Where these anxiety attacks comes from is anybody’s guess. There are those who believe they are caused by a particular thing but there are other times there does not seem to be a reason. They may seem terrifying at the time they are occurring but the truth is they are just the mind and the body letting us know there is something to be worried about and we should prepare to leave this situation. Much of this is attributed to the fight or flight theory but the wires get crossed and there is no real threat to be found. The attacks are usually spurred by imagined threats. The anxiety attack can cause sweating palms, a heart beat that races wildly, profuse perspiring, feeling that you are going to die and the weakness that renders you unable to do anything about these feelings. The one thing most people said about anxiety attacks was they made them feel as if they were losing their mind.

The signs that an anxiety attack are on its way can include the feeling that your heart is going to burst out of your chest, an irrational fear of dying at any given minute, perspiring, jittery and nervous, feeling ill and as if your knees are made of rubber. The thoughts keep rushing through your head that you have no control over and you may feel as if you are totally out of control. Many times the anxiety attack starts when inside a store or other building where you are one of many people waiting in a line.

Here are a few of the typical reasons for the onset of a panic attack:

1. Too much caffeine and nicotine. These act as powerful stimulants which can heightened symptoms such as fast breathing, tingling and numbing, racing heartbeat, and chest tightness.

2. If you have a family history of panic attacks it is quite possible that you can suffer form this as well. This does not guarantee that you will have them though. The family history works sometimes and sometimes it does not.

3. Labyrinthitis. Disturbances of the inner ear can often bring about the symptoms of an anxiety attack in certain individuals.

4. The abrupt starting or stopping medications can cause a panic attack. Certain medications such as SSRI can heighten feelings of anxiety when beginning this treatment. Stopping the medication can also cause these feelings.

5. The way you think of things can affect you. There are those who constantly think negatively. They are more predisposed to developing anxiety attacks when they believe something bad is going to happen.

They are indeed very frightening, but the most intense anxiety only occurs within the first 10 minutes of the attack. For the majority of individuals, a typical attack only lasts no more than 10 minutes at a time. Some people can have them for up to 10 minutes longer, while some people only experience feelings of panic and anxiety for as little as 15 seconds. It is different for everyone. Keep in mind that they are not dangerous. Getting control over them is the hardest part. Typically, people will have one anxiety attack after another in fear that they are going to have to go through the horrible experience again. This is usually what begins an ongoing vicious cycle of attacks.

If you really want to conquer these attacks and get rid of them for good you must try to understand panic attacks. The only way to fight the problem is to understand what causes them. Since you have already had the attacks you know how bad they will get. You have already seen the worst, so gathering control when you feel one approaching is the best way to understand that you can stop them. This is the only way to break the cycle. If you stop dreading the onset of the attacks, they will become further and further apart and less frightening. The one thing you should keep in the front of your mind is they are not life threatening and if you control them, they cannot control you.

Knowing what to do to relieve stress is a powerful feeling. When you know how to cope with stressful situations, you can tackle almost any situation with total confidence, even those that tend to stress a lot of us out. When we are put into situations which tend to cause anxiety of fear, that?s when our stress levels ramp up. This anxiety or fear can be from physical danger or emotionally related worries.

However, worrying never helped anything. You need to either accept things as they are or take action to change things.

Often, being anxious stops us being able to decide what to do. We hesitate between several courses of action, worrying that we will not choose the best. We spend hours imagining possible consequences of all the things we could do. We have imaginary conversations with others in our heads, putting words into their mouths that may be the exact opposite of what they would really say.

Most people who suffer from stress believe that all this thinking is useful in some way. They believe they need to think things through. In fact it very rarely helps at all. They imagine a whole course of action from beginning to end and when they do make a choice they commit to it in an ‘all or nothing’ way so that it is very difficult to go back when, as is likely, things do not work out as they imagined.

The best thing to do in most stressful situations is to act, to take one step from a position of confidence, without fear, and see what happens. Then take another step towards your desired outcome, taking into account any reactions that you aroused.

In order to do this, most people need some training. This is where assertiveness and conflict resolution techniques are very helpful, especially where the stress is caused by the demands or expectations of others, or problems such as harassment or arguments.

It is also important to have a clear sense of what is important and what is not, so that we don’t sweat the small stuff. This means having some perspective on our lives and it is often achieved by taking up a new hobby or sport, some useful activity that you can be enthusiastic about. This will stop your whole life revolving around your work, your relationship, your health or whatever it is that is causing the stress.

A good way to defuse acute stress is to do some slow-moving exercise like tai chi or yoga. Mediation and breathing exercises can also be incredibly helpful. Even taking a walk can help to reduce your stress level.

A relaxation technique which was developed specifically to reduce stress, autogenic training involves 15 minute visualizations, ideally done three times a day. You can purchase CDs which show you how to use this technique.

Listening to relaxing music has also been proven to reduce stress. Choose instrumental music with a slow tempo and a relaxed feel. If you simply must have singing, try to pick something which won?t engage you emotionally, such as music sung in a language you do not speak.

Even in our world where most of us lead very busy lives, stress is still avoidable. You can cope with stress in a variety of ways -you can even think of battling stress as a challenge to be overcome; many find this attitude to be a helpful one to take when trying to reduce stress.

Consequences of unchecked stress can be dire. Research has linked some of the major causes of death (heart disease, accidents, suicide, and cancer among them) to stress. Many other physical problems that lead us to our doctors’ offices can also be traced to stress: sleeping and eating disorders, back pain, headaches, high blood pressure etc. Stress anxiety management is the essential first step in protecting our health and, ultimately, prolonging our lives.

“Know thine enemy” are words to live by when it comes to stress anxiety management. Identify what triggers your stress and how you react to it mentally and physically. One good strategy that’ll help you accomplish that goal is keeping a stress journal. Take a minute to jot down what caused you to feel stressed out and what you did in response.

How each of us copes with stress depends on many factors. Be honest with yourself and take a long hard look at what your coping mechanisms are. Have they served you well? Determine what you’ve done in the past that has helped you maintain control over your life. Zero in on stress anxiety management tools that have worked for you. Make a conscious effort to alter whatever behaviors have in the past caused you to feel more stressed out and out of control.

Inevitably, you will encounter stressful situations that you have no control over. Just remember that you always have control over how you react to those situations. For successful stress anxiety management, make a conscious effort to change the way you look at a situation.

Learning time management skills is another proven anxiety stress management tactic. Start each day by writing out a schedule. Put the most important tasks at the top of the list and make sure they get taken care of.

It’s difficult to take good care of your body when you are under stress. You may have a hard time sleeping, you may have trouble eating right and exercising. Yet taking good care of your body is indispensable. Quality sleep, good nutrition, and adequate exercise produce actual physical changes that can elevate our mood and help us deal with stress more effectively.

Make no mistake about it: stress can rob you of your mental and physical health. The good news is that there are many proven, effective anxiety stress management techniques that can easily eliminate stress from your life.