“How can I reduce panic attacks?”

Hi, Im sorry you are struggling with panic attacks. You can lessen the number of attacks( frequency), and the length of the attacks ( duration) using several strategies. Learning good coping strategies is the best way to decrease your anxiety and by extension, your panic attacks. Im a behavioral medicine psychologist and I look at the mind body connection. Begin by monitoring your frequency and duration of your panic attacks for a week. Use a journal to document your overall anxiety level (0-10), depression (0-10), panic attack frequency, and duration. Review your sleep hygiene. Do you have a set bedtime? Can you fall asleep easily? Do you wake up very early? Journal what you eat. Make sure you eat less processed foods and more Whole Foods. Panic attacks are hard on the body. When we are not sleeping well and not eating well, we become emotionally more vulnerable. This will lead to increased anxiety and more panic attacks. Taking caffeine can compound this. I advise patients to drink as little caffeine as possible. Similarly, taking alcohol and drugs can make you more anxious. Drugs like cocaine amplify anxiety and panic. Cognitive behavioral therapy ( CBT) is the best treatment. Learning breathing techniques to decrease anxiety is very helpful. There are several free apps which help you do the breathing correctly watching a sphere that expands and contracts so you learn the timing. This technique is all about practice. 5 minutes of Box Breathing is all you need. 2-3 times a day is best. By practicing the technique, your brain begins to make the connection. Gradually, you will begin to do the breathing in response to anxiety. Through practice, your body learns that this type of breathing means the brain calms down. Using Progressive Muscle Relaxation is another technique that can really help. In this technique you take large muscle groups and contract them, holding the contraction for 8 seconds, then releasing. You can contract small muscle groups, and depending on your anxiety you can do longer or shorter sessions. Another technique is called Guided Imagery. Here you think of a beautiful, comfortable place. It can be real, or made up. Note details, like how does the sun feel on your skin, sand in your toes, etc. you imagine this place and as you take in the details, you begin to relax. Again, all these techniques take some practice but then become integrated in to your adaptive coping strategies list. Another thing that may help is to look at things from a perspective of mindfulness. Being mindful of our surroundings and our bodies can help us to moderate emotions more productively. The best way to accomplish this is probably to see a psychologist who can help teach the techniques and highlight why it works. You can look the techniques up and watch UTube videos to learn how to practice them. However, if youre able, it is better to have someone to help you learn the correct technique so you get the same benefits. Exposure therapy is very good for panic attacks and anxiety. In this technique the patient makes a hierarchy of ascending fears( eg. Im going to panic and pass out). After the patient is relaxed, you begin to use the fears to challenge the patient( telling the patient that they are sweating, and people are looking at them). The idea here is to expose the person to their fears, then relax them again. This shows the patient how to use adaptive coping strategies, as apposed to the maladaptive strategies that the patient has been using. Exercise is another important piece to decreasing anxiety and panic. Any exercise is great. But walking just 10-15 minutes while the sun is out can be very therapeutic. Please feel free to contact me by text or phone if you have questions about the techniques. Kind Regards Brooke E Hillary PhD Licensed Clinical Psychologist Www.drbrookehillary.com HTTPS://doxyme/drbrookehillary