Stress, Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Facts:
74% of UK adults have felt stressed, overwhelmed or unable to cope at some point in the last year. 8.2 million cases of anxiety were reported in the UK with women twice as likely to suffer as men.
Panic attacks – the symptoms.
So what happens physically when you have a panic attack? Your ‘caveman/woman’ brain reacts to stress as if a dinosaur were about to eat you. Your heart races painfully, you feel faint, nauseous and experience chest pain. You tremble and feel shaky. You may even have hot flushes, a dry mouth and shortness of breath. In short you feel like you might die.
Panic attacks can last around 5-20mins. That’s quite a long time to feel so afraid.
So, if there are no more dinosaurs, then why are they happening?
So why do they happen and what can we do about it? Our brains have not sufficiently evolved to know the difference between a dinosaur and a stressful situation. The adrenal glands very quickly pump out adrenaline and cortisol. These are our ‘fight, flight or freeze’ hormones. Stressful situations can cause a panic attack, but they can be triggered by seemingly nothing.
5 tips to handle them and avoid them:
- Deep Breathing – Inhale for count of 4, hold for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, and hold for a count of 4. This helps to regulate the oxygen and carbon monoxide balance in your body.
- Close your eyes – Your brain is overloaded with chemicals and stimuli. By closing your eyes, you can focus on the internal stimuli only.
- EFT – Emotional Freedom Technique focuses on tapping certain acupuncture points in a specific order. It is drug-free, can be done anywhere and is very effective. Click here for my EFT demonstration video.
- Bach Flower Rescue Remedy – This little bottle is very gentle but powerful in halting panic attacks or anxiety. It can be used directly on the tongue or in water.
- Avoid these things for 2 months and see if your panic attacks reduce in frequency: caffeine, orange juice, and cheese. All of these stimulate the adrenal glands and so can make you more prone to panic attacks.
There are several homeopathic remedies for panic attacks, like Aconite, Arg nit and Ars alb. Gelsemium is useful for anticipatory anxiety. Aconite, Ars alb and Gelsemium are all in my Blue kit.
Of course there are also Bach flower custom blends which are equally as powerful.
