Coping with Stress, Anxiety & Panic Attacks

A careless motorist just cut you off. A deadline looms for an important project at work. You’re

anxiously awaiting test results from your doctor.

You probably face stressful situations like these every day. When managed properly, stress can inspire creativity, encourage you to learn more and motivate you to boost productivity.

It’s unmanaged stress that is overwhelming and causes anxiety and fear. That can lead to panic attacks and related physical disorders, including chest pains, shortness of breath, sleeping difficulties and abdominal distress.

Controlling Stress

Anxiety occurs when life’s demands exceed the ability to cope with them. To reduce the impact of stressors and prepare your mind and body to better handle stress, try these techniques:

• Exercise 20 minutes at least three times a week.
• Get 6-8 hours of sleep every night.
• Cut back on caffeine and alcohol.

Identifying specific stressors and finding better ways to cope with them also helps. Things you can do at home to reduce stress include:

• Changing or eliminating what causes the stress.
• Developing effective relaxation methods and making them part of your routine. These can include
• listening to music, yoga, playing cards, walking, hobbies, talking to positive people, etc.
• Saying “no” when too many demands are placed on you.
• Using positive thoughts to displace negatives ones, such as, “I am doing a good job.”
• Focusing on the things you’ve accomplished, not just on things you have to do.
• Delegating the workload when it’s too big to handle.
• Fostering an attitude that things will work out.

It’s also helpful to discuss symptoms with your healthcare provider, who can suggest a personalized plan to overcome stress.

Managing Mind and Body

Lancaster General offers several mind and body programs to improve your well-being in an effort to

manage stress, including yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, Reiki and the Feldenkrais Method.

 

 

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