Posted on February 23, 2009 - by admin

Anxiety Attack Symptoms – Stopping them Before they Stop You

The scariest part of an Anxiety attack is not knowing the symptoms. Without knowing what to expect an anxiety attack can become a much scarier experience.

Being able to identify anxiety attack symptoms can help decrease or eliminate them. By knowing what is supposed to happen you can rationally calm down and handle the situation in a better manner.

No two anxiety attacks are the same and while everyone has different experiences there are some common symptoms to look out for. The most common anxiety attack symptos are shortness of breath, lightheadedness, and extreme heart pounding.

Anxiety Attack Symptoms to Look out for:

1. The first and scariest symptom for most is heart pounding. During an anxiety attack the heart tends to beat faster and cause more notice to an individual. This in turn causes most to believe they are experiencing a heart attack which will kill them. This panic further leads the individual into the anxiety attack. In reality the heart pounding causes no actual damage or harm other than the false fear it invokes.

2. Breathlessness is the next anxiety attack symptom that most experience. At the onset of this symptom a person will feel their breathe become shallow and rapid. The feeling of not being able to breathe will further scare a person and increase the severity of a panic attack.

3. The last of the common symptoms is lightheadedness. This symptom can cause a person to believe that they are dizzy or about to faint. It occurs most often in large crowds and chaotic events. The key to this symptom is knowing that you will not actually faint but are just dizzy. It is easier to pretend that you just spun in circles a couple times like when a child.

The key to any anxiety attack in the end is knowing the symptoms. If you know what you are up against the attack will be nowhere near as scary as before. Like knowing there is no monster under your bed it’s important to really understand that nothing that happens in an anxiety attack can actually hurt you. If you suffer from attacks on a frequent basis make a point to learn all the anxiety attack symptoms you experience and what triggers them. After that the next time you feel a symptom coming on rationally tell yourself why it is happening and remind yourself that it can’t hurt you.