Anxiety Treatment Tips (Agoraphobia) – How to Stop Anxiety and Panic Attacks

When anxiety strikes, it delivers knockout debilitating blows that can render you useless for days. I know, I have been there. Twelve LONG months to be exact, day in and day out, suffering and basically agoraphobic.

For those of you who don’t know, agoraphobia is caused by fearing the fear. Let me explain. When you have panic attacks and generalized anxiety, you’re constantly worried. But even more so, you’re worried about being MORE worried. There is a fear associated with not knowing when the next anxiety or panic attack could occur.

So you develop a comfort zone, (if there is one with anxiety at all) and it usually is your home. You don’t feel safe to begin with, but at least at home, you have the most amount of variables to control. So subconsciously, you feel more safe and begin to want to stay in that zone. It doesn’t help your anxiety or even your panic attacks for that matter, it just feels right.

You begin to stop wanting to go to the store, for fear you may get a panic attack. You stop going out with friends and have constant generalized anxiety.

Well, I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be that way forever. In fact, the first thing you need to understand, is that, YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS! I know it seems hard to believe right now, but you have to. I know back when I had anxiety, it felt like a never ending hole of darkness. “Certain Death” is what I told my doctors the feeling felt like.

First thing is first. What’s right for everyone else, isn’t always right for you. Treating anxiety is a bit of a journey, and will take a bit of time. For some it takes days or weeks, for others it takes months. Don’t get caught up in any numbered statistics of how long it will take for you. Not matter how long it takes, it won’t make a difference. You will improve at your own pace, the important thing is to get started right now, so you can get your life back.

Now I want to do a little exercise for me. I don’t know if you’re feeling good right now, tense, a little anxious, or freakin out. I know all of those feelings firsthand, and have experiences CONSTANT panic and anxiety for months at a time. This may not make sense to you at first, but just do it anyway.

Sit down in a relaxed position in your chair. Good posture. Now read this, and then do it, because it requires closing your eyes. Sit back, close your eyes, and relax as much as possible. See yourself overlooking a beautiful lake, with the leaves blowing in the pleasant breeze. Feel how nice it is to be away from everything and smell the fresh country oxygen from the gorgeous trees. Take a deep breath, and just feel the refreshment. Recognize how tight your stomach muscles are. Relax them and take another breath. Keeping your eyes closed and focused on your special place, with each deep breath, relax your stomach muscles even more. Soon you will feel better than you did when you started. With every second more you do this exercise, you will become more and more relaxed.

Now, what just happened? I just guided you through a short relaxation technique that has worked wonders for me. You can adapt it to your own needs, but the basic idea is to stop your racing thoughts and relax your abdomen. Most people suffering from anxiety don’t ever realize that their muscles are so tense. This is a source of frustration for the body and often comes out with panic attacks and anxiety disorders.

To getting Your Life Back One Step At A Time,

Tom Tayo