Has this ever happened to you, out of the blue, for apparently no reason at all? You suddenly start experiencing any or all of the following symptoms: shortness of breath, chest pain or discomfort such as tightness, lightheaded, dizziness, faint, palpitations, a pounding heart, sweating, trembling or shaking, a choking sensation, nausea or stomach cramps, numbness or a tingling sensation, chills or hot flashes.

Then you experience a fear of losing control or going crazy and even a fear of dying.

If you suffer from anxiety, then you already know that you are having an attack. If you are experiencing most of the symptoms above and do not know what is happening to you, there's a good chance that it is an anxiety/panic attack.

The first thing you should do is to have your doctor check you out. Do not be afraid to have it checked if you think it's anxiety. At one time, people would feel embarrassed when they found out that it was "all in their head". But it's not all in your head. Anxiety and panic attacks are real and you'd be surprised to learn how many people suffer from this condition. Sadly, many suffer quietly at home, too afraid to venture beyond their safe place.

I have had anxiety attacks on and off for over 20 years. My doctor told me it was anxiety, but I was told to simply try to relax.

Over the years, more has been learned about anxiety and panic attacks, as well new drugs have been developed to alleviate them.

But the drugs only mask the symptoms and they come with many unwanted side effects. I was also told that I would be on the drug for two years, then I would have to stop taking them and go through withdrawal.

So I stopped taking my prescription after a few days. I decided that I would have to find a way to stop the attacks myself.

Here is what has worked for me. First, make the decision that you are going to take charge and be anxiety free. Imagine how it would feel to always feel good, to be able to go anywhere you want to go, to stand in crowds or in line-ups and be calm and relaxed just like everyone else. Remember, thoughts do create and if you keep thinking about the attacks, they do get worse.

Do deep breathing exercises as often per day as you can remember. Breathe deeply through your nostrils. Breathe not only with your chest, but take a deep breath and expand your stomach. Exhale through your mouth. This seems to work much better than exhaling through your nostrils, but you can try it both ways to see which works best for you.

I have learned that deep breathing is a good practice for anyone. It helps to increase your oxygen and rid the body of toxins and increase your energy.

Your doctor will tell you to eliminate coffee, tobacco and alcohol from your lifestyle. This is good advice, however, if you feel that it is too much to ask of you at this time. I have some suggestions to follow so that you can still work on your goal of being anxiety free without having to give up so much at once.

You can start out by cutting back on your coffee. Too much coffee can make you jittery and bring on an attack. I still have my coffee many times throughout the day, but I only drink a half cup at a time. So I have cut my intake in half and it feels like it gives me the same lift as drinking a full cup.

If you smoke, but feel that you cannot give up the cigarettes at this time, do the same thing as I did for the coffee. When you want a cigarette, only smoke half at a time.

I chose to eliminate alcohol altogether. Even if I only drank a small amount, it was enough to guarantee an attack the next day. Alcohol does effect people differently, so if you find that alcohol does not always cause you to have an attack the next day, still try to reduce the amount you drink.

Exercise can help a lot. You do not have to do strenuous exercises. I practice Qi Gong. It caught my attention when I read how it can stop anxiety. The exercises are easy, even 10 minutes a day can work for you. It has for me.

Qi Gong exercises are energy work. When you have an energy blockage in your body, it will cause dis-ease. By practicing Qi Gong, you remove the blockage and you can feel better rather quickly. When you practice Qi Gong, you not only heal your own body, but you increase your energy so that you can heal others. I have seen some amazing healings with Qi Gong. So it was no surprise that it can cure anxiety, too.

Another suggestion, which is rather interesting, concerns the stimulation of the "amygdala", which is a small almond shaped organ in the brain. You actually have two of them, one on each side of your brain.

I learned about the amygdala when I stumbled across a website that told how by stimulating them with your thoughts, it would increase your awareness, intelligence, etc.

There were times when I was feeling good that I would feel a sensation on my forehead. It would be a tingling feeling, or like someone was lightly touching my forehead with their hand. That is the same sensation that I can produce at any time now by putting my attention on my forehead.

What is interesting about the amydala is that there is a method for curing anxiety, panic and phobias that says that the amygdala is responsible for those conditions and that this fact has been known for many years and is common knowledge among scientists the world over.

So there could be something to it, based on my own experience. I still make it a point to focus my attention on my forehead around the area of the amydala everyday. You might to give that a try too.

The thing is, you don't have to suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. And you don't have to settle for addictive prescription drugs in order to feel better. There is an abundance of help available to you and it is all natural.

I wish you much success in your healing!

Copyright 2005