You can become a prisoner of a panic disorder.
You are walking happily through a store, humming to yourself and looking at the different assortment of items on sale… when suddenly it hits you. Your heart starts racing, you feel like you’re having trouble breathing, you want to throw up and your vision is becoming distorted.
There is a sense of approaching doom and you know that you have to escape or you will surely die. In desperation, you abandon any thought of shopping and race for the nearest exit.
This is what it’s like when you are having a full blown panic attack! Panic attacks can strike without warning or they may be triggered by a specific event. The attack only lasts for minutes, but it feels like an eternity when it’s YOU having the attack.
Common symptoms of panic disorder are heart palpitations (in fact a lot of people suffering panic attacks mistake them for heart attacks), shortness of breath, a feeling of choking, nausea and tunnel vision.
Some people feel the inability to focus, have racing thoughts and feelings of dread. The need to “escape” is overwhelming even though your mind may render you unable to move.
Some people feel as though are going to die and some people actually wish that they could because the feelings of a true panic attack are terrifying. Panic attacks also are emotionally crippling and make some people virtual prisoners in their homes, afraid to venture out for fear they will have another attack.
Panic disorders and attacks are serious for the sufferer and they produce real, physical symptoms. During a panic attack, the body goes into a “fright or flight” mode as adrenaline hits you in a rush.
It’s important to remember that no one has ever died from a panic attack, and though you may feel like you will surely be the exception to the rule, you will survive. Luckily, there is hope available for those who suffer from panic disorder. .
Click on the picture below to discover simple techniques designed to help you deal with panic disorder.
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