Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder

Here are steps you can take to decrease the number of panic attacks you have. These steps can also reduce the severity of your symptoms when an attack does occur:

• Reduce anxiety. Do tension-reducing activities, and lower the amount of stress in your life.
• Do relaxation exercises. These involve 10 to 20 minutes of deep breathing and muscle relaxation each day.

  Reference Reference Stress Management: Breathing Exercises for Relaxation

  Reference Reference Stress Management: Relaxing Your Mind and Body

  Reference Reference Stress Management: Doing Guided Imagery to Relax

  Reference Reference Stress Management: Practicing Yoga to Relax

• Change how you think. Changing how you think can change how you feel—and that can reduce your anxiety. Noticing negative thoughts and replacing them with helpful ones is one way to do this.

  Reference Reference Anxiety: Stop Negative Thoughts

  Reference Reference Stop Negative Thoughts: Getting Started

  Reference Stop Negative Thoughts: Choosing a Healthier Way of Thinking

• Get regular exercise. Get your breathing and heart rate up several times a week.
• Limit alcohol and caffeine (or avoid them completely).
• Reference Join a self-help and support group, such as one organized by the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA).
• Reference Eat a balanced diet. This means eating fresh, healthy foods and limiting your intake of foods that are high in sugar and fat.

Support for the family

When a person has panic attacks, his or her entire family is affected.

If someone in your family has panic attacks, you may feel frustrated, overworked (because you have to take over his or her responsibilities), or socially isolated because the person restricts family activities. These feelings are common.

Reference Family therapy Opens New Window, a type of counseling that involves the entire family, may help.

For more information, see:

Reference Helping Someone During a Panic Attack.

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