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Positive Self-Talk What makes a panic attack unique and difficult to cope with is that intense bodily reactions occur in the absence of any immediate or apparent danger. Because there is no immediate or apparent external danger, you may tend to invent or attribute danger to the bodily sensations. Your mind may misinterpret what is going on inside as being life-threatening. Your mind can very quickly multiply the intensity of your fear. This intense fear makes your bodily reactions even worse, which in turn creates still more fear, and you get caught up in an upward spiral of mounting panic. "I'm losing control. I'm really scared. This will never end. I'm going to pass out. I'm having a heart attack. What will people think? I can't get out of here. I must have a brain tumor. I'm going to throw up. I'll hurt myself or someone else. I'm going to scream. I can't breathe. I'm going to make a scene. Something is really physically wrong with me." This upward spiral can be avoided if you understand that what your body is going through is not dangerous and is a mere product of your imagination when you're undergoing intense reactions which constitute panic. Remember that a panic attack CANNOT cause heart failure or cardiac arrest; CANNOT cause you to stop breathing or suffocate; CANNOT cause you to faint or lose your balance; CANNOT cause you to fall over or cease to walk when you feel "weak in the knees"; CANNOT make you go crazy; and CANNOT cause you to "lose control." So how do you break the automatic connection between unpleasant body symptoms and false, catastrophic thoughts? (1) Recognize your tendency to believe that harmless body symptoms are signs of imminent danger. (2) Write down alternative explanations of your symptoms. (3) Practice symptom induction by voluntarily inducing bodily sensations that can trigger panic. For example deliberate hyperventilation gives you the opportunity to actually experience uncomfortable symptoms without anything dangerous happening. Most importantly, if you do feel the symptoms of panic coming on, don't fight it! Resisting or fighting initial panic symptoms is likely to make them worse. It's important to avoid tensing up. Just accept what your body is doing and allow the time to pass. The following statements are provided to help deflate the danger if you are in the midst of an attack. If you have frequent panic attacks, we suggest writing these statements on a 3x5 index card and carrying it in your purse or wallet. Take the card out and read it when you feel panic symptoms coming on. "This feeling isn't comfortable or pleasant, but I can accept it." "I can be anxious and still deal with this situation." "I can handle these symptoms or sensations." "This isn't an emergency ." "It's okay to think slowly about what I need to do." "This isn't the worst thing that could happen." "I'm going to go with this and wait for my anxiety to decrease." "This is an opportunity for me to learn to cope with my fears." "I'll just let my body do its thing and this will pass." "So what." "I'll ride this through and I don't need to let this get to me." "I deserve to feel okay right now." "I can take all the time I need in order to let go and relax." "There's no need to push myself; I can take as small a step forward as I choose." "I've survived this before and I'll survive this time too I can do my coping strategies and allow this to pass." "This anxiety won't hurt me even if it doesn't feel good." "This is just anxiety and I'm not going to let it get to me." "Don't worry, be happy." "Nothing serious is going to happen to me." "Fighting and resisting this isn't going to help, so I'll just let it pass." "These are just thoughts, not anxiety of relative reality." "I don't need these thoughts." "I can choose to think differently." "This isn't dangerous." Son.... |
