Why panic attacks aren’t actually striking “out of the blue” and what you can do about it

Did you know that if we look closely enough we will find that your panic attacks follow a pattern.

They follow the panic cycle of fear followed by escape or avoidance.

Usually a thought or fear occurs first like, “I hope I don’t have a panic attack here” followed by monitoring of your body for any signs, which eventually escalates into a panic attack.

So why do you keep doing that?

Of course you try to figure out what makes you anxious, so you can try to get some relief. Because, you think preparing in advance like this will limit your anxiety.

But...

The truth is... this avoidance just reinforces your anxiety. So it’s more likely to pop up in the future. And to stick around for a while.

You might be wondering, why is that?

Because you’re unintentionally strengthening the association between the event and anxiety.

So your brain thinks the event is dangerous, because your behavior is telling it that. And then it stores this incorrect information and uses it to warn you in the future.

So, what are you supposed to do?

Instead of trying to limit the anxiety you feel, learn to use those situations as corrective learning opportunities for your brain to see that you can handle feeling anxious.

In other words, to teach your brain that the anxiety is uncomfortable, but not dangerous and you can handle it.

So, what’s the big takeaway?

Remember:

The goal IS NOT about limiting or preventing any anxiety. It’s about teaching your brain that you CAN handle anxiety and those are THE BEST spots to do that!

Easier said than done, right?

You’re like that makes sense, but you’re asking “how do I actually do that?”

Get someone in your corner who’s job is to help you do just that!

Schedule a free intro call to get started.