1. Remember that although your feelings and symptoms can be very frightening, they are not dangerous or harmful.
2. Understand that what you are experiencing is an exaggeration of your normal bodily reactions to stress.
3. Do not fight your feelings or try to wish them away. The more you face your fears, the less intense they will become.
4. Do not add to your panic by thinking about what “might” happen. If you find yourself thinking, “What if?” then try telling yourself, “So what!”
5. Stay in the present. Notice what is really happening to you, compared to what you think “might” happen.
6. Label your fear level from 0-10 and watch it go up and down. Notice that the fear level does not stay high for long.
7. When you find yourself thinking about fear, change your primary thought. Focus on a simple manageable task and carry it out.
8. Notice that when you stop adding frightening thoughts, your fear begins to fade.
9. When the fear comes, accept it. Wait. Don’t run away. Give it time to pass. Learn to expect it.
10. Once you’ve applied some of these concepts, be proud of yourself for the progress you’ve made. Think about how good it will feel when you succeed in taming your panic and fear.
Types of phobias:
- Fear of death or severe pain
- Fear of losing control
- Fear of restraint, or confinement
- Fear of being abandoned
- Fear of the strange or unknown.
> Get help with panic attacks at our therapy centers.
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