely. After a while, you will notice that your reaction to your rapid heartbeat will be manageable.

Calm yourself through yoga

In recent years yoga has gained popularity for easing stress, strengthening the body, enhancing balance and flexibility, and developing mindfulness, all of which are good for people with anxiety. 

It not only helps relax the body, but it is also good at easing anxious thoughts. The entire yoga method can stimulate relaxation, which allows the body and the mind to achieve a sense of peace and relief. Long story short, yoga is great when stopping a panic attack.

Visualization

Our mind is a powerful tool in relieving anxiety. Pause and feel where the sense of uneasiness is coming from and then visualize it as something tangible. Take a minute to imagine that anxious feeling, like a dark cloud, being removed and drifting away from your body as you draw breath and release it gently.

Ask for support

A panic attack should not be a lonely battle. Having someone you trust assist you in carrying out your plans on how to battle anxiety is a huge relief, and most of the time, essential if situations get out of hand. 

It is also good to seek and join support groups that understand you and will help you in establishing control over your attacks. Aside from the natural way to counter panic attacks, taking prescribed medication is fine when absolutely necessary.

Final Thoughts

By simply taking adequate rest, eating enough, exercising, and correct management, you can significantly minimize anxiety triggers. Also, you should not be afraid to seek assistance if needed or in a public place where no one knows your condition. 

Do not be ashamed to explain your situation and that it is not dangerous and will eventually pass. Remember to stay calm and put those techniques into practice.

To address this panic attack, we have to be consciously training our minds to accept that our thoughts and emotions change all the time and learning to cope with it with compassion and forbearance. 

Approaching our thoughts, emotions, and senses so that we can focus on it with an open mind and without bias will enhance our ability to examine and celebrate them without being confined by them.