How to never have a panic attack again

How can you ensure that you never have another panic attack? Simple. Stop calling them panic attacks. I'm being serious - this may be one of the most important steps in helping you to move on. 

Think about the words and the feelings that they evoke: 

Panic! 

Attack!

Individually these are emotive words and when you put them together it's a phrase that will cause a fear reaction in anyone who has ever experienced the symptoms. 

Minimise a problem in your mind and you maximise your ability to solve it.

Steps to help manage stress and anxiety

Choose your language 

Choosing a better description of whatever you are experiencing may be the first step to helping you to move on. It's better if you choose your own, as your style of language may be different from mine, but here's a couple to get you thinking:

• I had a difficult moment
• I had an episode
• I had a wobble

I lived with anxiety for several years and had many 'little wobbles' - a term I felt comfortable with using. I came out the other side and with the right support and guidance, you can too.

Take small steps

Small steps when magnified by time become big changes.

Begin with small steps. They are like building blocks. One block on its own may not seem significant, but with a large enough pile, you can build a house or dam a river. Approaching stress and anxiety in this way will help you to manage it better.

Understanding the physiology of stress and anxiety

When seeking professional support, whoever you choose as your therapist, make sure that they explain to you what stress is, what anxiety is, and the many different ways they affect us physically as well as mentally. Generally, a therapist will do this at the beginning of your sessions and may continue to recap on it throughout your time together.

This is a vital step. I often find that once people understand what is going on inside them I can almost see the weight being lifted from their shoulders. I often hear comments like:

• so I’m not going crazy!
• now I understand why I’ve been having these panic attacks (and of course I remind them it was just an episode)
• I feel better already

That is even before we start any of the therapy work. 

Conclusion

Two things to take from this:

Firstly, it’s the job of your therapist to help you to understand what has been causing whatever you have been experiencing. That will help you to start to feel better quickly. 

Secondly, it’s your job to allow this to become a small issue, not a huge problem. Small issues are easy to deal with, huge problems are daunting and are often left unsolved. 

“Panic attacks” sound like a huge problem. “Having a moment” feels smaller, and working together with your therapist, it’s one that you can deal with. 

Minimise a problem in your mind and you maximise your ability to solve it.

If you'd like to find out more about how hypnotherapy can help you to manage the effects of stress and anxiety, visit Hypnotherapy Directory for more information and guidance.