Anxiety Support Groups - Do we need them?

Anxiety or panic attacks can be overwhelming for individuals to undertake by themselves. The fear of participating in events with big crowds is usually a challenge not to mention discussing these problems of fear with friends.

But what can you do? Find out if you experience anxiety or panic attacks symptoms here.

Talking to family & friends
There is a degree of uncertainty how they would take it. They might find it difficult to understand your feeling of irrational worries and that your unwanted thoughts are excessive, telling you it is normal and that it is ok. What they do not realize is that, it is not ok and that there can be ways to eliminate this problem.

What you can do?
Find a treatment that eliminates the root of your anxiety or panic attacks, instead of merely reducing the symptoms of this condition.

What many sufferers discovered?

- Many people find that medications often cannot cure the root(s) of their anxiety or panic attacks.

- Many treatments are complicated and hard to follow. Most give up before the end of the treatment.

- Friends and family are very caring but do not possess the understand of the severity of anxieties and panic attacks. They also often lack the skills and knowledge to assist in depth. This is serious as experienced personnels may know about techniques which may or may not work for sufferers.

- No access provided for 24 hour support. Often sufferers find it very lonely and worrying as the fear of the next panic attack is always unknown.

Top rated anxiety program which is proven to work
If you would like a free 24/7 lifetime support from qualified therapists and individuals who have been through anxiety, the bonus feature of this stop anxiety today program may benefit you - Read more here.

Test Your Anxiety- The 20 Second Countdown

BY BARRY JOE MCDONAGH

Why everywhere you look are top psychologists and doctors still teaching outdated methods for treating general anxiety and panic attacks?

It seems every time I do a search online there is yet another anxiety “expert” rehashing the same old ideas. Brown Paper bags, think happy thoughts, do your breathing etc. I am sure you have come across them a million times before already.

How are people supposed to solve their anxiety issue if they are continuously exposed to these techniques and methods that only teach people to cope with anxiety. Just coping is not good enough. Real solutions are needed.

I want to share with you something that does work. It is a very simple way to help end the fear of a PANIC ATTACK. (In later emails I will address feelings of general anxiety)

This is a very good exercise for people who want something practical to focus their attention on when they feel the pressure of a panic attack building.

Its very simple and easy to remember. Here goes…

The 20 Second Countdown

When you feel the sensations of a panic attack building do the following.

Tell the panic that it has 20 seconds to initiate the full panic attack. 20 seconds and no more. 

After the 20 seconds are complete it must stop making empty threats.

You are allowing 20 seconds for it to fully manifest but not a second more.

Whatever the bodily sensation is that you fear, it must happen within that 20 second time frame.

-If you heart is going to explode then it has 20 seconds to do so.

-If you are going to lose control, then your mind has 20 seconds to do so.

-If you are going to faint – 20 seconds! But absolutely no more time than that.

You get the picture.

By setting a specific time frame you establish boundaries of control. You turn it into a game where you call fear’s bluff. If it were a poker game, you are asking anxiety to show its hand.

This works because it establishes a sense of control within your mind and body.

You think to yourself “I am not prepared to spend my time worrying about this. I’ve had enough. I am going to be generous and give it 20 seconds but after 20 seconds and nothing has happened then the opportunity has officially passed and I am going to go back to what I was doing.”

Then start counting -but nice and slowly, don’t rattle it off as fast as you can. Really tease it out like you did when you were a child and you never wanted to reach zero. Teasing it out is the key because it allows you to feel generous and that you are giving anxiety every chance possible.

Deep down you know there is really nothing to fear.

To really help tease it out, break the last few numbers into fractions.

5…………………………..
4…………………………..
3……………………………
2…and three quarters…
2…and half………………
2…………………………..
1…and three quarters… (last chance anxiety)
1…and half……………… (I really cant wait any longer)
1…………………………..
0.

Sorry too late we’ve reached the end.

By not rushing through the countdown you will feel your confidence soar because you are demonstrating real control and authority over your anxious thoughts and bodily sensations. You are saying “look, I am really trying to give you all the time I can to unleash X,Y, and Z, I am being very generous here with this countdown.

Count your way to freedom. Count your way to confidence.

If you find this type of exercise useful then click here to learn more about other ways to stop anxiety and panic attacks.

Do you fear the arrival of another panic attack?

BY BARRY JOE MCDONAGH

People who have experienced panic attacks often go around with a grave sense of unease that at any moment, they will experience a major panic attack.

It’s a fear of the ultimate panic attack that would finally push them over the edge.

This leads people to make changes to their behavior in order not to do anything that might trigger a panic episode.

When people feel this way, simple daily tasks can become big challenges. Some people start to fear driving their car in traffic. Others fear leaving their safe zone or simply any situation where they have responsibilities to perform.

This state of apprehension keeps a person’s anxiety level high, leading to feelings of general anxiety.

If you are such a person I hope to put your mind at rest. Panic attacks as well as general anxiety (even when not accompanied by panic disorder) can be eliminated in simple steps regardless of how long the anxiety has been a problem.

I am speaking not just from my own personal experience but from having worked with thousands of people right around the world.

Here is an important observation:

The key difference between someone who is cured of panic attacks and those who are not is really very simple. The one who is cured is not afraid of panic attacks. I’ll try to show you how to one of these people as well.

What if I told you the trick to ending panic attacks is to want to have one!

That sounds strange but let me explain.

A simple trick to ending panic attacks is wanting to have one because the wanting causes an immediate diffusion of the anticipatory fear.

Can you have a panic attack in this very second?

No !

You know the saying “what you resist persists.” Well that saying applies perfectly to fear. If you resist a situation out of fear, the fear around that issue will persist.

How do you stop resisting?

You move directly into the path of the anxiety; by doing so it cannot persist because you process the fear out through your emotions.

Try in this very moment to have a panic attack and I will bet you cannot… Yes, I know the idea of calling on a panic attack is scary at first but play with the concept and watch what happens.

You may not realize it but you have always decided to panic. You make the choice by thinking

“This is beyond my control.”

“These scary sensations are beyond my bodies control.”

It may help if you imagine that having a panic attack is like standing on a cliff edge.

The anxiety, it seems, is pushing you closer to falling over the edge. Each time you fight back using poor coping strategies the more desperate you feel.

To be rid of the fear you must metaphorically jump. You must jump off the cliff edge and into the anxiety and fear and all the things that you fear most. How do you jump?

You jump by wanting to have a panic attack. You go about your day asking for a panic attack to appear. Your real safety is the fact that a panic attack will never harm you. That is medical fact.

You are safe, -Yes, the sensations are wild and uncomfortable, but no harm will come to you.

Your body is in a heightened state but no harm will come to you.

The jump becomes nothing more than a two inch drop! You are safe.

You always were.

Think of all the panic attacks you have had to date and come out the other end. Was there any lasting physical damage to you, other than the mounting feeling of panic?

Now you are going to approach this problem differently. You actively seek out the attack like an adventure seeker. Take the opposite approach.

YOU bring it on!!!

To learn more about anxiety and panic attacks, click here.

How To Overcome Earthquake Anxiety

Do you suffer from earthquake anxiety? Being in an earthquake can be a traumatic experience. When an earthquake happens, a person can feel confused and lost what he or she should do next. Life-long savings put into a home, a car or a business can be lost within a few minutes. For some, lives can be lost without the chance to say goodbye. An earthquake can have an unbelievably serious impact on a society.

Earthquake Anxiety

Aftershocks can be nerve breaking. Take for example, the Christchurch earthquake on 4th September 2010 led to around 6000 aftershocks within a period of 6 months. One cannot really know when the next aftershock will happen and if a more serious earthquake will occur. This can affect a person in various ways, ranging from sleepless nights, constant worries, unwanted thoughts, phobia of death and many more. This is known as earthquake anxiety. If left untreated, it can potentially affect the rest of any person's life. 

Tips To Overcome Anxiety

(1) Get support from family & friends

Talk to your loved ones and discuss what is bothering you. This will help you to let out steam, get rid of your worries, boost your self-confidence. You will find that you will feel better with time. So don't be afraid to open up yourself and get support from people around you.

(2) Counselling support

Seek help from counselling support. This will be set up by local authorities following an earthquake and is available to anyone affected by the disaster at no cost. You will be given guidance on how to cope with your losses and how to cope mentally.

(3) Anxiety self-help programs

In addition to the two methods as mentioned, another way to overcome earthquake anxiety is through the use of online self-help programs. They are available for download 24/7. You will learn to reduce and subsequently eliminate unwanted symptoms of anxiety.

A well-known and effective program proved to work for many around the globe can be downloaded here: http://www.preventing-panicattacks.com

For more videos on the World's Most Recent Earthquake, visit: http://www.squidoo.com/most-recent-earthquake

Anxiety And Panic Attack Treatment - Tips On Overcoming Shyness and Preventing Full Blown Anxiety

It is natural to experience regular shyness. This is how we were made and there's nothing we can do to eliminate this bodily response. What we can do is to control and overcome it. This can be done by the sheer force of will, determination, and distraction. Having said that, people who have extreme shyness usually handle it by succumbing to their private world. For some people, being exposed to situations that induce their shyness, like social functions and gatherings, may become a source of anxiety, and that anxiety can lead to panic attacks. How do you prevent that? Simple! Just find some effective ways for really overcoming shyness-it's all about will.

You're not the center of attention. The problem with shy people is that they are afraid to embarrass themselves in front of a crowd. When in social gatherings and you're surrounded by people you don't know, it's important to keep in mind that they have their own businesses and reasons why they are there. They did not turn up because of you, except if you're the host. They most certainly didn't attend to watch your every move and hope that you trip or cause a huge commotion in your corner. In fact, a pack of men grouped in front of you may not even notice that you're there. Realizing that this is true can ease up some of the anxiety of extremely shy people and may even qualify itself as an anxiety and panic attack treatment.

Remember that there are other people worse than you in the room. It's a big world and you have high chances of finding someone who suck at socialization harder than you. Sure, that statement is a bit too much on the ugly side but it's true. A large number of people suffer from extreme shyness. Some of them cope with it, others can't. You're not the worst and you can still do something about your case. Possessing this sort of mindset can boost your confidence. By doing this, you can liberate yourself from a good part of your shyness and some of the anxiety brewing inside whenever attending social gatherings. It can prove to be a useful anxiety and panic attack treatment in the long run, not just something that helped you rid yourself from your shyness.

The person beside you is probably thinking the same as you are. Yes. He or she is shy too. Here's how you do it: stop thinking about yourself. Think that that person is feeling the same way as you are, even worse. Try to introduce yourself. Do it the very first chance you get because the longer you wait, the harder it becomes. Because that particular person is shier than you are (at least that's how you should think), take the initiative to ask the questions so you can start a conversation. Make sure you place complements whenever you think is apt and do listen sincerely with what the person is saying. When you do this, the conversation becomes spontaneous and you'll do that person and yourself a favor by creating an atmosphere that can make its way to become an anxiety and panic attack treatment.

If these methods do not work for you, it is probably time that you get additional help and support in overcoming shyness. Perhaps medications will do the job but if you're too skeptical with them, natural treatments are available in the form of programs or courses written in books, e-books and recorded in audio and visual CD. This type of program provides easy ways to deal with such problems. You don't have to relive your past or undergo expensive therapies with it. It will teach you new information on how to solve your problem. It's very straightforward and this is the perfect natural anxiety and panic attack treatment.

Do you want more information on a natural anxiety and panic attack treatment that can stop anxiety and panic attacks fast and effectively without the use of medication?

For more information, watch this video at: http://www.preventing-panicattacks.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paris_D._Lee

Anxiety Of Death - How to Get Rid of Phobia of Death?

Anxiety of death, also known as death phobia or necrophobia, is the most common type of phobia that scares the hell out of its victims. It is the result of the unconscious mind that acts to protect itself from possible threats. In most cases, these are past seen or witnessed events in life that have a connection to death that resulted, although not always necessarily linked to serious emotional trauma. Such situations lead to an aftermath containing emotional turmoil, potentially for the rest of any person's life, if left untreated.

Anxiety of death is normal. However, if this overpowers you, it would be best for you to steer clear from the triggers. However, you cannot do this forever for the rest of your life since you will only be avoiding a predator that will inevitably consume you in time. You must learn to face it. Your unreasonable phobia of death will not go away on its own.

If you're afraid of dying through drowning, start by learning how to swim in the kid's pool. Once you get good at it, you can level up by going to a deeper pool. You don't have to rush it. You can stay on the edge of the pool where you can get a grip on the railing or the concrete. With a number visits to that pool and submerging your whole body for a number of times, you should try swimming. Still, near the end of the pool where you can easily reach the concrete. After relieving yourself from too much fear, you can now try swimming short distances in the pool and gradually go for the whole length. If you're successful with this, you can go to a bigger body of water.

This is just a specific example on how to control your fear of death. Aquaphobia (fear of large bodies of water) is a different form of phobia. The main point in the example is the fear of dying through drowning and not the fear of water.

Since your mind is being bullied by the anxiety of death, you should teach it to think logically. Tell it that you'll die anyways and that there's no reason for you to fear it more than anyone else does. Everything and everyone dies. And your life will be well-spent if you kill that unreasonable fear before nature and time kills you.

If it helps you to understand, read the Bible. Even if not for the reason of faith, you can still do it for intellectual purposes. It will give your fear direction and possibly give you a more acceptable view over death if you embrace its teachings.

You should also try to relax. Think of what will happen if you die. If you do die, there will no longer be any fears- your soul is free. You can either spend your eternity in heaven or burn in hell. If you die, it will no longer be your problem. Your death will eliminate your anxiety of death. It's as simple as that. But before you grab that rope or open that bottle of bleach, remember to enjoy your life to the fullest first. There are effective treatments available to stop phobia of death. So you can put those things down now.

In order to eliminate this problem and prevent any panic attacks that it may cause, you should put an end to the cycle before it completes itself. If you haven't experienced any attacks yet, well, good for you. If you already have had attacks, stopping the cycle is the key. A program in the name of Panic Away greatly explains this technique in detail.

Do you suffer from the anxiety of death and need help to stop it fast using a natural, powerful and effective technique? For more information on the program Panic Away, watch this video at: http://www.preventing-panicattacks.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paris_D._Lee

Anxiety Support Group - Stop Yourself From Losing Control

A panic attack is an anxiety disorder brought about by excessive fear of a thing, a person, a place or a situation. This causes a person suffering from it to develop a phobia which involves irrational fear. Usually, the phobia associated with panic attacks is the agoraphobia, which is the fear of public places. This phobia develops usually after a person has experienced his first panic attack. When a person experiences an attack, his behavior becomes uncontrollable and he loses control of himself. The person worries excessively, that an attack is going to happen again so he refuses to go out of the house or somewhere he thinks is unsafe. Such an attack causes embarrassment and this is what a person avoids - being humiliated in front of many people.

Another kind of phobia linked to panic attacks is the claustrophobia, which is the fear of small and enclosed spaces. In the elevator for example, the person may feel that something bad is going to happen so he panics and does everything to get out of the elevator. Panic attacks have to be treated correctly as they are a very disturbing problem. There is an anxiety support group to help the person go through his treatment in a shorter amount of time.

In panic attacks, the person hyperventilates and experiences chest pains. Other symptoms include breathlessness and nausea. Headaches arise too because when a person feels fear, his heart beats faster, pumping more blood into the circulatory system. Hence, the blood pressure increases, making the blood vessels dilate. Blood then accumulates in the head causing headaches. The person suffering from panic attacks also thinks irrationally and behaves uncontrollably. In some people, a panic attack can make them feel that they are going to die. These cases required instant treatment as they are worse.

First and foremost, the psychologist or the person himself can identify what causes him to feel such an intense fear. Secondly, he should work on persuading himself that he will not get harmed since there is nothing fearful in a specific object or place. Being part of an anxiety support group would provide the person an opportunity to interact with other panic attack sufferers and those who have already recovered from the disorder. This will enable him to get more insight on how to cure his problem.

Panic attacks are largely a mind-over-matter thing and in order to relieve himself of this, he should see to it that he thinks clearly. His mind should be free from clutter and other unnecessary things or memories. With this, he will have the ability to think much more clearly and make reasonable decisions. Psychologists can offer treatment along with the aid of an anxiety support group where a person can discuss anxiety problems without feeling shy about it. He can also talk about this problem with his family and friends and they can potentially offer help and support.

Are you a member of the anxiety support group but want a fast way to stop anxiety fast, using a natural and effective technique? For more information, watch this video at: http://www.preventing-panicattacks.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paris_D._Lee

Social Anxiety Treatment - Is There A Way To Live Happily Ever After?

Of all the different mental health conditions known to man today, social anxiety disorder is said to be one of the worst as it can essentially stop a person suffering from this condition, from living a happy and full life. Although there are some who think that anxiety attacks is just a normal part of life, for people who have social anxiety disorder, a single attack can already be a cause for intense emotional distress. Not only does it stop a patient from living a normal life, it also causes confusion and pain to those people who care for the patient. Without the proper treatment, a person suffering from social anxiety disorder is doomed to live an empty life. If you feel like you have this condition, or you know someone whom you would like to help, this short guide can teach you a couple of tricks on how to fight anxiety. Want to know how you can get started on a social anxiety treatment today? Read on to find out more.

Be comfortable with your surroundings

First off, you need to learn to be comfortable with your surroundings. Instead of hiding away and fearing the world, you need to change your perspective and start looking at it as a place where you can experience new things and meet exciting people. Remove the fear that you will be judged by others by finding a quiet place where you can relax and be yourself. From there, you'll be able to develop a healthy outlook towards the world.

Build your confidence

Next, you should also start building your confidence. People who experience social anxiety have that inclination to think poorly of themselves, which then provokes them to build up an illogical fear for social situations. If you want to be able to get rid of that fear, you can start by listing down all the things and qualities you like about yourself.

Learn to use eye contact
 
Want to be more confident in social situations instantly? Make it a habit to look people in the eye when you talk to them. Apart from being able to let your guard down over time, you might also discover that talking to people isn't as bad as you have imagined it to be.

Ease your way into social settings

Instead of being a wallflower at parties and gatherings, or ignoring your need for a social life completely, you should make that effort to ease your way into social settings. Learn the art of making a start on conversations with strangers. From there, it will be much easier for you to develop meaningful relationships.

Many experts would recommend that you begin by looking up on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in order to deal with social anxiety disorder. As this specific social anxiety treatment method teaches you to recognize the thoughts, behavior patterns and reactions that can cause you to feel stress, you'll become more adept in dealing with them. Talk to your therapist to find out about this technique and whether it will work for you.

Are you looking for the most effective social anxiety treatment that works fast using natural remedies? Eliminate anxiety and live the normal life you deserve. Find out more at http://www.preventing-panicattacks.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paris_D._Lee

Getting to Sleep and Panic Attacks at Night

By Barry Joe McDonagh

As most doctors will tell you, there are two things that disturb sleep: physical pain and worry.

It’s therefore understandable that many people with anxiety report frequent sleep disturbance as a major problem.

Not being able to sleep can actually be quite traumatic for many people.

The first thing you need to understand about sleep is this: it’s not the amount of sleep you get that’s important, but rather the quality of the sleep.


Quality over quantity.

I am going to give you some quick tips to help tackle any problems you are having with sleep. Firstly, to break the insomnia cycle, begin by not presuming you will sleep! That seems like the wrong attitude, but if you approach each night as just a possible opportunity to sleep, this helps remove the pressure you are placing yourself under.

In a way, some people have performance anxiety when they think about sleeping:

“Will I be able to make myself sleep tonight?”

The answer is maybe yes, maybe no. If you’re going through a period of sleeplessness, a good night’s sleep isn’t guaranteed, for whatever reason, so you have to accept that for the moment. If you get one or two hours’ sleep, that’s well and good, and if you get nothing, then accept it and move on. Each night, as you retire, say to yourself:

“I’m preparing for bed, but I won’t try to force sleep. If it comes, it comes. If not, I won’t beat myself up over it. This is a period I’m going through, but I’ll soon return to normal sleep patterns.”

Every person goes through periods of sleeplessness from time to time. It’s very natural. You may not be aware of why you experience sleeplessness, but at the very least, you can accept it.

Let me emphasize the importance of surrendering to your inability to sleep. Surrender to whatever may or may not happen during the course of a night, and you’ll put your mind under less pressure. After a certain point, it’s really the anger and frustration that keep you awake most of the night.

Naturally the best way to get a good night’s sleep is a good physical workout each evening in the outdoors. This is very effective because the mind may try to keep you awake, but the sheer physical exhaustion brings on sleep quicker. Couple that with a willingness to accept sleeplessness, and you’ll find yourself sleeping much easier.

Remember that alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine should be avoided several hours before sleep. You may be the type who finds it initially hard to get to sleep as your mind races with anxious thoughts. Should you find your mind racing and you simply can’t achieve sleep, keep a journal beside your bed. Sit upright and start to write down how you feel:

“I’m feeling quite restless. I keep turning over and over, trying to sleep, but I have worries on my mind.” Now write down all of your worries, for example:

“Tomorrow I have to do X, and I’m afraid I won’t be well rested, etc.”

Continue to write down your worries until the exercise actually becomes quite boring. Then your body and mind will slowly want to return to sleep. Writing like this is a simple tool for preparing your mind in a linear way to wind down and return to sleep (an advanced form of counting sheep).

Don’t be afraid of writing pages and pages of nothing in particular. What you’re doing is helping the conscious mind release whatever is keeping it awake so it can stop obsessing and return to sleep.

You see, one of the reasons we can’t fall asleep is that our mind feels these worries (whatever they are) are important to analyze over and over; they need urgent attention and therefore should be thought about all night long.

The more worked up you get by the worries, the more your body gets stimulated and the harder sleep is to achieve. Writing down all your worries on paper has the effect of saying to your mind:

“Okay, mind, you think these are important. I’ve written them all down in detail. They won’t be forgotten, I promise. I can come back to them tomorrow and deal with them then-but RIGHT NOW, let’s sleep.”

The mind can be like a small child who just needs reassurance that things will be dealt with and looked after. That’s all it needs to let go of these mental worries. You then discover, in the morning, that almost all of the worries or concerns aren’t big issues. Many of our worries are the workings or an overactive imagination.

Dr. Dennis Gersten of San Diego suggests an approach that is effective for particularly restless nights. You may want to experiment with it the next time you are very restless in bed.

Try the following:

-As you lie there in bed, start by remembering a time in your life when you absolutely had to stay awake! Maybe it was an important exam you were studying for and you had to keep cramming through the night.

Maybe it was staying up all night nursing your baby to sleep. Maybe it was when you were traveling through the night on a bus and needed to stay awake in case you missed your stop.

I am sure there have been many different occasions in your life where you had to force yourself to stay awake.

-Remember the weariness and the effort just to keep your eyes open. Remember how your eyelids felt like lead weights and you wished you could close them, even just for a minute. At that time, you could not give in to your urge to fall asleep; you had to fight hard to stay awake. Relive those memories and really try and remember exactly what that felt like.

-Now think about right now, and how good it feels to actually be in bed with no pressing need to stay awake. Think how much you would have given to be where you are now, lying in your bed with your head resting on the pillow and the complete freedom you have to fall asleep. It feels really good to actually have full permission to fall asleep right now.

There are no demands on you to stay awake. With your eyes closed spend a few more minutes remembering that time.

-End of exercise.

 

Night Panic Attacks

People with anxiety disorders can sometimes be awakened at night by panic attacks. We know that most nighttime panic attacks aren’t caused by dreams. Records of sleep polysomnographia show that most panic attacks take place during the early sleep phase (phase II), not during the REM phase associated with dreams.

This is different from nightmares. Nightmares happen during the second half of the night, so we’re often able to remember the content of these dreams.


It’s important not to go to bed fearing you might have a panic attack. Go to bed confident that if one should arise, you’ll successfully deal with it. That way, you don’t put yourself under pressure to NOT have a panic attack. Many panic attacks are experienced at the very moment of falling asleep.


If you wake with a panic attack, implement the One Move Technique as outlined in my course Panic Away. (See end of email)

Here’s a description a woman recently gave of her experience:

“Getting to sleep is a real problem. Just as I’m about to drop off to sleep, my body seems to jolt awake, like an electric shock, which then frightens me and keeps me awake for hours.”

This jolt is called a hypnic jerk, or hypnagogic massive jerk. A hypnic jerk usually occurs just as the person enters sleep. People often describe it as a falling sensation or an electric shock, and it’s a completely normal experience. It’s most common when we’re sleeping uncomfortably or overtired.

There’s been little research on the subject, but there are some theories as to why hypnic jerks occur. When we drift off into sleep, the body undergoes changes in temperature, breathing, and muscle relaxation. The hypnic jerk may be a result of the muscles relaxing. The brain misinterprets this as a sign of falling, and it signals our limbs to wake up, hence the jerking legs or arms.

People turn hypnic jerks into panic attacks because they already feel nervous about their condition and the jolt scares them into thinking something bad is happening. Again, it’s a fearful reaction to a sensation.
Usually when these people wake up, they gasp for air, and this can also turn into a fear of a breathing problem while sleeping. If you jolt awake with panic, then simply understanding the nature of a hypnic jerk can strip away the anxiety from the experience.

Reassure yourself that you’re safe and that the jerk isn’t something to worry about. It doesn’t disrupt your bodily functions, and it doesn’t put you in any danger.

That concludes the Anxiety Mini Series.

I hope you have been able to take something from it. I want to leave you with a few last comments. All too often people with anxiety are pressurized to end their anxiety. People pass remarks like:

“I wish you could just snap out of your anxiety”.

Although people mean well, these type of comments are not helpful. People don’t just think one thought and snap out of anxiety. There is a step by step process of removing the illusion that anxiety creates and for some this can take time where the anxiety has been present for many years.

As this is the last of the mini email series I really want to impress upon you that anxiety is curable. What you must never stop doing is searching for the right approach for you. By the way I hope I have not come across too strong in pushing my course Panic Away. I am excited by the results it gets and that is why I talked about it frequently.

After many years working in this area I am now more convinced than ever that every single person, regardless of how severe, can end their anxiety problem. If you have a thought that is telling you different then you need to lose that thought.

Never stop trying, never give up. That is the best you can do.

If you want to learn more about my work then visit us here.



All material provided in these emails are for informational or educational purposes only. No content is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your symptoms or medical condition