Panic attacks can be a debilitating mental health problem. They're a feeling of intense fear, and physical sensations that mimic serious health issues like heart attacks or brain tumors. Yet in almost every case, panic attacks have no direct physical cause – they're an anxiety disorder that simply feels like a psychical disorder, and can cause some immeasurable fear that makes it hard to go about your daily life.
Panic attacks can be cured, but reducing the symptoms and severity of panic attack requires decisions and life changes that improve your panic attack outlook. Unfortunately, many men that suffer from panic attacks make mistakes that contribute to making their panic attacks worse. Avoiding these mistakes is an important part of curing panic attacks once and for all.
Mistakes Men Make with Panic
1. Not Seeking Help – In many ways, every mistake men make is related to the idea that men tend to not seek help for their panic attacks. There are effective ways to reduce the symptoms of panic attacks, but unless you know what those ways are, you're far too likely to continue living with panic disorder.
2. Not Seeing the Doctor – Panic attacks may not have a physical cause, but the best way to feel more confident about your health is to visit the doctor. Unfortunately, many men avoid the doctor – even in the case of panic disorder. Even if you know you have panic attacks, without the doctor giving you the "all clear" with regards to your health, it's likely that the idea something is wrong with your health will always be in the back of your mind.
3. Not Talking About It With a Partner - Panic attacks don't hit at once. They tend to build up over the course of about 10 minutes, and the severity of the panic attack is often related specifically to how you deal with those first 10 minutes. Men often try to hold the thoughts inside and try to fix themselves, but this rarely works. When you're going through that buildup period, showing a willingness to talk about it with your partner can make it better.
4. Drinking Coffee – Interestingly, there are ways to use coffee as a form of treatment with exposure therapy. But the act of drinking coffee (especially more than a few cups) can trigger panic attacks because it triggers an increased heart rate – something that those with panic disorder are often oversensitive to.
5. Not Drinking Water – On the flipside, dehydration can create some of the other sensations that trigger panic attacks. For example dehydration can cause lightheadedness – a known panic attack trigger. It can also create stomach pains, and increase your heart rate. Those that aren't drinking enough water, as well as those that drink too much alcohol (which can cause dehydration), may be more likely to suffer from panic attacks.
6. Engaging in Stressful Behaviors – Men are also prone to engaging in more stressful behaviors, like gambling, partying, etc. Men that find themselves under a lot of stress tend to suffer from more symptomatic panic attacks. Reducing the overall stress in your life is one of the more important ways to treat it.
7. Unhealthy Living – Reducing the triggers of panic attacks is one of the most important steps towards reducing them, but men have a tendency to eat unhealthy, skip exercise, smoke, etc. These do affect your day to day health, and as a result they have a tendency to create more panic, making it harder to cure the disorder.
8. Avoiding Sleep – Sleep plays a crucial role in stress coping. Men have a tendency to look at sleep as the enemy, rather than something they need in order to handle their stress. Getting more sleep will not cure panic attacks, but it does improve your body's ability to cope with some of the issues that contribute to them.
9. Accepting It – Finally, some men simply give up and accept that they have an anxiety disorder and panic attacks. Many of these men become agoraphobic as well – doing whatever it takes to avoid getting a panic attack without trying to cure it. Panic attacks can be reduced and even cured as long as you are willing to put in the work.
These are just a few of the mistakes that men make with their panic attacks. All anxiety disorders can be helped, and in time symptoms can either be lessened or eliminated altogether. But treating panic attacks requires not only a willingness to seek treatments, but also the ability to avoid common mistakes that fuel panic attacks further. By avoiding the mistakes listed above, you'll improve your ability to deal with panic disorder and put yourself on a path towards ending it.
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