3) Wait – This is all about not reacting too quickly to the condition. By not fleeing the scene or fighting the attack, you regain a bit of control over the situation, which is the root of your struggle. You have options in any situation.
4) Watch – Observe your reactions. If you can, do some deep breathing and note your conditions in a diary. By focusing outside your situation, you gain perspective and perhaps a bit of understanding.
5) Get comfortable – You know the panic attack will end. It’s your job to regain control. Perhaps give yourself a quick talk about how things will be all right in just a bit.
Getting Help for Panic Attacks
Without treatment, a significant decline in quality of life may occur. The panic attack disorder sufferer may start to develop phobias about driving or leaving the home, avoid social situations, suffer depression or have suicidal thoughts, develop problems at school or work, self-medicate with alcohol or drugs, and experience financial problems related to the inability to function normally. Many panic disorders develop agoraphobia.
This term, which in Greek means “fear of the marketplace,” may lead to a fear of large, open spaces, crowds and public transportation like airplanes, subways and buses. In the most severe instance, agoraphobics fear leaving the house, believing that a world of terrible things awaits outside the front door, things that they cannot control.