There are quite a few treatment options out there that provide help for panic attacks, and it can be confusing knowing which one is right for you. Here is a quick run-down of the 3 most common treatment options to give you an idea of what is out there.

1. Medication

When it comes to treating panic attacks and anxiety with medication there are a lot of mixed feelings and opinions on the subject. While medication can certainly be effective, it also can have some nasty side effects that can wreak havok on your body. Not only that, in many cases it doesn’t actually treat the underlying problem but instead covers it up. When people eventually go off the medication some report that their panic attacks return.

However, even given the downsides, medication can be highly effective in treating panic attacks. You should talk with your doctor and find out if it is the best option for your particular case.

2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a treatment method that is performed by a psychotherapist where during a series of sessions they help you figure out what is causing your panic attacks. At the same time they help to address the most vivid an worst feelings that happen during a panic attack and build a customized program specifically designed to help you alter your feelings, behaviors and perceptions to better deal with or eliminate panic and anxiety.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is often used in conjunction with medication as a two-pronged approach to dealing with panic. Many people find success with this treatment option, while others don’t. The major downside to it is that it is not an overnight process and can take months to learn to alter your thoughts and behaviors. Also, it is not easy to do since it requires you to overcome though patterns and beliefs that you have been hard-wired with since early childhood.

3. Self-Help for Panic Attacks

There are many different self-help programs available to help you overcome panic attacks and anxiety, many of which can be both highly effective and much less expensive than other options.

One major advantage of tackling your panic and anxiety on your own is that you don’t have to use medication. This can save you money, keep you from having side effects from the medication and keep you from becoming dependent on it.

Here are some links to information on several proven self-help options that you may want to look into for getting rid of your panic attacks:

• Panic Away
• The Linden Method
• Self-hypnosis/Hypnotherapy for Panic & Anxiety

In the previous two parts of this article we looked at how stress can contribute to anxiety and panic attacks and how negative thought patterns and perfectionism increases stress. We also talked about ways to begin thinking more positively and to begin getting over being a perfectionist.

Today, we will look at the final thought pattern which can increase stress and as a result increase anxiety and panic attacks. That thought pattern is obsessive analysis - or over-analyzing things to death.

Factor #3 - Over Analyzing Everything

Many people who suffer from too much stress make it worse by having a tendancy to over-analyze things. You may find that you keep going over the same problem again and again in your mind. Or perhaps you replay scenes from your day over and over in your thoughts and think about all the things that were said, how things went, what could have gone differently or what could go wrong because of the event.

You may find that you are afraid to do things because you have spent so much time analyzing all the things that could go wrong. Sometimes we can work ourselves up into such a frenzy over what “could be” that we wind up with too much anxiety to do anything or we experience panic attacks when we are put in the situation we have been thinking obsessively about.

If this sounds familiar, don’t worry. You are not alone. Many people unnecessarily increase their stress levels by playing the analysis game. There are some easy ways you can start training yourself to get over this, though, and as you do your stress levels will begin to return to where they should be and you should also notice a decrease in your general anxiety levels as well as a lessened possibility of having panic attacks.

Let’s take a look at a few ways you can get past over-analyzing things.

How to Stop Over-Analyzing Everything

Just like any habit, stopping obsessive thinking is not an overnight process. It is something that you will have to work at. The good news is, though, that if you stick with it and keep trying you can break the cycle and learn how to let things go.

One of the best things you can do when you find yourself stuck in an analysis-loop is to get outside yourself. The truth is, the only time we can live is right now - not in the past or in the future. Stop and ask yourself if what you are thinking about is something you can do anything about right now. If not, then find something that is happening right now to focus your attention on.

Try calling a friend, reading a book or turning on your favorite television show. Better yet, stop, sit down and write out a list of things in your life that you are grateful for. This does wonders in shifting your attention from something you don’t want to all the good things that you already have in your life.

Many people who over analyze things spend much of their time alone. Because of this it is easy to get stuck in your own head. After all, there aren’t many other people around to talk to and there isn’t a whole lot of mental stimulation besides that which you provide for yourself. If you do spend a lot of your time alone it can really benefit you to get out and socialize more. The more you are around and interacting with other people the more you are drawn outside of your head and into the “real” world.

If you don’t have a lot of friends you might want to consider joining a group in your area. Find an activity that interests you and see if there are any groups that meet regularly about it. If that is too big of a step for you first try participating in online forums about something you like. For instance, if you like to garden sign up for a gardening forum and start posting regularly. You will make online friends through the process and it will give you something else to focus your attention on.

Another thing you can do that works wonders for clearing your mind is to exercise. When your body is physically tired your mind will be calmer as well. Find an exercise that you enjoy and start doing it regularly.

Most importantly, you need to actively choose to think differently. Any time you catch yourself falling into old thought patterns choose a different thought instead. It may take several tries within a short period of time to overcome even one over-analyzing thought. However, each time you can break your thought pattern and replace it with a new, healthier thought will help to make the next time that much easier. With time your habit will become to think good thoughts, to enjoy life, and to take things at face value.

Be persistant. Don’t give up and you will find that every day is a little less stressful and your anxiety levels begin to fall.

The first thought pattern that we looked at yesterday was negativity. Today we will address the second thought pattern that increases stress, which is perfectionism.

Factor #2 - Perfectionism

Along with thinking predominantly negative thoughs, perfectionism can greatly increase the amount of stress in your life. In fact, there have been studies done that have proven that perfectionism is directly related to increased cortisol levels and stress-induced bodily responses.

Are you wondering “am I a perfectionist?” Let’s take a closer look at just what it is so you can see if you can spot these perfectionist traits in yourself and the way you view life.

Perfectionism is the idea that doing anything less than perfect is unacceptable. If you are perfectionist you may find yourself constantly pushing to do better but never feeling like anything you do is good enough. You may worry that if you don’t do things “just right” you will have failed. It can be a feeling that if you don’t do something perfectly then you are a loser.

Perfectionism can also influence your view of others, making it nearly impossible for people you work or live with to live up to your impossibly high standards. You may even limit yourself from doing things you want if you don’t feel that you will do them well.

Perfecectionism can lead to low self esteem and to much higher than normal levels of stress and anxiety. Constantly worrying that what you do, what you attempt, or who you are will not be good enough can eat away at your from the inside and make day to day life miserable. You may find that you feel hopeless because it seems that there is nothing you can do right so there is no reason to even bother trying.

Overcoming Perfectionism to Reduce Stress, Anxiety and Panic Attacks

The good thing about perfectionism is that it is a thought pattern that you have learned over your life. Since it is a learned behavior that means it can also be “un-learned”. When you start to free yourself from perfectionism your stress levels will fall and along with it so will your anxiety and the chances of having panic attacks.

Until you are aware of the times that you are being a perfectionist it will be impossible for you to change. That means that your first step in overcoming perfectionism is to begin to recognize when you are having these thought patterns.

Start by beginning to notice when you are thinking thoughts of perfection throughout the day. You may want to keep a notebook with you to jot them down as they happen, or you may want to sit down each evening and think back through the day looking for times they occurred.

The more you do this the more you will become aware of the thoughts as you are having them. When you do find yourself acting in a way that has perfectionist tendancies, stop and ask yourself if you are being realistic. Will the world really end if you don’t get that report done on time?

Will you truly be a loser if you don’t make a certain phone call or get to the store to pick something up today? When you step outside yourself and try to look at things from a broader perspective you can get a more complete picture of the situation and spot thoughts that are not based in reality. Over time if you persist with this you can let go of perfectionism and reduce your stress.

Pay attention to the good things you do and the good aspects of your work and life. Even if what you have done is not ideal, there are no doubt good points to it. Focus on those good points and make an effort to ignore any parts that you feel don’t measure up. By shifting your attention to all the positive things you accomplish you can get a more realistic view of who you really are and how capable you are.

Listen to your self-talk. Each of us has a little nagging voice in our heads that tells us we aren’t good enough, we’ve done something wrong or that we are failures. Paul McKenna, a best selling author and one of the World’s leading hypnotists and self-help experts, advises changing the sound of the voice in your head to make it so it has less impact.

For instance. he uses the example of making the voice sound like Mickey Mouse so it is squeeky and insignificant. Just doing this simple trick can dramatically decrease the impact that your negative self-talk voice has on your and your feelings. I would highly recommend checking out some of Paul McKenna’s work if you are serious about changing the way you think and living a better, richer, more full and rewarding life because of it.

Begin trying to accept yourself as a human being - not a machine. Forgive yourself when you make mistakes. When you fail, don’t throw up your hands in defeat and think that it is impossible. Instead, get right back into life and try again. Start setting realistic goals for yourself. Setting smaller goals that you can actually accomplish can be a great way to enhance your confidence and to allow you to see all the good that you do get done.

Begin learning to love yourself and acknowledge that you deserve good things. Be willing to reassess your goals if they are unrealistic and set new goals that can be reached.

By working on each of these aspects of yourself you can decrease your stress levels and at the same time decrease your anxiety and lessen the odds that you will have a panic attack.

Now that we have covered negativity and pefectionism, tomorrow we will move on to the final part of this series where will will look at the third factor that contributes significantly to stress…obsessive analysis. Until then, I hope you will start trying to implement some of the ideas from the first two parts of this series into your life right away. See you tomorrow!

In this series of articles we’ll look at thought patterns that increase the amount of stress you feel. As you begin to recognize these thought patterns and notice them when they are happening you can also begin to change them and deal with stress in a more healthy and positive way. As a result your anxiety can decrease and you may find that you have more peace and happiness in your life.

Factor #1 - Negativity

One way that many of us make stress worse is by having a negative outlook on life and just about everything in it. The “glass is half empty” approach to life can make mildly stressful situations seem worse and can cloud your perspective so that life can seem overwhelming and unfair.

Every person experiences negativity at some point or another. However, when it becomes a habitual way of thinking and viewing the world it can dramatically increase stress and along with it increase anxiety levels - often to the point where you can experience panic attacks as well.

If you have been looking at life with a negative perspective for a long time it can be difficult to change this all at once since it is a habit. In fact, it can even be difficult to know when you are being negative because you have become so used to it.

One way you can gauge whether a thought that you are having is positive or negative is by the way it makes you feel. If you think a thought and have negative feelings such as sadness, anger, fear, or a tightening feeling in your stomach odds are it is a negative thought.

When you catch yourself thinking something negative you don’t have to cram the thought down and pretend it never happened or try to cover it up with a happy positive thought. This doesn’t really erase the feeling. Instead, one easy way you can turn it around is to ask yourself what you would like instead and think about that. Here’s an example.

Say you have to go to a party and are uncomfortable in social situations. You may find yourself thinking of all the things that can go wrong - worried you will say the wrong thing, that you will stand out, that people might make fun of you. When you catch yourself thinking these thoughts stop and ask yourself what you would like instead. Envision the party going well, that you know all the right things to say and that you blend seamlessly in with the other guests.

If that is too much of a stretch for you to imagine than focus on something good in your life right now. Perhaps your dog or other pet, a good book you are reading or anything else that can stop the negative feelings and stress that they create. The more you practice this the easier it will become and the more you will start to notice the positive things in your life. As that happens your stress levels will fall, your anxiety will lessen and your health will start to improve as well.

Tomorrow we’ll look at Factor #2, which is perfectionism. Until then, stay positive!

• Shortness of breath or feeling like you are smothering
• Heart palpitations or rapid heart beat
• A feeling of choking
• Chest pain or an uncomfortable sensation in the chest
• Sweating
• Feeling dizzy, faint or lightheaded
• Stomach troubles which could include bloating, indigestion or nausea
• Trembling or shaking (can be visible or just a feeling on the inside)
• Tingling, numbness or pain in your muscles
• Feeling like you are in a dream or that you are apart from yourself
• Chills or hot flashes
• Feeling tired or having difficulty sleeping
• Having disturbed thoughts or feeling confused
• Fear of dying or of losing control
• Fear of being around other people or of social situations
• Feelings of anger, irritability or isolation
• General feelings of being anxious or of panic

Still not sure? Click the picture above to watch a video of a typical panic attack to see if it matches what you are feeling.

These are some of the most common symptoms associated with panic attacks and if they sound familiar you may be suffering from a panic or anxiety disorder. Keep in mind, though, that you should always check with your doctor or a qualified health care provider to get an accurate diagnosis.

Until you have had a panic attack it is hard to understand or appreciate just how difficult they can be to go through and how much they can limit your life.

It’s like panic is this constant monster lurking in the background waiting to strike and the only way to deal with it is either to avoid any situation that can make you anxious or to medicate yourself to the point of being numb. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that either of those “solutions” are good enough.

If you are ready to put an end to your panic attacks and anxiety and get back to living a normal life I would encourage you to check out the section on Natural and Alternative Treatments for Panic Attacks to learn more about the treatment options that are out there.

Click Here to Learn More About How to Treat Panic & Anxiety Naturally

Panic Away is a natural technique for stopping panic attacks and anxiety fast. And unlike many other treatment options, the results last a lifetime so you can permanently free yourself from panic for good.

Most people struggle with anxiety for years trying every book, course or treatment option they come across without getting the results that they need. Doctors prescribe medications to try to manage panic and anxiety, but these medications can have dangerous side effects and don’t offer a permanent cure for panic attacks.

That’s where Panic Away differs. It is a totally natural approach that eliminates all general anxiety and panic attacks. It doesn’t rely on traditional techniques for treating panic like deep breathing, positive affirmations, distractions, hypnosis, NPL or medication.

Instead, at the heart of the program is the One Move Technique™. This simple technique can instantly eliminate panic and can be used even if you are around people in a public place like out at the grocery store, at work, on the subway or anywhere that a panic attack may strike.

It is not a complex program that requires to you dedicate a lot of time and energy to “fixing” your panic or even knowing why you have anxiety in the first place. Instead, it can be learned and implemented instantly to start bringing immediate relief from anxiety symptoms.

This simple system has helped thousands of people to free themselves from panic and anxiety, gain confidence and get back to living life again.

To learn more about how Panic Away works and find out if it might be the right option for getting your life back, please visit this link:

The basic idea behind hypnotherapy is that you are placed in a trance, which is essentially just a very relaxed state. When you are relaxed like this your subconcious mind becomes very open to the power of suggestion. It is while you are in this state that a qualified hpynotherapist can make suggestions to you that will be picked up by your subconcious or unconcious mind which can allow you to alter your behavior more easily when you come back to a waking state.

Our lives and responses to certain situations are largely driven by the beliefs and images that we hold in our subconcious minds. If you can successful change these beliefs and images through the power of hypnosis then you can change the way that you react to situations in life permanently and overcome the anxiety and panic that has been hindering you in your day to day activities.

You can choose to go to a professional hypnotherapist in your area or you can try self hypnosis with a CD that you play at home that is specifically geared towared treating panic attacks and anxiety (see some popular CD’s and self help programs at the bottom of this page)

Better yet, you can download a panic attack hypnosis audio file directly from the internet and listen to it on your computer or burn it to a CD so you can get started right away without need to wait for a CD to mail to you. (click here for more info)

No matter which type of hypnosis you try for treating your panic attacks you should see noticible results quickly as you begin to reprogram your mind and free yourself from anxiety.

Self Hypnosis CD’s and Programs for Panic Attacks and Anxiety