Panic attacks can affect your confidence, self-esteem, behaviour and emotions.

• Remember that some physical conditions needing medical attention (including thyroid imbalance, heart or lung problems, ear disturbance and epilepsy) can cause similar symptoms to panic attacks, so these should be ruled out first by your GP.
• Understand that although panic attacks are unpleasant, you are perfectly safe when they happen. Keep challenging any negative thinking - remind yourself you are not dying or going mad, the thoughts in your head are from your panic, and not from you.
• Learn relaxation and slow breathing techniques when you feel well, then use them if you feel a panic attack coming on. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.for a free relaxation breathing exercises handout.
• Reducing your stress levels generally might help to reduce the number of panic attacks you have.
• Distraction techniques often work well to reduce or stop panic attacks, especially those that encourage you to use your thinking for language, number or memory tasks. Recite poetry, sing nursery rhymes, count bricks in a wall, or count to a thousand in fours. (You can do this inside your head if you are in too public a place to do it aloud!)
• Exercise such as jogging on the spot can help as it naturally uses up the physical energy that panic hormones create.
• Be AWARE;
  Accept the panic is happening but will pass
  Watch from the outside (imagine the panic is happening to someone else)
  Act normally
  Repeat these steps
  Expect the best (don’t let the negative thoughts take over)

If these techniques don’t get you to where you want to be, hypnotherapy can often help.