Panic attacks are one of the most frequently experienced disorders in the world. It is estimated that 9 to 11 people out of a hundred people are severely affected by them, in one way or another. Because of panic attacks, a casual mood can turn into an eye-popping, jittery, can’t sit-still-on-the-chair mood!

A “little” anxiety is not a bad thing. It helps protect you from harm or potential danger, real or imagined, like other emotions. Human beings are the most fascinating and intriguing creatures on earth. The most pronounced reason why we dominate the animal kingdom is because of the way the human brain functions. One of the most distinctive features of the human being  is the ability to have feelings. Although we do not necessarily conclude that animals do not have feelings, as evidenced through research on the way they react to certain situations, human feelings have the depth and significance that go far beyond what animals can attain.

Good feelings we expound and try to improve upon it further. Feelings that make us feel bad or pain, we try to minimize or move away from as much as possible. Anxiety is no exception. There is no need to try and totally eradicate harmful feelings because some of them are not 100% harmful. In small ways they also do us good. The idea is to control and not be controlled. Let us take fear as an example.

Fear, as you know, is one of the most infamous feelings we have as human beings. It is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) deterrents to our success. Yet in spite of the negative perception we may have about fear, it also has its good side. Fear prevents us from getting hurt, both physically and emotionally. The fear inherent within us is actually good for us. We need that “little” amount of fear. It prevents us from becoming to confident or aggressive.

The same is true with panic. A “little” panic can serve as a form of defense. But being engulfed with excessive panic may hinder you from performing your normal activities and may deter you to take action especially on not-so-common activities.

However if you have only one option when facing a panic attack, like it or not, you have to find the right approach to contain such attack and suppress the feelings.

Panic attacks are actually a product of the mind, an imagination of a perceived threat or danger that can be controlled. In reality, most often such danger does not exist. Even the worst scenario that you can perceive under these circumstances 99% of the time not life threatening.

Life is too short to be preoccupied with anxieties that hinders your personal growth and enjoyment.