Surviving cancer is difficult.  An anxiety attack makes it even more difficult. And; it decreases our overall health and well-being.  It can actually change and modify the way a person lives

After my battle with cancer I just wanted a normal life again.  When the anxiety attacks occurred, I knew I wasn’t thinking or reacting to life situations normally.  The reason for this is that the chemicals in the body tip their balance making the effects of anxiety even more severe.

I actually felt physical pain and experienced irrational fear. This is not what I wanted after beating cancer.  It was terrible.  My social life, my relationships with friends and relatives suffered.  I actually thought my cancer free life wasn’t worth the fight and was really worthless, I became depressed.

I knew I had to doe something.  And something I did.  I researched everything I could.  I wanted my pre-cancer life back.

I read about several types of medication and rejected them.  I am not saying you should not take any medication for your anxiety if you and your doctor think doing so would be best for you.  Personally I don’t like taking medication for any thing.

Although I never tried any relaxation techniques I decided I would give that a try.  I learned that relaxation techniques are proven effective methods in dealing with anxiety attacks.

Through relaxation techniques such as breathing techniques, the mind will be able to control the body. Relaxation techniques can be used during an anxiety attack to slow down the heartbeat, control breathing, and divert the mind away from the cause of anxiety attack. Although these methods require practice, once you learn the proper techniques, they are very effective.  They are for me.

In my research for ways to deal with anxiety, I learned several other ways to help control the anxiety.  I am a stubborn 70 year old and pretty set in my ways so I have not embraced all of the other things I have listed below as other ways to be free from anxiety. If you are not an obstinate, immovable and inflexible old foggy like me. You may find the following helpful to you.

Diet – The food we eat plays a very large role in our overall health, including our mental health. A well-balanced diet and healthy eating promotes a healthy brain and a healthy body. It is advised to choose natural or organic foods rather than processed foods or those with preservatives and chemicals. [I know and believe that; I just don’t practice it]  I don’t recommend you following me in my intractable stubbornness.

Exercise – Aside from diet, another important factor that helps promote a healthy well-being is exercise. Studies suggest that as little as 30 minutes of exercise, 3 to 5 times a week can have great effects to the body as well as the mind. I have implemented this in my routine.  [A nice round of applause would be appreciated]

Herbal treatments – St. John Wort, Hyperforin, 5HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), Melissa officinalis, Ginkgo Biloba, passionflower, valerian, scullcap, California poppy, hops and lavender are used as an alternative to prescription drugs to treat anxiety. Natural herbs can be made as tea, but some of these are already available over-the-counter as powder, liquid, capsule, oil, tincture, tablets and tea. [I’m not too stubborn.  I am drinking some herbal tea albeit not daily.  [Opps, there goes my applause]

I am adhering to the following two things I learned in my research:

Pray – If you believe in the power of prayer, pray. Many studies show that prayer is an effective way to relieve stress and anxiety as prayers have a soothing and calming effect both on the body and on the mind.

Laugh – Laughter still holds the title as the best medicine. This is because when you laugh, your body releases endorphins or “happy chemicals” that help you to feel good and happier.

If you are a cancer patient, survivor or a caregiver and you are experiencing anxiety, please, identify where the anxiety is coming from – Sometimes, anxiety attacks happen for no apparent reason. That’s the way it was for me.  But that doesn’t mean that there is really no reason. After all something cannot happen out of nothing. Thus, if you experience an episode of anxiety attack, there must be a trigger (it might be directly linked to the attack or it might come from something else, totally apart from the event).

Once you identify the cause of the attack (which is as important as recognizing that you are having one), it is easy deal with it directly and process your condition using the natural ways mentioned above or through medication and therapy.

Not dealing with anxiety can lead to other illnesses, depression and even suicide.  Please dot not ignore it.

Leave me a comment.  I would love to hear from you.  I’m sure other visiting this blog would like reading your experiences as well.  Thanks.

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But what about anxiety attacks?    I had my first anxiety attack several months after my chemotherapy treatments I was walking down a hallway at the hotel where I was staying.  I started gasping for air.  I felt like I was choking. I banged on the door of my friend and through hand gestures I told him I was choking.  He immediately started performing the hemlock procedure on me.  No food came out but I stopped choking and started to breath normally.  I didn’t think much about it until it happened again.  I was home alone this time with no one near by.  I was seriously frightened; I thought I was going to choke to death.  I was gasping for air and making weird uncontrollable sounds like a barking dog.  It lasted about 20 minutes.

The next day I had a scheduled appointment with my primary care doctor.  When I told him about those two episodes he concluded they were an anxiety attacks.  I have never had an anxiety attack and I was not anxious or worried about anything.  Let me tell you, it was frightening.  My doctor explained that they are almost always harmless and rarely last for more than 20 or 25 minutes.  That made me feel a little better.  What he told me next, almost gave me another attack.  What he told me was that they could become chronic causing disruption in my normal lifestyle.

I learned that these attacks usually occur without warning and without any apparent reason. Some anxiety attacks can come about as the result of a specific event like getting stuck in the elevator. Or in other cases, like mine, attacks come out of the blue. An anxiety attack is disproportionate reaction to the situation or the problem at hand or for no apparent reason at all.  Either way it can make you excessively fearful, or sometimes incapacitated.

Cancer is bad enough.  You don’t want to add anxiety attacks.

Here are some symptoms of an anxiety attack:

• Heart palpitation (increase in heartbeat)

• Hot flashes or chills

• Hyperventilation

• Surge of overwhelming panic

• Feeling detached or unreal

• Trembling or shaking

• Trouble breathing

• Feeling of losing control, going crazy; or fear of dying

• Choking sensation

• Nausea or stomach crams

• Sweating

• Dizziness

• Chest discomfort or pain

Handling anxiety attacks

As I said, anxiety attacks rarely last more than 30 minutes. But during this time, you can  totally lose control of yourself and experience some of the signs listed above. Here are some suggestions:

Relax – I know, I know that’s easier said than done during an attack.  Remember it is important not to submit yourself to attack. Breathe. Deep breathing helps calms and relaxes your mind and body. During an anxiety attack, focus your breathing to slow down your heartbeat. This also diverts your attention from the attack which helps you recover faster. Take some time and practice deep breathing exercises even if you are not stressed or feel anxious.

Think positively – Again, during an anxiety attack, it is often impossible to relax or even calm yourself, but you have to be in control. Push more positive thoughts to your head. Instead of thinking that others will humiliate you or you are going to faint because you cannot take the pressure, think of the good things. Do no anticipate that something bad will happen because in reality, there isn’t. Keep in mind that the more you think negatively, the more anxious and panicky it is going to be.

Think that it will be over soon – and it will. Anxiety attacks do not last for more than an hour so there is no reason for you to think and feel that your world is over. You don’t have to be mindful of the time. You don’t even have to count every minute that passed. What you should be doing is be conscious that it will not going to last forever.

Start an exercise program – We have heard that exercise has lots of benefits both to the body and the mind. It is also a great stress buster and anxiety reliever. Experts agree that as little as 30 minutes of exercise, 3 to 5 times a week is enough to lower the level of stress and reduce the chances of having episodes of anxiety attacks.

Talk to someone you trust – It can be your friend, your wife (husband), a relative or a therapist. Often, having someone who listens and understands what a person is going through will make a lot of difference. This is because it allows you to bring out your emotion rather than keeping it to yourself.

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