Ways to Prevent Panic Attacks
While it is always advised for patients to try reducing stressors in their lives and discover what is causing them, here are other ways to prevent panic attack:
1. Diet is seen as a contributor to a good number of medical conditions, including panic attacks. This is why alcohol is discouraged in the diet of a patient who wants to prevent it. This is because alcohol has depressant properties that are deterrent to people who are trying to lessen stressors in their lives. Alcohol as a depressant may lead a person to behave irrationally, which can cause a panic attack. Aside from depressants, stimulants like caffeinated drinks also need to be lessened or eliminated altogether. As stimulants, drinks with high caffeine content like tea and coffee causes a person to be awake, which deprives the body of needed rest and sleep. Moreover, caffeine also speeds up the nervous system, which is one of the triggers of heart attack.
2. In order to prevent panic attacks, relaxation is essential. Relaxation and deep breathing exercises for at 10 to 20 minutes is recommended for people who want to stay away from it. There are videos available for people to be aided in relaxing, but individuals can also work on their own by making sure that they find a quiet place and set a schedule when they can sit while thinking and doing nothing. Meditation is also recommended, and this does not really require people to chant or sit in the lotus position. Through meditation, both mind and body are quieted so that they can reconnect. Yoga has also known to enhance people’s skills of breath control, altering patterns of thought, and managing physical response to external stimuli.
3. Regular exercise is also recommended as a preventive activity against panic activities. Any aerobic activity done for at least 20 minutes every day has been known to lessen physical illnesses caused by stress, as well as anxiety conditions. Moreover, exercise aids in enhancing a person’s concentration while releasing the body’s endorphins, a hormone that improve people’s mood and avoid negative feelings towards stressful situations.
4. For people who fear they are susceptible to panic attacks, they may join a group with patients experiencing anxiety and panic disorders. Having a group that a person can talk to with regard to having this condition can make the coping process easier, as there are patients who feel that they just have to express themselves and ‘let it out’. Sharing each other’s coping mechanisms and success stories in overcoming panic attacks can also be inspiring for people who want to prevent this condition from happening to them.
