A printable version of "Ten
Commandments" from http://www.stardrift.net/survivor/panic.html
Ten Commandments to Remember During a
Panic Attack
Adapted from Fensterheim, H. and Doer,
J. "Stop Running Scared!"
- It does not matter if you feel
frightened, bewildered, unreal, unsteady. These feelings
are nothing more than an exaggeration of the normal
bodily reactions to stress.
- Just because you have these sensations
doesn't mean you are very sick. These feelings are just
unpleasant and frightening, not dangerous. Nothing worse
will happen to you.
- Let your feelings come. They've been
in charge of you. You've been pumping them up and making
them more acute. Stop pumping. Don't run away from panic.
When you feel the panic mount, take a deep breath and, as
you breathe out, let go. Keep trying. Stay there almost
as if you were floating in space. Don't fight the feeling
of panic. Accept it. You can do it.
- Try to make yourself as comfortable as
possible without escaping. If you're on a street, lean
against a post or stone wall. If you're at the cosmetics
department of the department store, find a quieter
counter or corner. If you're in a boutique, tell the
salesperson you don't feel well and want to sit for a
while. Do not jump into a cab and go home in fear.
- Stop adding to your panic with
frightening thoughts about what is happening and where it
might lead. Don't indulge in self-pity and think,
"Why can't I be like all the other normal people?
Why do I have to go through all this?" Just accept
what is happening to you. If you do this, what you fear
most will not happen.
- Think about what is really happening
to your body at this moment. Do not think,
"Something terrible is going to happen. I must get
out." Repeat to yourself, "I will not fall,
faint, die, or lose control."
- Now wait and give the fear time to
pass. Do not run away. Others have found the strength.
You will too. Notice that as you stop adding the
frightening thoughts to your panic, the fear starts to
fade away by itself.
- This is your opportunity to practice.
Think of it that way. Even if you feel isolated in space,
one of these days you will not feel that way. Sometime
soon you will be able to go through the panic and say,
"I did it." Once you say this, you will have
gone a long way toward conquering fear. Think about the
progress you have already made. You are in the situation.
- Try to distract yourself from what is
going on inside you. Look at your surroundings. See the
other people on the street, on the bus. They are with
you, not against you.
- When the panic subsides, let your body
go loose, take a deep breath, and go on with your day.
Remember, each time you cope with a panic, you reduce
your fear.
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