If you suffer from panic attacks, or anxiety attacks, you probably worry about having panic attacks in the future and suffer from severe physical and emotional symptoms during an attack. The Mayo Clinic reports that treatments such as medication and therapy can reduce the symptoms of panic attacks, and they recommend that people who suffer from panic disorder practice relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation and guided visualization.
Deep Breathing
Anxiety attacks usually come out of nowhere, so it's hard to get to a safe location to practice a breathing exercise. You obviously can't perform yoga or sit with your legs crossed and your eyes closed to practice meditating if you feel a panic attack coming on during a business lunch or while riding public transportation, so it's important to learn some relaxation techniques that you can do when you're in public. An easy breathing exercise you can do almost anywhere is simple deep breathing. With your eyes closed or open, take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to fill your lungs and belly when you breathe in and empty them when you let your breath out. Repeat this at least 10 times.
Breath Counting
Dr. Andrew Weil, a holistic practitioner, describes another breathing technique you can do in public. He encourages you to close your eyes while completing this exercise, but you can keep them open if you need to. For this exercise, simply breathe naturally and count as you exhale. The first time you exhale, you'll count "one" to yourself, and the second time you exhale you'll count "two" to yourself. Continue counting until you get to five and then repeat this process. Perform this exercise until you begin to feel calm.
Meditation
There are many different types of meditation such as walking meditation and body scanning, but they all have one thing in common. The focus is on being mindful in the present moment and concentrating on your breathing. At first, you should practice meditation to prevent panic attacks, because meditating doesn't come easy to many people. After you've been meditating for a couple of months, you might feel more comfortable turning to meditation when you feel the start of a panic attack.
Guided Imagery
Guided imagery allows your mind to go to safe place while you relax and take deep breaths. Use guided imagery when you can take a break and sit somewhere quiet with your eyes closed. Set a timer for five to 10 minutes and focus on a place that makes you happy with all of your senses. If you love taking walks in the woods behind your house, you might choose to imagine you're there. Smell the crisp fall air, feel the leaves crunch beneath your feet, listen to the birds chirping and picture the colorful trees.
