Panic Disorder
Panic Disorder & Panic Attacks
Studies of panic attack disorders have thrown up a very interesting medical statistic. The studies show that 60% of the sufferers are women. Now obviously women cannot change their gender in order to secure a cure but if we look at why far more women suffer from panic attacks than men then we may go some way to finding suitable treatments.
One fact we all recognise is that women are far more emotional than men and as a result will have deeper or stronger reactions to situations and the events of everyday life. As a result women are more inclined to feel anxious, worry more and even become depressed.
The pressures of modern life especially for women juggling with being a mum, career woman and partner to her husband creates plenty of opportunities for anxiety to raise its head with so little time to deal with these emotions.
Add to that the modern sentimentality that we should be able to cope with all these things on our own means that many who are struggling to cope hide their problems and emotions not to show that they are not in control. In today’s society to show that you are having emotional problems can be perceived by the sufferer as a show of weakness and not welcomed within society, so it is hidden and bottled up.
When these emotions are bottled up in this way it is the ideal fertile ground to develop panic attacks. People start having a panic attack disorder and wonder why and how it has started but in reality the symptoms have been building while they have been bottling up their emotions and concerns over time.
Having recognized that this may be one way we develop panic attacks what can we do to reduce and eventually eliminate these panic attacks?
We are all guilty of knowing on a day to day basis what needs to be done to keep our physical bodies clean and healthy but what about our mental and psychological well being?
One simple action you can take today is to discover the root cause of your anxiety, fear or pain. When you suffer a panic attack take the time to understand the root cause, the trigger to your attack. By taking the time to think it through and rationalize what just happened, you can reduce these emotions and prepare yourself mentally the next time before the event reoccurs.
An important factor that we need to cover that affects us all in modern life is information overload. Whilst information is important to all of us and we have all heard the saying “knowledge is power” do we really need all the information we allow ourselves to access each and every day?
We are all bombarded with information whether it is from TV, emails, Facebook, radio, billboards, magazines and newspapers. Much of this information is negative, inflation, unemployment, wars and other negative comments that eventually overwhelm you and perhaps develop anxiety and panic disorders as we begin to worry about everything.
This information overload also produces another problem. In today’s modern world, when are you going to have enough time to actually analyze the information you have just received over the day?
We just don’t get the time to sit down, relax, and decide which pieces of the information are relevant to us. What actually happens is all this negative news stimulates our adrenaline glands and we end up with too much adrenaline in our system which is a major cause of panic attacks.
With this knowledge you can now take some action. Obviously the answer isn’t to lock yourself away from the world or not watch TV, not read newspapers or isolate yourself. However you are in control. You can choose what to watch, what articles in the magazine or newspapers are worth reading and feeding into your brain.
This is taking control of your psychological wellbeing by feeding in relevant positive information in chunks that you can deal with in a relaxed manner. This simple action of controlling your information input can reduce and even eliminate panic attacks.
There are many other ways to develop panic attacks or panic disorders and many of these are poor habits we have developed without realizing or knowing can be harmful to us.
Excess amounts of tea or coffee, too much alcohol or smoking, and the use of drugs are all known factors in developing panic disorders. If you do any of these and suffer with information overload or suffer with your emotions as mentioned above then the chances of suffering with panic attacks increases as the two combine.
There are ways we can help ourselves by actively living a healthy and active lifestyle. By taking the time to look after your physical wellbeing together with your mental wellbeing. By reducing or eliminating negative factors in both your physical and psychological intake you will restore your body and mind into a healthy state.
It is important these days that you take time out to relax and give your body and mind time to recover and regenerate. This will build your body and mind and give you the energy and resources to deal with the events and situations and stop panic disorders or panic attacks developing.
