How can You Prevent Panic Attacks?

DR. ESSLIN TERRIGHENA provides tips on how to prevent panic attacks.

Panic attacks can come on suddenly and unexpectedly. It may feel difficult to prevent them, but here are some tips that can help:

· Awareness – Check in with yourself, your emotional state, and mental health on a daily basis. Are there any significant stressors in your life that may be contributing to a feeling of unsafety, anxiety, fear, or panic? Identify these stressors and being to look into ways of reducing their impact on your wellbeing.

· Triggers – Learn what triggers your anxiety and panic attacks so you can prepare yourself for when you are most at risk.

· Prepare – Have techniques on hand that can help you when you notice your anxiety is rising or you are on the verge of a panic attack. It can be helpful to keep a list of these techniques somewhere easily accessible as during a panic attack our cortical areas that govern our rational thinking may be offline. This means it can be harder to think of how to help ourselves, and it easier to have a ready-made list to choose from. Research techniques and support groups if you are unsure how to get started.

· Exercise – Regular exercise helps to release stress, improve mood, and balance our brain chemistry.

· Eat regular meals – Eating regular meals, or balancing healthy snacks during the day, can help to stabilize our blood sugar levels. This makes it less likely was us to experience significant ups and downs in our mood, reduces fatigue, and helps us to regulate our emotions.

· Avoid substances – Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol can trigger anxiety and create imbalance in our brain chemistry that make us more vulnerable to intense emotional distress states.

· Engage in activities that bring you joy – Ensure you get sufficient breaks, and engage in activities that are meaningful and enjoyable to you. This can include family time, exercise, hobbies, nature, socializing and more.

· Therapy – Work through past traumas and current challenges with mental health professionals in order to reduce their negative impact on your wellbeing and enhance your resilience.

If you or a loved one are struggling with panic attacks and want to find help, please book a consultation with Dr. Terrighena on (852) 2521 4668 or e.terrighena@mind-balance.org.