Almost every person in his life experienced a panic attack at least once. Unreasonable anxiety, lack of air, faintness, weakness, darkening in the eyes, a sharp jump in the pulse, a sense of horror and despair, a wave of fear of death these are all her classic signs. Only one thing pleases in this phenomenon they last not for long, it takes a little time, and the frantically knocking heart calms down, the breathing is leveled, and the tension subsides.
Doctors say that to worry about their lives, being in the role of experiencing a panic attack, is not worth it, but that’s life such attacks can spoil thoroughly. After the person first experienced this condition, he psychologically connects him with the situation: most often seizures occur in crowded places and enclosed spaces, the most commonplace of their manifestation is a city subway.
For most passengers, signs of malaise are occasionally manifested separately, but over time, stress accumulates, leading to the first panic attack in life. Often it scares a person very much and is remembered for life, after which many are written down for a doctor’s consultation. Serious violations in health doctors cannot find and prescribes easy means: herbal preparations, rest and motor activity, sometimes they also recommend visiting a therapist. Usually you can overcome such situations yourself, but first, you need to understand their reasons.
What causes panic attacks?
The main reasons are several:
Constant stress.
Life in a big city is characterized by chronic stress at work and in the everyday atmosphere. Such a state of the psyche has a panic attack in the metro, often not in one person, but in several family members at the same time, experts say that the inclination to them is laid genetically. Women are more prone to bouts than the male half of humanity.
Inattention to their health.
Constant nedosyp, harmful food in fast food instead of a useful balanced diet, lack of motor activity, bad habits everything does not contribute to mental health. Statistics prove supporters of a healthy lifestyle note panic attacks only in isolated cases.
Life circumstances.
Often panic attacks in the metro occur against the background of negative experiences caused by recent events. It can be like a conflict in the family, the loss of a close relative or a fiasco in a romantic relationship, and fairly neutral circumstances: the change of the city of residence or the need to take a serious decision. In such cases, panic serves as a protective reaction of the body.
Increased impressionability.
Excessive emotionalize, anxiety, pessimistic attitude to life, a hypothetical character store all this serves as a good soil for panic attacks. Especially often they are exposed to people who are not just impressionable but also used to keep negative feelings within themselves.
Let’s say panic “no”: methods of struggle
The most important thing here is the certainty that you can cope with panic attacks. First, you need to make sure that it is they, and not another disease, in the age of digital technology you will help in this online therapists. After this, you can begin to learn ways to combat seizures.
Monitor your breathing.
This is the first thing to focus on. During the panic, we begin to breathe very often and superficially, so try to think about breathing, slowing it down as much as possible. Exhale should be twice as long as inhaled. Breathe calmly and smoothly, relax. At the very first sign of an attack, controlling breathing helps not only to relieve it but also prevent it from happening at all.
Learn to relax.
Eliminating muscle clamps is a great way to not only interrupt a panic attack but also reduce the likelihood of its manifestation in later life. Relaxation should be trained in advance. Place yourself in a comfortable and comfortable position for you sitting or lying down, and gradually for 5-10 seconds strain all your muscles, then relax them as much as possible. Start better with your hands, then go to the facial muscles of the face and gradually go down to the very feet. Repeating this procedure before going to bed every day, you will train muscle memory and at the right time, you can relax almost instantly.
Talk to yourself.
Recognize that nothing terrible is happening to you, that it’s just a panic. Tell yourself: “I know that this is temporary and will soon pass, this is a common attack. Everything will be fine with me, I gradually relax, my breathing becomes deep and even, I’m not afraid. ” Think of a story that suits you best. This method, known as cognitive psychotherapy, has shown excellent results: it alleviates anxiety and reduces other symptoms. Knowing that at the time of an attack you can talk to yourself, you stop being afraid of panic attacks and they start to happen less and less often.
Take your time.
Switching attention is very useful: listen to the conversations of others, go deep into reading a newspaper or a book, try to call someone close if there is a network coverage in the subway car. If the train has arrived at the station and you do not hurry, get out of the car and sit for a few minutes on the bench changing the situation can very quickly stop the attack.
If you can not cope on your own, do not hesitate to make an appointment with a psychotherapist. An experienced specialist will teach you how to deal with them, now there are a lot of techniques for this, allowing you to choose the one that suits you best. And remember that the most important rule of a successful cure is not to fight with symptoms, the main thing is to understand that you can cope with panic in the subway. After the person first conquers it, the following attacks become weaker, and then completely go to naught. Do not give up, and soon this problem will stop bothering you!