Unlike too many people on the Internet, I don’t claim to have discovered THE CURE for panic attacks and other anxiety states. I do offer you a beautifully simple insight into panic which will change your reaction to it.  Immediately you’ll start you on the path to calm. The insight?

       “Accept your panic symptoms and ….they’ll go. Fight them, and they’ll intensify.”

Look at that word ‘intensify’. It’s about tensing up. Becoming worried and even more panicky about….what? Your feelings of panic.  Once you really genuinely realise that they’re only feelings, you’ll also come to accept that they can’t harm you.

Yes, I know you don’t want them.

Yes, I know that those fear symptoms can make you very, very uncomfortable.

But tell me this, my sweet one, “in the past, has tensing up and worrying even more about feeling panicky helped those feelings to dissipate?” Your answer?  I know it’s NO.

Just so you’re very clear: tensing up and fighting your symptoms of panic help did not help you in the past.  Tensing up will NOT HELP YOU today.  It won't help you in the future.

One person selling his e-book on the Internet claims that this 'float with your panic' insight is his unique discovery to send panic away. The truth?  The truth is that we’ve known for decades that instead of fighting panic and tensing up, you must do the opposite. More than three decades ago, the Australian General Practitioner the late  Claire Weekes advised people that instead of fighting panic and tensing up, they should float into their panic, and welcome it like an old friend.

From my counselling practice, I know that you know there’s nothing to fear. At a rational level.  At an emotional level, you still feel overwhelmed. For many of you, the fact that you can’t explain why you feel so terrified is often the most upsetting.

Fear of fear itself
Once you accept that there is no real danger, you’ll see that your real and lingering fear IS THE FEAR OF THE PANICKY FEELINGS. If you let those inappropriate messages of fear come and do their worst, you’d learn how to send those fears packing.

So to summarise: When your pulse races, your heart pounds, do the opposite of what you normally do. Do this: 

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  Jeannette Kavanagh works as a counsellor helping people to overcome anxiety in all its manifestations. Over the past couple of decades Dr Kavanagh has helped thousands of people to find peace from the upsetting effects of anxiety, phobias and panic attacks.  All the strategies that she's found successful are compiled in a very affordable self-help kit Calming Words (http://www.calmingwords.com).  On that site, you can sign up for Jeannette's free e-zine Oasis of Calm. (http://www.calmingwords.com/ezine_login.html)