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Panic Attacks: Stop Scaring Yourself!

January 4, 2012 by otuss 8 Comments

WHAT IS A PANIC ATTACK?

Panic Attack!

A panic attack is a period of intense fear and worry that a person experiences with or with out an identified trigger that appears to come out of nowhere.

A panic attack usually does not last for more than 10 minutes.

People who have experienced a panic attack at some point in their lives have described it as the most terrifying and uncomfortable situation they have ever been in, especially if the person was having a panic attack in a public/social situation.

More times than not, panic attacks are mistaken for heart attacks and many people rush to the ER for medical attention. People usually are diagnosed with panic attacks when the doctors find absolutely nothing wrong with them. It takes a lot of time for most people to accept that what they experienced was “just” a panic attack because of how intense the feeling could be.

A panic attack can be seen as some kind of a “glitch” in our autonomic nervous system which is responsible to send a general “alarm” to our bodies to either “fight or flight” when we are in a dangerous situation. People who experience panic attacks may have an over sensitive or hyper-reactive autonomic nervous system.

TWO TYPES OF FEARS:

During a panic attack a person will experience two types of fears.

The primary fear is the initial and physical experience of pure panic; racing heart, interrupted breathing, sweating, etc.

SYMPTOMS THAT COMMONLY OCCUR DURING A PANIC ATTACK:

1.) Numbness/tingling sensations

2.) Dizziness,faintness, difficulty balancing

3.) Racing and/or Pounding heart

4.) Chest Tightness

5.) Sweating

6.) Shaking

7.) Hot Flashes

8.) Feeling unreal or as if you’re in a dream

9.) Nausea or abdominal discomfort

10.) Shortness of breath

11.) Fear of dying

12.) Fear of “losing it”

13.) Fear of losing control

14.) Intense need to flee or escape

The secondary fear are the thoughts that follow these physical sensations a person experiences during a panic attack.

THE CYCLE:

Treating individuals who experience panic attacks and a variety of different anxiety disorders, I’ve come to learn that addressing the secondary fears (thoughts) first have been extremely helpful in decreasing the intensity of the attacks. Let’s take a look at some of the very common false beliefs and thoughts that most people have during panic attacks.

“I’m going to stop breathing”

“I’m going to pass out”

“I’m going crazy”

“I’m going to embarrass myself”

“I’m going to fall”

I’m going to have a heart attack”

“I’m going to die”

These thoughts and internal dialogue will only intensify your panic attack, so cut it out!

Not so easy right?

Well here are some facts about panic attacks that may help you negate these thoughts and help you kick panic attacks in the ass.

MYTH BUSTING!

Busted!

You will NOT suffocate because of a panic attack:

When distressed, your body tends to tighten the muscles, and that includes your neck and chest muscles which reduces the extent of your respiratory function. This does not mean there is anything wrong with your lungs or breathing at all. If you are not taking in enough oxygen, your brain will utilize it’s built in mechanism to force you to take deeper breaths or gasp. Yes, the feeling of suffocating IS NOT PLEASANT, but trust that you will not actually suffocate. There are no recorded deaths of suffocation during panic attacks

You will NOT faint because of a panic attack- Due to hyperventilation, (fast,fast breathing) during a panic attack, you may feel light headed which may give off the impression that you are going to faint. NO! Your blood circulation to your brain has slightly decreased. This is far from deadly. Allow the light-headed feelings to diminish, they will with time, along with slowed breathing.

Guess what!!? During a panic attack your heart is beating a little quicker; people usually faint when their hearts slow down.

So Much Panic!

You will NOT fall during a panic attack:

Sometimes you may feel as if your legs are too weak to hold your body which triggers the thoughts “I’m going to fall”, which then leads to “I’m going to embarrass myself or get hurt”.

Adrenaline is released during a panic attack which sometimes causes dilation in blood vessels in your legs. This feeling is JUST a feeling. Your legs are not actually weaker, they are just as strong as they were before the panic attack.

You will NOT go CRAZY during a panic attack:

A common reaction to rapid breathing is the sensation of feeling “not in reality”. Again, this is JUST a sensation. If you experience a feeling of disorientation or “dream like”, tell yourself that this is just a reaction to a change in your breathing. People do not go crazy from a panic attack. Mental illnesses are complex and usually progress slowly over time. There are no recorded “psychosis” due to a panic attack.

Stay Strong!

You will NOT have a heart attack during a panic attack- A healthy and strong heart can beat 200 beats per minute for as long as several weeks without a problem! Your heart can withstand a lot more than you think it can. There is a MAJOR difference between what your heart feels like during a panic attack and during a true heart attack.

THE DIFFERENCES:

During a panic attack your heart may pound and beat more rapidly and sometimes people complain of some pain. This pain quickly subsides.

During a true heart attack, there is much more consistent pain involved and intense pressure against the chest. This pain gets worse and worse.

EKG research indicates that during a panic attack, there are no abnormalities in the heart other than rapid beating. EKG tests indicates quite a few abnormalities in the heart during a heart attack.

APPLYING IT:

Now that you have learned a little more about the realities of panic attacks, try to replace your catastrophic thoughts with your knew FACTUAL knowledge. You are not going to die from a panic attack. Yes, they are scary, traumatic, and serve as interruptions in the lives of many, but don’t give them THAT much credit.

Well now you will know that that is one of the most common thoughts people have during panic attacks.

A last piece of advice- Embrace the symptoms. The more you try to avoid these symptoms, such as isolating yourself, constantly seeking medical attention, avoiding walking,talking and just being during a panic attack, the more you will reinforce your false beliefs that they are dangerous. You are stronger than a panic attack. Laugh at it. Millions of people experience panic attacks.

THERE ARE NO RECORDED DEATHS DUE TO PANIC ATTACKS!

You will NOT go CRAZY during a panic attack:

A common reaction to rapid breathing is the sensation of feeling “not in reality”.

Again, this is JUST a sensation. If you experience a feeling of disorientation or “dream like”, tell yourself that this is just a reaction to a change in your breathing. People do not go crazy from a panic attack. Mental illnesses are complex and usually progress slowly over time. There are no recorded “psychosis cases” due to a panic attack.

ATHLETES WOULD BE DROPPING DEAD:

If our hearts could not sustain some rapid beating once in a while, don’t you think athletes would be dropping to the floor left and right?

You may tell yourself, even after learning and knowing all of this, that during your next panic attack, that this one is different. you may tell yourself, “This time it’s really a heart attack”. Well now you will know that that is one of the most common thoughts people have during panic attacks.

No One Dies From Panic Attacks!

THERE ARE NO RECORDED DEATHS DUE TO PANIC ATTACKS.

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Reasons Why People Don’t “Succeed”

January 3, 2012 by breakinbadd 11 Comments

Success is a key to happiness, and happiness is a key to success.

Key to Success

In reality, without each other, a person is neither truly happy or successful, but it all depends on how you define the term successful.

There are many cases where very successful people become depressed, sick, or badly injured, and their success in life is easily forgotten about and does not make them feel “good” anymore. This is why happiness, along with positivity is essential to becoming succesful.

When most people think of success, they think of becoming a millionaire right away. Yes, this is in fact “success,” and one should be proud of it, but I see success as something way before becoming that millionaire.

Success was the point in time when you decided that you can and will become that millionaire you are today. Success is when you beat all of the negative thoughts telling you that you cannot do something, because once you beat negativity, the path to success should be much easier and almost automatic.

Negativity is such a powerful energy that most people in the world let control their minds.

The more negatively you think, the worse the outcome will be. This is the case in every situation that you can think of.

If you think about it, you can do anything that you want at any given time. When you wake up tomorrow, there will be many possibilities for you to become that millionaire, but your mind does not allow you to achieve this. Our brains act as a barrier telling us that this is impossible and it can’t be done.

I use myself as an example. Years ago when I was entering high school, I was a very talented baseball player. I was gifted with the ability to throw left-handed which gave me an automatic spot on the team. What I didn’t realize at the time was that my mind was full of too many negative thoughts. I always thought I was the worst, and I was always worried about getting cut. These negative thoughts eventually became the reason why I stopped playing baseball.

Now I think to myself, what if I beat these negative thoughts at that young age?

What if I “succeeded” in overcoming the negative energy that surrounded me?

This would have led to me working harder,caring more, and using all of my abilities to possibly becoming a professional baseball player. It may seem crazy, but anyone can become anything that they truly want to be, as long as they train their minds to allow them to reach that point.

If you work on this slowly, you can train your mind to allow you to take advantage of all the possibilities around you.

Anything can be done, and it starts with the energy that surrounds you. Now that you understand my meaning of success, I have come up with 3 main reasons why people do not reach their definition of “success.”

Positive energy will lead you to success

1. Excuses are Negative Energy

Saying ” I have no time”, “I cannot do it”, “no one is supporting me”, “I’m not smart enough” etc, are all excuses that need to be thrown away in order to be successful. Telling yourself that you cannot do something or that you are not smart enough are signs that you let negative energy get the best of you.

Like I said before, the first step in being successful, is overcoming negative energy, which many people learn the hard way. This should be taught to all teenagers approaching high school. I honestly find it more important than some of these irrelevant classes that they have the students sit through.

2. Fear of Failure: Fear is Negative Energy

Embracing Failure is a main key to success. You should not fear failure, but take it in, as it happens to many people. If you fail, this is not the end of what you were trying to do. Get back up and use your failing experience to better yourself.

Yes, when it comes down to it, you are trying to succeed, but when you live your life fearing failure, you will never achieve any of your goals. Fear of failure will stop you from making attempts. The only way you will turn your thoughts and ideas into reality is if you attempt them, but failure restricts many people from doing so. Do not allow this to control your future.

3. Not Taking Action

It may sound repetitive, but this is one of the biggest reasons why people don’t reach their “success.” I explained the first stages of success as the point in time when you beat all of your negative thoughts that restrict you from taking action. I did not get into detail of all of the stages of success, but the most important thing that everyone should know is that the only way you will succeed is if you attempt.

Many people have had million dollar ideas, but were to scared of failure and they never took action. They just watched other people come up with the same idea and turn it into their own reality.

This negative energy led to the person not attempting to make their ideas into a reality. If you think about it, everything around you was once just an idea of somebody elses imagination. It was eventually created because they believed they can do it, and they overcame all of the negativity telling them that they can’t. It may sound stupid, but the scene you may see in movies when there are two little people standing on a persons shoulders trying to influence them in making a decision happens in everyone’s life.

One is positive energy, and the other is negative energy.

All that you have to do is learn how to take in the positive energy and ignore the negative energy.

Recently, I have become a firm believer of the law of attraction, and I believe that this theory can change anyones life.

I do wish that I learned all of this at an earlier stage in my life, but now that I have started to overcome negative energy, I am using it to better myself.

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The Power of Positive Thinking

December 26, 2011 by @dieselpokers 36 Comments

Thoughts become things.

I urge you for a few seconds to take a look around you.

Everything around you is the product of thought.

Every item created by mankind was an initial thought put into physical motion and manifested into physical reality.

Without thought, there simply would be no things.

Positivity Trumps Negativity

Having this in mind, think of the possible crazy realities of this idea. Since the human mind is essentially limitless with infinite potential, any thought could in theory manifest in the physical realm.

We as human beings create our own thought patterns whether we realize it or not.

90% of our thoughts come from our subconscious mind which since birth has been programmed by society, media, governments, advertisements and our own unique experiences.

Only 10% of our thoughts come from our conscious mind which has the ability to choose thoughts from a database of thoughts from the subconscious mind.

Since the subconscious mind has undergone so much programming from an early age with no restriction, a majority of us will grow up with negative thought patterns that have been instilled in us by our own parents, governments and cultures.

These negative thought patterns grow with us as we age through time without us realizing it.

For many people, it will be almost impossible to change.

When we consciously start to decide to adapt positive thinking patterns we can tap into the subconscious power to fuel our lives in the right direction.

Thoughts become things, positive thoughts result in positive things.

The more you can eliminate negative thought patterns the more positive things you can produce in your life. Without negative restrictions, the mind can has the ability to strictly think positive at all times and can produce some extremely powerful results if you let allow it to.

Reprogramming your subocnscious is easy if you know how to.

Adapting a new positive thinking pattern will take some time and it will not be easy at first.

Resistance from your subconscious will occur because it is resisting a new thought pattern that is different from its current negative thought pattern. The negative thought pattern tries to override the new level of thinking and if you allow it to it can land you right back at square one in a sea of negative thinking.

Once you are able to overcome the resistance of your own thoughts, you are closer to mastering your own mind.

Once you allow yourself to master your mind, you no longer become a slave to your previous negative thinking patterns.

There are many ways to reprogram your mind into a positive state.

One method I like to employ in my life is zazen meditation.

Meditation enables you to reconquer your mind by slowly calming and releasing all thought. Once the mind is completely still, it is in its purest state. In this state you can tap into your subconscious mind and release all the negativity from your mind.

Meditation is some pretty powerful stuff.

I have been able to bring my mind into an extremely peaceful state at all times and it has allowed me to release all the negative programming I have been exposed to in my earlier childhood years. There are many different methods of meditation and it is an unique experience to each individual who tries it.

Subliminal reprogramming has become very popular over the past few years and it is an effortless method of reprogramming your subconscious mind. Silent subliminal audio tapes can be played anywhere at anytime and will influence your subconscious mind automatically without any conscious resistance.

The audio’s messages go below the threshold of the conscious mind to pick up but the subconscious picks up the messages and acts on them INSTANTLY creating any kind of change you want in your life and can even train you to learn new skills, languages and abilities without any effort.

This new technology is still in its adolescence and has yet to have any major studies done on it but I will tell you that I have personally tried it and I can say it works and produces results.

There will still need to be conscious effort and work put in on your part but if you have the desire to do something, these audio tapes can certainly boost your ability to achieve the results you want.

Positive Thinking is The Key to Success

When you think positively, you get all the creative juices flowing in your brain and your brain acts to help you create the ideas you have in your mind. Negative thinking patterns block the ability to envision a thought as becoming physical.

When you tell yourself something wont happen, it wont happen.

There is no “wont” in positive thinking, it simply doesn’t exist.

Positivity leads to abundance of creative idea that have all led to extremely innovate creations such as iPhones, spaceships, and the internet.

Those are all the product of limitless creative thought. The designers of such products were in such a positive mindset they believed all their ideas would become creations and sure enough they did. The absence of doubt and the lack of insecurities enabled them to explore the infinite creative power of their own minds.

They envisioned something that had not yet been created and had the balls to go for it, and achieved it.

Without positively knowing they were going to achieve, they would have just failed and succumbed to all the roadblocks many of us encounter in reaching our dreams.

Technology keeps advancing because the smart minds in our human race are diving deeper into the depths of human creativity and innovation.

They choose to think differently than anyone else has ever on this planet and that gives them ability to design insanely new powerful creations. And it is going to keep going on forever as we continue through the cycle of life.

Positive thinking is leading the way.

Thinking positively will destroy any barriers you have created in your mind and open you up to the realm of infinite possibility. As unique individuals, we all have different areas of possibilities to tap into.

We all have different ideas we would like to explore and create into our lives and creating a positive thinking pattern for yourself will guide you in the direction towards achieving whatever you desire.