Deal with Panic and Anxiety

I can still
remember the day.
It was shortly after
my divorce.
I was a single parent
with no money and
two young children.
It came upon me suddenly,
out of the blue.

I couldn't breathe.

My chest hurt.
My heart hurt.
I couldn't stop it.
I panicked.
The more I panicked,
the worse it got.

I called 911. The ambulance came. They gave me some oxygen, they politely told me
not to worry; it was just a panic attack. I had experienced another one of those attacks,
a long time ago. Right after I first married the children's father, I had shut myself down
from anxiety. I couldn't breathe, couldn't speak from the fear I felt.

Many people experience panic and anxiety attacks. Maybe it's happened to you.
Maybe you've had only one or two incidents of it; maybe panic and anxiety make
regular appearances in your life. Most people I've met have experienced fear.

These are a few little clues I've learned that have helped me to deal with my own attacks.

* Breathe. Whenever we panic, our breath comes in shallow, awkward spurts.
By deliberately breathing slowly and calmly, we can slow our panic down.
We feed it by breathing fast. We put our bodies on hyperalert. If we breathe
as though we're relaxed, our bodies will start slowing down.

* Don't respond to your panic with more fear. Sometimes we double what we're
going through by having an emotional reaction to our initial reaction. We're afraid,
because we're feeling fear. Let yourself go through the original feeling without
reacting to yourself.

* Instead of focusing on your fear, let yourself be aware that you're feeling it,
but deliberately do something that calms you down. You won't want to do this.
Your panic will want you to do something else, something that feeds panic and
makes it grow. Do something calming and quiet, even though that activity doesn't
feel right to you. It could be reading a meditation, listening to some quiet music,
taking a shower, or saying a prayer. We all have things that help calm us down.
Find something that works for you.

If panic and anxiety are a continual problem, seek professional help. But if they are
only isolated incidents in your life, you may be able to help yourself. One tool that
has never let me down when it comes to anxiety and fear is working Step One
of the Twelve Step program. I admit that I'm powerless over my panic and fear,
and my life has become unmanageable.

Then I ask God what I need to do next.

Don't let your fears run your life. Make it a goal to get through them. Ask them
what they're trying to tell you. You may be on a path that's new, and your body
is just reacting to that. There may be a hidden emotion underneath all this fear,
something you'd rather not see. Or maybe you and your life are just changing
so fast that everything in your world is brand new. Be gentle and loving with
yourself and others.

God help me welcome all the new experiences in my life. Give me the courage
to calmly walk my path today, knowing I'm right where I need to be.

More Language of Letting Go
by Melody Beattie


.
.
.
.
..