PANIC ATTACKS

 Hey Raptors,

Tight chests. Hearts beating a mile a minute trying to win a race slamming against your rib cage until they're about to burst out of our chest walls. Palms and entire bodies drenched in sweat. like you've been left in a steaming hot room or a dry oasis for a long time. Then come the waves of frustrated tears that don't seem to stop they drench your face like rain streaked across a window sliding down the glass. You can't get the words out of your clogged diaphragm to say 'THIS is too much, Back off.' All you can see are the alarm bells in your head ringing loudly 'WARNING: DANGER. Yet your mind is trapped in a box of blind terror and panic and you feel like you're underwater cuz your lungs are on fire. It's like this live wire has been set off inside the body and you wanna run from the thing that's dragging you into the abyss of darkened panic. The line cat got your tongue kind of applies here. It's hard to implement all the techniques you've learnt to keep the beast of panic at bay. They might not come to you in the heat of the moment. Your majesty of a brain turns into a blank slate until you can only focus on one thing, which is the triggers of your panic.

Okay I'll stop rambling and give y'all some mind-changing world-turning on it's axis advice. Sit back and relax against those cozy blankets and silk pillows. Slip into your favourite pair of loungewear/PJ's/hoodie's and joggers/T-shirts and shorts. Grab a bowl of popcorn. Listen loud and crystal clear:

'Panic can paralyse you until you can't move a muscle cuz you're coiled tight like a spool of wire. Don't let it win and push you around like a pawn on a chessboard. We can't all be Kings and Bishops, but we can get back control by taking a wave of deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth until the fire that cripples the lungs dies into a burning ember and the balloon of pressure is relieved by the sweet taste of air. Air can life away the cloud of darkness that cloaks you like a second skin, but being able to feel that breeze of air fill your lungs like a safety net catches you when you fall is the difference between clawing your way back to survival and battling all those inner demons that hold you down to the chasm of white hot panic.'

Whoa that was a hell of a huge chunk of advice. Attacks come in different stages. Knowing how to keep it under wraps is easier said than done. It's as easy as breathing. Taking your mind off something can take all the drained pent up energy that you keep on reserve on the inside. Maybe there's the little distractions that take your mind off of the swirling whirlpool of panic for a little while. It could be writing, watching TV shows or movies, Reading the great storylines of fiction by losing your self in a hero or heroines world, or picking up a pencil and doodling. Digging internal trenches of trouble or imagining the quicksand of trouble swallowing you up is asking for destruction of the maze inside your mind. It tricks you into feeding the monster/beast that ignites the spark of panic. It can come in a split second and ruin the bright light of positivity you aspire to reach on a daily basis. It's like an enemy you hate it creeps up on you all of a sudden until you're a prisoner held captive to your panic attack. It makes your inner monologue run a marathon in which you're the runner that charters a billion different courses and sometimes you're stuck like a song on repeat. It's all consuming. Fear can make you turn into a blind panic.

Ooh. I've gone and done it again rambled on for ages. I'll give y'all some more awe-inspiring words of wisdom. Sit back and relax against those fluffy pillows and warm blankets. Slip into your favourite loungewear/PJ's/hoodies and joggers/T-shirts and jeans. Grab a cake bar. Listen loud and crystal clear:

'Try and look out for what triggers you. People can make you triggered. Closing your eyes and imagining you're someplace else could be the difference between feeling like you're trapped six feet under in your panic stricken mind to setting your feet over the threshold to the realm of calm and chilling out until you're cool as a cucumber or prickly like a cactus. Conflict with others can be the biggest thing that gets you chest feeling like someone's squeezing it in a tight fist so avoiding these stressful situations by attempting to create space between yourself and another person can make you loosen up if they let you retreat and regroup and attack a problem later on when you feel less overwhelmed and panicked to pick it apart and lay all your cards on the table through the power of words.'

Sheesh! Some major rocky road advice. Shutting down and crawling into your shell isn't an option. You have to stand tall, and tackle your panic like a siz foot something wrestler. Pushing things to the back of your mind in those dark boxes that you stow away and slam the lids on so tight that all the thoughts don't come spilling back out due to overthinking is a dangerous game It leads to more raging unsolved breathless panic that you can't escape cuz you've literally flipped your lid in a number of situations. You haven't used rational thought process flies out the window cuz you don't know how to regulate all these scattered emotions that have been trapped in the bricked up poker face of indifference that you wear to show a strong front. Sometimes vulnerability is the trick to letting down your guard so you can let someone in to figure out how to stem the flow of the open wound that is panic undefined. Letting someone have deep talks with you can do the trick in terms of feeling back on track. You might think being normal is overrated, but it allows a person to blend into the background not realising their full potential as an individual. It's like that thing called white noise where all the voices blur together and set on that train hurtling towards the station of panic. Don't give in to it. Fight it off by using all the tools at your disposal. 

Okay. I'll stop rambling again and again. I'll give y'all the luxury of hearing the words of positivity. Hang on to the edge of your seats. Slip into your favourite pair of kicks (trainers)/fluffy slippers/sliders/crocs/boots/heels. Grab a juicy burger. Listen loud and crystal clear:

'Trust is a huge thing. Find a person who has your trust in the palm of their hand 100 percent all the way. Talk their ears off if you're feeling shaken up by panic. Confiding in a person can make all the inner stress that boils up on the inside that threatens to make you explode like a grenade fade away into nothingness. You have to be able to get everything off your chest in order to get your sanity in check.'

Wow. That was some solid advice. It's all about finding the hidden courage to swallow all the panic back down on the inside. I'll let you guys in on a quote that goes along the lines of:

'Relax yourself. Unclenching the jaw can relax tension in your panicked state of mind.'

Line from yours truly.

One last piece of advice I'd like to part from me to you. Sit back and relax against those blankets and pillows. Grab your favourite band T-shirt and a bowl of hot steaming soup. Listen loud and crystal clear:

'Letting go of panic can make or break you. Learn to listen to your inner person and find ways to cope by taking your mind off everything by doing the things you love and seeing the people who make you relaxed and calm.'

Short but sweet.

Enjoy.

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