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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

What Are The Causes of Anxiety Attacks and Can We Defeat Them?

By Ed Lathrop

One of the things about anxiety attacks that makes them so frightening is that they seem to come on so suddenly and without warning. Once the attack is taking place it can be so overwhelming it becomes all we think about and the rest of our life has to take a back seat until it has run it course.

Having feelings of being unreal or in another world are how many people describe anxiety attacks. Some even believe they are going out of their minds. However, anxiety sufferers are not going out of their minds. Anxiety is a condition where adrenaline is secreted through the bloodstream uncontrollably. It has nothing to do with insanity. Anxiety sufferers may have unreal feelings while they are having anxiety attacks, but actually, these people are usually normal and well adjusted.

This article speaks about what actually is happening when an anxiety or panic attack is occurring and also discusses how to prevent panic from occurring. Also, we discuss what to do that will help stop further panic attacks from starting.

It is All About the Struggle

Adrenaline shoots through our veins in response to fight or flight. What this means is, when we are struggling to overcome some situation or when we are trying to get away from something, such as a wild animal, adrenaline will enter into our bloodstreams. This adrenaline is there to help us fight better and run away faster. In certain situations it is good that we are able to fight better or run faster, but when adrenaline secretion is already giving us feelings of unreality, fighting this adrenaline secretion or trying to run away from it only secrets more adrenaline and makes us feel more unreal.

When panic comes over us, it brings about feelings that often make us feel sick. Because of this, we try to fight them off or overcome them by force. This is the same as fighting and since anxiety is brought about by the fight or flight (run away) response, the panic becomes worse. Then, if we fight harder the panic intensities even more.

Sooner or later, panic attacks always end. When they do they often leave us totally spent. It is at this time we start to put our guards up against any signs of another one coming. This "putting our guard up" is a form a fighting or running away, and so it increases the chance another panic attack will come on soon.

As you can see, trying to fight off panic is not only futile it creates nervousness, which if handled incorrectly will result in more panic attacks. So, it stands to reason that not fighting or even giving up is a better way to defeat anxiety and panic.

Giving Up or, Passivity

Since anxiety is always fueled by fighting and/or running away, it lessons in intensity when it is ignored. I know, this is easier said than done, but it is the key to becoming free of anxiety and panic attacks.

Developing the attitude of letting panic do to you whatever it will is the way to lessening the severity of each panic attack as they occur. In time, and maybe you will be surprised how short a time, no panic at all will occur because by ignoring the symptoms of panic, such as feelings of unreality, you will have taken the teeth out of panic. When there is nothing to fear, there is nothing left to fight, no adrenaline and so, no panic.

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