What if you suddenly feel paralyzed with fear while watching your favorite movie or while walking with your friend on a normal day? If your heart starts beating like crazy and your hands are shaking for no reason, you may be having what doctors call an “anxiety attack”. It may sound scary but it’s entirely treatable. If want to know more about overcoming anxiety, here are the top treatments available today:

1. Cognitive behavioral Therapy

This first line of defense uses training exercises to weed out anxiety-related thinking and behavior. Experts believe negative thought patterns often contribute to irrational fears that lead to an anxiety attack.

CBT worksheets include rating thoughts and feelings as they occur during the course of treatment. You are then told to rate them in from a given scale. The goal is to teach you a more positive perspective that can help prevent panic attacks in the future.

2. Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy is part of CBT therapy that deals with phobias. This also includes charts and workbooks. They make you voluntary expose yourself to your phobias through a more controlled environment. This works well because it lessens your chances of having panic attacks when you feel more in control of your fears.

For example, a person afraid of spiders voluntarily gets to a close approximation of a spider, starting with pictures of it, until a real one is introduced in varying durations. The method works by decreasing the feeling of discomfort until it reaches a more manageable level.

3. Relaxation Techniques and other Anxiety Attack Cures

Therapists may also include relaxation techniques like paper bag breathing to help you ease tension. This addresses the physical discomfort of attacks. It alleviates tension during an anxious situation or on the advent of an incoming anxiety attack.

To complete the course, anxiety management and anger management training may also be introduced. You are taught how to find the root causes of stress in your life and how to react to them in a more positive light.

Yes, overcoming anxiety is possible! The first thing to do is to recognize anxiety attack symptoms and get help. You can choose from a combination of different therapies to help get your life back on track. Find your peace and start today!