Don’t Panic! 5 Ways to Achieve Calm

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ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire)– A panic attack, a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions without a real danger or apparent cause. Typical attacks can last for ten to 20 minutes. But severe ones can last for hours. And, in any given year, two-point-four million Americans will develop a full-blown panic disorder. Achieve calm!

Sweaty palms, shaky hands, dizziness, chills, nausea, impending doom. This year, eleven percent of all Americans will experience a panic attack. Mayo Clinic reports that frequent panic attacks can lead to life-long health problems, with an increased risk for suicide, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders.

“We think about anxiety, depression, these other emotional disorders as having, as a rising from a number of vulnerabilities,” Jill Ehrenreich-May, an associate professor of phycology at the University of Miami told Ivanhoe.

Experts say you can regain control by stimulating the vagus nerve located on both sides of the voice box by chewing gum or humming. This sends signals to the brain that the body is not actually under attack. Breathing can also calm your sympathetic nerves. Doctors recommend the four-seven-eight method. Next, psychologists say distract. By pushing your body physically or laughing you are regulating emotions. Finally, have a plan, being prepared, even if just with a journal or fidget spinner, can greatly improve the outcome of a panic attack.

Psychologist also say that by having strong routines and rituals you can prevent future panic attacks. Exerts highly encourage putting a familiar ritual in place before panic-inducing activities to help achieve calm.

Sources:

http://www.fearclinic.ufl.edu/PanicDisorders.html#:~:text=How%20Common%20Is%20Panic%20Disorder,men%20to%20develop%20panic%20disorder

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/panic-attacks/symptoms-causes/syc-20376021

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/how-long-do-panic-attacks-last#length

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4451-panic-disorder#:~:text=How%20common%20are%20panic%20attacks,on%20to%20develop%20panic%20disorder.&text=How%20common%20are%20panic%20attacks,on%20to%20develop%20panic%20disorder

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/joyful-parenting/201903/10-better-ways-help-anxious-child-calm-down

 

Contributor(s) to this news report include: Sabrina Broadbent, Producer; Robert Walko, Videographer; Robert Walko, Editor.

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