Do you experience sudden palpitations, dizziness, excessive sweating or the urge to run away or the feeling that the walls of the room are caving in, when placed with an unpleasant situation/person? What you are experiencing can be categorized as a Panic Attack. A panic attack happens mostly due to anxiety or phobia – A panic attack can happen to anyone; it could be due to a fear of flying, socializing, public speaking, or any kind of confrontation, etc.

     Do you experience sudden palpitations, dizziness, excessive sweating or the urge to run away or the feeling that the walls of the room are caving in, when placed with an unpleasant situation/person? What you are experiencing can be categorized as a Panic Attack. A panic attack happens mostly due to anxiety or phobia – A panic attack can happen to anyone; it could be due to a fear of flying, socializing, public speaking, or any kind of confrontation, etc.
     A wonderful ex-colleague, who is now one of my best friends used to suffer from panic attacks. I remember how she would dread coming in to work, so she will not have to deal with our obnoxious boss. Even an email from the boss would push her into panic mode; she would be jittery and shaky due to her panic attack. It would take a lot of cajoling and comforting for her to regain her tranquility. And sometimes she would resort to tranquilizers to calm her down. It is from her that I learnt all about panic attacks and realized that there are many who have such symptoms. You could be one of the many experiencing panic attacks.
     There is nothing good about such attacks, but you can make good of the situation with some practice and control from your side. To start with you need to make a mental note of when and how you panic. Knowing and understanding your trigger points will equip you with what you need to work on.
Relaxation exercises are a good way to help manage your panic attacks. Relaxation exercises will ease the tension in your muscles and declutter your mind, so you can have better control over your thoughts and emotions. When you have control over your mind, you can control your anxiety and fears effectively and have a better grip over yourself. Having the ability to handle your trigger points and controlling your mind will in turn curb your panic attacks.
     Positive thinking and approach to any situation will lead to positive results. I used to ask my friend, who used to have panic attacks because of our boss, “What is the worst he can do to you? Fire you? But, he can’t take away the good things you have, your life and your family!” That is one thing you need to understand, being in a panic filled situation is not the end of the world or your life. There’s more to life than a situation, which will pass. You cannot let your fears keep you away from enjoying life and confronting challenges. Panic will not solve your issues; it will only make it worse. So take a positive approach and set yourself free of panic.

By,
Mary-Ann Roche

Tags: anxiety, panic attacks

Do you experience sudden palpitations, dizziness, excessive sweating or the urge to run away or the feeling that the walls of the room are caving in, when placed with an unpleasant situation/person? What you are experiencing can be categorized as a Panic Attack. A panic attack happens mostly due to anxiety or phobia – A panic attack can happen to anyone; it could be due to a fear of flying, socializing, public speaking, or any kind of confrontation, etc.
A wonderful ex-colleague, who is now one of my best friends used to suffer from panic attacks. I remember how she would dread coming in to work, so she will not have to deal with our obnoxious boss. Even an email from the boss would push her into panic mode; she would be jittery and shaky due to her panic attack. It would take a lot of cajoling and comforting for her to regain her tranquility. And sometimes she would resort to tranquilizers to calm her down. It is from her that I learnt all about panic attacks and realized that there are many who have such symptoms. You could be one of the many experiencing panic attacks.
There is nothing good about such attacks, but you can make good of the situation with some practice and control from your side. To start with you need to make a mental note of when and how you panic. Knowing and understanding your trigger points will equip you with what you need to work on.
Relaxation exercises are a good way to help manage your panic attacks. Relaxation exercises will ease the tension in your muscles and declutter your mind, so you can have better control over your thoughts and emotions. When you have control over your mind, you can control your anxiety and fears effectively and have a better grip over yourself. Having the ability to handle your trigger points and controlling your mind will in turn curb your panic attacks.
Positive thinking and approach to any situation will lead to positive results. I used to ask my friend, who used to have panic attacks because of our boss, “What is the worst he can do to you? Fire you? But, he can’t take away the good things you have, your life and your family!” That is one thing you need to understand, being in a panic filled situation is not the end of the world or your life. There’s more to life than a situation, which will pass. You cannot let your fears keep you away from enjoying life and confronting challenges. Panic will not solve your issues; it will only make it worse. So take a positive approach and set yourself free of panic.

By,
Mary-Ann Roche

Tags: anxiety, panic attacks

     Do you experience sudden palpitations, dizziness, excessive sweating or the urge to run away or the feeling that the walls of the room are caving in, when placed with an unpleasant situation/person? What you are experiencing can be categorized as a Panic Attack. A panic attack happens mostly due to anxiety or phobia – A panic attack can happen to anyone; it could be due to a fear of flying, socializing, public speaking, or any kind of confrontation, etc.
     A wonderful ex-colleague, who is now one of my best friends used to suffer from panic attacks. I remember how she would dread coming in to work, so she will not have to deal with our obnoxious boss. Even an email from the boss would push her into panic mode; she would be jittery and shaky due to her panic attack. It would take a lot of cajoling and comforting for her to regain her tranquility. And sometimes she would resort to tranquilizers to calm her down. It is from her that I learnt all about panic attacks and realized that there are many who have such symptoms. You could be one of the many experiencing panic attacks.
     There is nothing good about such attacks, but you can make good of the situation with some practice and control from your side. To start with you need to make a mental note of when and how you panic. Knowing and understanding your trigger points will equip you with what you need to work on.
     Relaxation exercises are a good way to help manage your panic attacks. Relaxation exercises will ease the tension in your muscles and declutter your mind, so you can have better control over your thoughts and emotions. When you have control over your mind, you can control your anxiety and fears effectively and have a better grip over yourself. Having the ability to handle your trigger points and controlling your mind will in turn curb your panic attacks.
     Positive thinking and approach to any situation will lead to positive results. I used to ask my friend, who used to have panic attacks because of our boss, “What is the worst he can do to you? Fire you? But, he can’t take away the good things you have, your life and your family!” That is one thing you need to understand, being in a panic filled situation is not the end of the world or your life. There’s more to life than a situation, which will pass. You cannot let your fears keep you away from enjoying life and confronting challenges. Panic will not solve your issues; it will only make it worse. So take a positive approach and set yourself free of panic.

By,
Mary-Ann Roche

Tags: anxiety, panic attacks

In the hustle bustle of our daily lives we seem to be constantly surrounded by Stress. It is like Stress has become a permanent feature of our lives. As we learn to accept it, we also have to learn to deal with it and not let stress take over our lives. In a lot of instances we may not realize how when we let our stresses take over we make ourselves vulnerable to a lot of physical and emotional ailments. These could be anything from chronic pains to lack of proper sleep, to emotional problems, like anxiety. Whatever the cause and effect of stress we need to realize that there are ways of reducing and handling stress. There are a variety of programs offering stress relief techniques and strategies. Here are a few that would help with Stress:

1)           Breathing Exercises – Needless to say, Oxygen is the most essential necessity for our lives. When we are under stress we forget to breathe right, and restrict the benefits of oxygen flow in our body. Breathing Exercises enable the flow of oxygen through our entire body.

2)          Regular Exercise/Yoga –Exercise and Yoga not only keep our body in shape but also relax our mind and regulate blood circulation in our body. Being in constant stress blocks the circulation of blood to our brain, which in turn blocks our problem solving abilities. Good circulation of blood to the whole body and especially to the brain will put our mind at ease and in turn enhance our problem solving/handling ability.

3)          Meditation – Stress puts a big strain on our mind. When the mind is not in control we cannot control our emotions either. Meditation is a very effective technique which aims at controlling the mind and relieving it of stress. A well controlled and balanced mind results in well controlled emotions.

4)          Massage – Massage relaxes and releases the stiffness and aches in our body.

5)          Food – There are certain foods that help with stress relief. For eg., there are a variety of Teas, especially Green Tea, which contain anti-oxidants and anti-toxins that help reduce stress.

6)          Escape – Escape doesn’t necessarily imply escaping from the situation or problems. We don’t have to solve all our problems, and not all at the same time. Taking some time off from our routine and problems will give us thinking space, to organize our thoughts and actions. Something as simple as watching a favorite movie that makes us feel good, can give the much needed escape for the mind.

While dealing with our routine problems and stress we have to remember one very important thing; we cannot control what happens around us, but we can control how we react to the happenings around us. Keeping our mind and body in harmony and control empowers us to handle stress better enjoy all of life’s little joys.

By,
Mary-Ann Roche

Tags: depression, stress