Have you ever been in a situation that brought on sweats, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath? You probably weren’t having a heart attack but an anxiety attack. If you suffer from anxiety disorders, learning to manage it is the first step to overcoming it. Anxiety is characterized as extreme reactions to fearful situations. When someone follows you into a dark alley, those anxious feelings of a racing heartbeat and sweaty palms gives way to heightened senses and a rush of adrenalin that can save your life. This is the fight or flight syndrome. In the case of frequent anxiety, the fearful feelings are dread of a particular situation and not the situation itself. Getting caught in traffic can cause an anxiety attack over what might happen when you get to work late. Starting a new job can bring on anxiety attacks. You don’t know anyone and fear of that unknown can send you into a panic. Everyone experiences panic or anxiety in small ways. Like the fight or flight example, it can save your life. In new situations, we get panicky but when the outcome we fear fails to ma... [More]

Jon Mercer -- www.easycalm.com   Panic attacks are intense feelings of fear and anxiety that can come on suddenly. They can be associated with one or more physical symptoms, including rapid heart beat, shaking, rapid breathing (shallow breathing), tingling sensations in the arms or face (pins and needles), and feeling dizzy or light-headed, like the world is "closing in on you." Many people fear that they will pass out or die during a panic attack, but the attacks are not physically harmful and often fade away within 10-30 minutes. But even though panic attacks are not considered physically harmful, they are certainly emotionally harmful, often causing a fragile state of mind, wherein the sufferer obsesses over the possibility of another attack occurring. Unfortunately, this obsessive "loop" often leads to more panic attacks, producing a "cycle of panic and anxiety" that can be difficult to break. There is also much evidence to suggest that the elevated stress levels associated with panic attacks weaken the immune system--so learning to dea... [More]

I found a very informative article on some of the things that are going on in your body that causes all the symptoms of an anxiety attack or panic attack. Hopefully you guys will find some information that will help you in your struggle. I was able to glean some info that helped me to understand a little of the physiology that cause all the strange feelings that go along with having a panic attack. The article has been reprinted with permission. It’s a little long but well worth the read. Here it is.   Causes of Panic Attacks   The short and obvious answer: panic attacks are caused by high anxiety. But, what exactly is anxiety? Understanding how anxiety crops up will help you defeat panic attacks. One of the biggest myths surrounding anxiety is that it is harmful and can lead to a number of various life-threatening conditions.   Definition of Anxiety Anxiety is defined as a state of apprehension or fear resulting from the anticipation of a real or imagined threat, event, or situation. It is one of the most common human emotions experienced by people at s... [More]