Better wine can be produced by the soil being of poor quality. This is because the vines have to “work” harder.

I’d like to compare your challenges with anxiety and panic attacks to the poor quality soil. When you are plagued with panic attacks, you feel as if your whole life had been jolted. Initially you can’t even begin to comprehend why is this happening to me?

But there is a blessing behind this “curse.” Because when we are challenged on an inner level we get to develop important skills to be able to deal with life’s hurdles. A set of skills non- sufferers may not have the chance to develop. We morphed into the best individual we can ever be. We reached our highest potential. Just like the superior tasting wine that comes from an inferior quality soil.

Physical and mental exhaustion causes anxiety and panic attacks. The accumulated stress of home life, jobs, relationships and life in general will manifest sooner or later. In the form of variety of illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, migraines, ulcers and for some panic attacks.

We need to armed ourselves with anti-stress methods to prevent panic attacks from starting. Here are some inexpensive and immediately doable methods:

1.Take the holistic approach. Cut out sugar in your diet. Stop drinking soda. Avoid white bread, cookies, cakes etc. Learn to cook new and healthy ways. Snack on hummus and fruits instead. Drink a lot of water. Strive to keep your blood sugar level stable. Switch to home cooked meals.

Take control of your body rather than let it control you. By adopting healthy eating habits you will feel less anxious. You won’t experience nasty mood swings. You will feel energetic.

2.Learn to get reprogram your subconscious mind through meditation. Weed out your mental cobwebs of negative thoughts and replace them with positive and calming thoughts. You can do this by contacting your “inner boss”(your subconscious mind) through meditation. And tell it to produce more wonderful and affirmative ones.

Additionally, you can halt racing, obsessive worrying by concentrating on a mantra while meditating. A simple “om” will do. Repeat as often as necessary until it quiets your mind. Meditation had been adopted centuries ago. It is still practice until now because it works. Make it your daily routine to meditate. The more you practice it, the more will be the accumulated benefits.

3.Forget about yourself and your problems for awhile and do volunteer work. You will be around people. And you will have the opportunity to help. A simple gesture of visiting your sick relative or neighbor, surprise them with goodies or sending them a card or do errands for them will have a huge impact on your anxiety and panic attacks. Volunteering will divert your focus from your stressful situation and at the same time you brighten up someone’s day. It’s a win-win situation. And it works like magic for both the giver and the recipient.

4. Equip yourself with a set of distraction techniques. This is helpful if you feel a panic attack coming on. Here are example of distraction techniques:

—make a fist tight as you can and focus on the muscle tension.

—put a cold or wet wash cloth over your face. This is more physiological then psychological.

—observe the ticking of the seconds in your watch.

—-turn on the air conditioner if you have one. A cool place is what you need if you feel adrenaline surging over your entire body system.

—-flick your lighter and concentrate on the gentle motion and the color of the flame.

These are all diversion tactics to keep you from focusing on the physical symptoms of a full blown panic attack.

5. Steer clear of the boob tube. So much tv time will give you ample exposure to flashing light frequencies that will affect and stimulate your brain wave level. Television can stimulate a person into “high beta” which is closely related to the arousal of the flight-fight response. Not to mention the war, crime and violence- content of the medium of tv.

6. Increase your productivity. There is nothing like the feeling of pride and achievement when you cross off the items on your to-do list. It goes a long way in soothing your frazzled nerves. It helps calm your inner fears. It builds a sense of accomplishment. That is why it is important to stay on top of things by applying some GTD (get things done) strategies.

If you have been dreading a certain work or piece of assignment and have been procrastinating well, then just… start. Set a timer for 10 minutes and work until your time is up.

If it’s still too painful for you then set the timer for 5 minutes or even 3 minutes. The trick here is just to get over the initial hump of anxiety and fear of failure. Once you start working even for just a few minutes usually, you want to continue. By constantly doing this technique you will create a habit of doing the unpleasant but important chores first.

You will accomplish your goals faster.

7. Write down on a piece of index card coping statements. Have them always with you every time you go out or put a copy by your bed- side table. Coping statements like:

—It is a hassle but not death-defying.

–This too shall pass.

—It won’t last forever.

—This is just unused adrenaline. I need to breathe slow.

—I have done this before, I know what to do exactly.

—Like a wave, this will subside.

—I will survive. I have been through this before.

The purpose of a coping card? It will be easier to challenge every scary thoughts when you are anxious and panic-laden.