How I Got Rid of My Panic Attacks for Good
A personal guide to controlling panic and anxiety by a recovered hypochondriac.
My first panic attack hit me when I was 19 years old. Like many others, I didn’t understand what was happening to me resulting in a visit to the ER. When doctor’s told me I was likely suffering from an anxiety disorder, I couldn’t believe my ears. I never felt like I was a worrisome person and convinced myself the doctor’s conclusion was wrong. It took me a long time to realize I did in fact have an anxiety disorder — and learned how anxiety can manifest itself.
Rejecting the idea of having an anxiety disorder resulted in an overfixation on bodily sensations, since I had convinced myself — and continued to be afraid that — there was a physical reason to my panic attacks.
Needless to say this made me spiral into a never ending circle of panic, until I finally decided it was enough.
So here’s what I did.
Educating myself on mental illnesses
I was young, stubborn and wasn’t far into my degree in Psychology when it happened. It took me a while to accept that what the doctor had said was right, and as embarassing it is to admit, to accept that all the tests doctors had been running to me were true — I wasn’t in physical danger. I started doing my research on anxiety and panic disorders, and soon realized how much anxiety affects people all over the world. It is the most common mental disorder, and the most varying one. Every anxiety sufferer struggles with anxiety and its symptoms in their own unique way. Knowing this, learning about the symptoms and thought patterns behind anxiety and panic made me feel more secure.
Getting to know my triggers — and eliminating them
I’m not sure if this header is right, since 9 out of 10 times my panic attacks arose out of nowhere. Still, there were provoking factors to my feelings of panic and anxiety. I started paying attention to what made me panic more, and educated myself on things that are proven to worsen anxiety. Possibly obvious to some, but I wasn’t aware that coffee, alcohol and refined sugars contributed to my feelings of anxiety. Aside from that, I stopped listening to loud or hectic music, limited my news intake, restricted myself from watching violent TV and started working on an overall better diet and lifestyle. I promised myself I’d stick to it until I would get better — which wasn’t hard to do as I quickly saw results.
Knowing what to do when panic strikes
My first step was recognizing panic attacks. It’s easy to think “I must be dying” in when the intense feelings of panic arise. My very first intervention technique was to step in and tell myself I was having a panic attack, and that it was harmless. Being a psychologist now, I don’t want to tell people to cope. I didn’t want to breathe and focus on something else while waiting for the storm to pass, I wanted to heal. And healing is what I want to help others with. While distraction techniques are useful, they won’t likely help you in the long run. So, in order to recover, I needed to convince myself that my panic was harmless. Easier said than done, of course. It takes continued practice, confidence and courage.
While having a panic attack, I would use the following mantra: “I’m having a panic attack. This is harmless. Nothing can happen to me and all I have to do is wait for this to pass, because this too shall pas. I am completely safe and healthy. It’s just a panic attack. (repeat).”
Aside from using mantras in moments of panic itself, I’d take some moments during the day to sit back and reflect on my current state. I would congratulate myself if I was relaxed, show love to myself if I felt stressed and always ask myself “Is there anything I can do for you?”. Furthermore, I would use affirmations to further prove my anxiety wrong.
All it takes is to be persistent. You’re going to get setbacks, you’re going to want to give up, but recovery is possible! No matter how low you are. During my revocery process I started to become less and less afraid of my panic attacks.
Muscle Relaxation Techniques
On a final note, while doing my research towards recovery I quickly learned that there was an interesting connection between anxiety and muscle tension. While anxiety makes you tense up (possibly without even realizing), built up muscle tension can give you a wide variety of debilitating symptoms, which in turn can create even more anxiety. I made the power of relaxation my ally, and did everything I could to lower tension in my body and relieve myself of most physical symptoms of anxiety.
I sincerely hope my personal story helps and inspires people. I’m proud of where I am right now: Working as a therapist and studying to become a doctor. I rarely get feelings of panic and anxiety anymore. And in case I do, I view them as a challenge. I know what to do and have overcome this before, so bring it on and I’ll show myself again and again that I can combat it. Of course, I don’t have to do this alone. I have an amazing support system of family and friends and would highly encourage everyone suffering from mental health issues to seek help if needed as well.
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