Panic Attacks Can Be Dangerous

Have you ever had what you thought was a panic attack? Do you have anxiety?  My husband and I had a sailing accident and were in the water for one-half hour before being rescued. I was so thankful I didn’t have a panic attack.

Coping skills to handle anxiety:

• Gratitude is tremendous in focusing on the positive (instead of the negative).
• Having faith that we are not not in-charge, God is.
• Being mindful of past successes reminds us that we are capable.
• To not disqualify those past successes, i.e., But it took me forever to write that blog.
• Remembering God gave us gifts to use. God wants us to use our gifts; not stay stuck in past mistakes, or worrying about future problems.
• Learning not to isolate. Isolation leads to depression.
• Learning how to take care of self, balancing work and rest. Many of us are better at taking care of others than self, but we must put the airline mask on ourselves first.
• Accepting help from others. We are all called to do different things. Allowing someone to use his/her gifts to bless us (allows us then to use our gifts to bless others).

I love working with clients on coping skills for anxiety, panic attacks, ADHD, and trauma. I use different types of talk therapy, i.e., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and also Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR).  Sometimes we just need to talk through our experiences and emotions until we can figure them out, but other times we get stuck in talk therapy and need to try something different to move us beyond that sticking point. Watch for a blog explaining more about EMDR.