Panic Attacks: 5 Steps to Break Through Fears and Phobias

Panic Attacks and Cold Sweat: 5 Steps to Break Through Fears and Phobias

Adventures in Living a Healthy, Juicy Life

Guest Post by Jake from YourBestWeekend

Jake joins us today from YourBestWeekend.com to share how he got over his phobias. He offers 5 steps for breaking through your own personal fears. Be prepared! You’re going to want to tackle something head on by the time you’ve finished reading this. – Cheryl Ragsdale

_______________________________________

“Dad!” I shouted toward the distant beach, but my father was hidden in the middle of thousands of beachgoers and couldn’t hear my cracking, ten-year old voice. I floated in the cold saltwater, shouting until I was hoarse.

I slid off my boogie board. Holding on tightly with both hands, I tried to touch the bottom of the ocean with my feet. As far as I stretched, I felt nothing but open water. For a little kid who didn’t know how to swim, nothing could be more frightening.

I started kicking my way back to shore, but the rip current kept pushing me further out into the ocean. The beach receded from view and the people all became distant specks of color. I just knew I was going to die.

For the next eight years, I was so afraid of the ocean that I couldn’t venture out any deeper than my chest. I had survived that day when I was ten, but I developed a heavy phobia of open water.

Two years ago, I made the life-changing decision to tackle life and live without fear. I had to get over my fear and today I can confidently report that I love the ocean and spend many summer days swimming out deep past the waves.

We’re all afraid of something.

Some people are terrified of public speaking and some people can’t handle being higher than ten feet off the ground. There are thousands of fears out there that can paralyze us and prevent us from reaching our fullest potential.

Fortunately for us, getting over fear is a simple operation. Here are the most effective methods that helped me or my friends get over various fears and phobias.

1) Tackle your fear head-on

A friend of mine used to be terrified of talking to women. He is good-looking, charming, and hilarious, but for some reason he could never get enough nerve to introduce himself to a woman.

My solution: go to the bookstore with him and literally push him into women. I didn’t stop until he gathered three numbers. He hated me by the end of the evening, but he got a number from each of the first three women he asked. He discovered his own awesomeness and got over his fear of the opposite sex.

Regardless of your phobia, running straight at it and facing it directly is a surprisingly effective way to get over a fear.

Afraid of public speaking? Go to an open mic night this weekend and talk for a few minutes.

Afraid of heights? Go to the nearest tall cliff and spend an hour walking along the edge and dangling your feet into the open air.

Facing your fears directly is the quickest way to overcome them, but it takes a certain amount of guts to do (or a friend who throws you into strangers).

2) Get educated

My secret to overcoming my fear of the ocean? I enrolled in a SCUBA diving course and earned my advanced open water certification. During the course, the instructor would routinely swim up behind a student underwater and shut off their oxygen, tear off their mask, or pull out their respirator. It sounds terrifying, but we were all trained to respond appropriately. Being
underwater without air became routine.

I was trapped in an enclosed space, sixty feet below the surface with a limited supply of oxygen. The training and education from the course helped me approach a frightening situation with absolute calm.

If you hate public speaking, take a class at your local community college. If you’re afraid of snakes or spiders, spend a few weeks working part-time t a pet store or volunteering at an animal rescue. If you’re afraid of heights, join a rock climbing gym or get your skydiving license.

3) Stop thinking

Fear is a sneaky emotion. The longer you give in to it, the stronger it gets. You can’t reason your way out of fear – if you spend time thinking about whatever you’re afraid of, you’re just going to psych yourself out.

Jake getting ready to sky dive

So instead of agonizing over your fear, just act. Don’t think about how scary it will be to talk in front of strangers. Just run up to the lectern and start talking. Jump into the deep end and learn to swim once you’re there.

As human beings we have the remarkable ability to use logic and reason. As great as these are for science and philosophy, they’re useless when it comes to fear. You need to stop thinking and just do it. Author Ray Bradbury hit the nail on the head when he gave his directions for a successful life: “First you jump off a cliff and build wings on the way down.”

4) Get a support group

Last year I was the vice president of my local Toastmasters club and I watched new members come in and grow as public speakers. To become a “Competent Communicator”, each person has to give ten speeches that cover the broad aspects of public speaking (organization, enunciation, loudness, etc.).

My favorite memories in Toastmasters are of new members who barely make it through their first speech, shaking and stammering throughout the entire presentation. By the end of their ten speeches, they’re confident and comfortable on stage. They can’t wait to speak again because they’ve become so good at it.

This happens because the group critiques every speech immediately after it happens. They are always supportive and shower the speaker with praise for everything they did well. But even more important, they provide solid feedback on what the speaker needs to improve. They provide a confidence boost, but they never lie and say something was good if it wasn’t.

Find a group of people who will support you and push you to be better. Some of them will gently nurture you along and others will firmly point out your flaws and mistakes. You need both types to be successful. Use friends and family, search the internet and newspapers for relevant groups and meeting (public speaking, etc.) or use online forums and websites to build a virtual support team. If all else fails, send me an email and I’ll be your support team!

5) Be fearless

This isn’t a technique as much as a mindset.

My motto is “Bad things don’t happen”. I say it constantly.

Anytime something comes up that makes me nervous or hesitant, I repeat this phrase and I instantly have the courage to try anything. Internalize this motto and know that, no matter what happens, you’ll be happier that you took the plunge and took a risk.

tiny people on cliff of Moher

I’ve been in the back of cop cars. I’ve been strangled to the verge of passing out. I’ve jumped off cliffs and hit rocks on the way down. I’ve been within thirty minutes of freezing to death on the side of a mountain in a snowstorm. I was even homeless in Paris for a night.

But I’ve never regretted anything. All of those instances came from me ignoring fear and taking a risk – and I would do it all over again if I could.

Because before I was in the police car, I was on a roof, my breath taken away by the
view of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor across the Chesapeake Bay.

Before the strangling, I was dancing with a beautiful woman.

Before I hit the rock, I was freefalling into a pristine lake hidden in the middle of the Adirondack Mountains.

Before the hypothermia, I was looking out at a moonlit mountain valley covered by an untouched blanket of snow.

Because of the homelessness, I got to see Notre Dame lit up at 3 a.m. and walked down an empty Champs-Élysées and stood in silence under the Arc de Triomphe.

Your fears are keeping you from experiencing life to the fullest. They’re hiding you from the incredible experiences and breathtaking moments that will change your life and lift your soul.

Life is too short for us to be afraid.

Jake’s blog is called YourBestWeekend. Your Best Weekend’s official mission is “to help you have the time of your life by defying convention, living with passion, and loving every day.”

He can be reached on email yourbestweekend@gmail.com

photo credit boogie board, Jake’s personal collection

__________________________________________

Flat Ass Fridays – Flaunt Your Flaws!

On Fridays, I’m joining Staci from justbloggled.com to provide a forum to discuss what we find to be “not quite right” about ourselves. The objective is to celebrate what supposedly “doesn’t work”. For instance, I have really big feet – haha! Staci complains about having a flat butt.

Is being afraid a flaw? Maybe…maybe not. Fear is useful when it prevents us from doing damage to ourselves or others. When fear stops us from expanding, growing and challenging ourselves, then yes, it starts looking like a flaw. As you’re read through Jake’s experiences, have you been making a list of all the moves fear is stopping you from making?

Time to step up and make a move. What are you waiting for?

We would love to hear about challenges you’ve faced or challenges you’re willing to face.

The comment box is located on the right-hand side of this post about half-way down the page.

Stay tuned! This could get really good. If you’d like to join in by submitting a guest post on a “flat ass” topic, please send me an email – cheryl@thatgirlisfunny.com

______________________________________

Speaking of Guest Posting:

You might have heard of my friend and blogging consultant, Chris Garrett. He wrote the Problogger book with Darren Rowse.

Well, he has a new ebook out that tells you everything you need to know to get quality authority links and a boost in traffic, all through a quick and easy approach to guest blogging.

Right now he is offering it for the crazy low introductory price of only $10! The price is sure to go up again as the reviews and testimonials start to pour in, so make sure you grab your copy and check out all the bonuses fast.

Check it out here: info on Chris Garrett’s Guest Posting ebook

__________________

Bloggers who guest post on ThatGirlisFunny generate GREAT traffic on a blog with a solid Alexa ranking. Plus, they achieve high placement on my Top 25 Most Popular Posts list.

(located underneath this post at the bottom of the page next to the People We Love list)

__________________

Guest Posts by bloggers on ThatGirlisFunny’s

Want to find out how I make this happen?

info on Chris Garrett’s Guest Posting ebook

____________________________________________________________________

*Panic Attacks and Cold Sweat: How to Get Over Fears and Phobias*

“Dad!” I shouted toward the distant beach, but my father was hidden in the
middle of thousands of beachgoers and couldn’t hear my cracking, ten-year
old voice. I floated in the cold saltwater, shouting until I was hoarse.

I slid off my boogie board and, holding on tightly with both hands, tried to
touch the bottom of the ocean with my feet. As far as I stretched, I felt
nothing but open water. For a little kid who didn’t know how to swim,
nothing could be more frightening.

I started kicking my way back to shore, but the rip current kept pushing me
further out into the ocean. The beach receded from view and the people all
became distant specks of color. I just knew I was going to die.

For the next eight years I was so afraid of the ocean that I couldn’t
venture out any deeper than my chest. I had survived that day when I was
ten, but I developed a heavy phobia of open water.

Two years ago I made the life-changing decision to tackle life and live
without fear. I had to get over my fear and today I can confidently report
that I love the ocean and spend many summer days swimming out deep past the
waves.

We’re all afraid of something. Some people are terrified of public speaking
and some people can’t handle being higher than ten feet off the ground.
There are thousands of fears out there that can paralyze us and prevent us
from reaching our fullest potential.

Fortunately for us, getting over fear is a simple operation. Here are the
most effective methods that helped me or my friends get over various fears
and phobias.

*1) Tackle it head-on.*

A friend of mine used to be terrified of talking to women. He is
good-looking, charming, and hilarious, but for some reason he could never
get enough nerve to introduce himself to a woman.

My solution: go to the bookstore and literally push him into women. I didn’t
stop until he gathered three numbers. He hated me by the end of the evening,
but he got a number from each of the first three women he asked. He
discovered his own awesomeness and got over his fear of the opposite sex.

Regardless of your phobia, running straight at it and facing it directly is
a brutally effective way to get over a fear. Afraid of public speaking? Go
to an open mic night this weekend and talk for a few minutes. Afraid of
heights? Go to the nearest tall cliff and spend an hour walking along the
edge and dangling your feet into the open air.

Facing your fears directly is the quickest way to overcome them, but it
takes a certain amount of guts to do (or a friend who throws you into
strangers).

*2) Get educated.*

My secret to overcoming my fear of the ocean? I enrolled in a SCUBA diving
course and earned my advanced open water certification. During the course,
the instructor would routinely swim up behind a student underwater and shut
off their oxygen, tear off their mask, or pull out their respirator. It
sounds terrifying, but we were all trained to respond appropriately. Being
underwater without air became routine.

I love SCUBA diving and recognize that it was instrumental in helping me get
over my fear of open water. During my first dive as a certified diver, I
went into a small sunken yacht (against just about every diving safety
regulation) and got stuck. I was able to extract myself after a few seconds
of wriggling awkwardly, but the remarkable thing is that I stayed completely
calm. I was trapped in an enclosed space, sixty feet below the surface with
a limited supply of oxygen. But that training and education from the course
helped me approach a frightening situation with absolute calm.

If you hate public speaking, take a class at your local community college.
If you’re afraid of snakes or spiders, spend a few weeks working part-time
at a pet store or volunteering at an animal rescue. If you’re afraid of
heights, join a rock climbing gym or get your skydiving license.

*3) Stop thinking.*

Fear is a sneaky emotion. The longer you give in to it, the stronger it
gets. You can’t reason your way out of fear – if you spend time thinking
about whatever you’re afraid of, you’re just going to psych yourself out.

So instead of agonizing over your fear, just act. Don’t think about how
scary it will be to talk in front of strangers. Just run up to the lectern
and start talking. Jump into the deep end and learn to swim once you’re
there.

As human beings we have the remarkable ability to use logic and reason. As
great as these are for science and philosophy, they’re useless when it comes
to fear. You need to stop thinking and just do it. Author Ray Bradbury hit
the nail on the head when he gave his directions for a successful life:
“First you jump off a cliff and build wings on the way down.”

*4) Get a support group.*

Last year I was the vice president of my local Toastmasters club and I
watched new members come in and grow as public speakers. To become a
?Competent Communicator,? one has to give ten speeches that cover the broad
aspects of public speaking (organization, enunciation, loudness, etc.). My
favorite memories in Toastmasters are of new members who barely make it
through their first speech, shaking and stammering throughout the entire
presentation. By the end of their ten speeches, they?re confident and
comfortable on stage. They can?t wait to speak again because they?ve become
so good at it.

This happens because the group critiques every speech immediately after it
happens. They are always supportive and shower the speaker with praise for
everything they did well. But even more important, they provide solid
feedback on what the speaker needs to improve. They provide a confidence
boost but they never lie and say something was good if it wasn?t.

You need to find a group of people who will support you and push you to be
better. Some of them will gently nurture you along and others will brutally
point out your flaws and mistakes. You need both types to be successful. Use
friends and family, search the internet and newspapers for relevant groups
and meeting (public speaking, etc.), or use online forums and websites to
build a virtual support team. If all else fails, send me an email and I?ll
be your support team!

*5) Be fearless*.

This isn?t a technique as much as a mindset. My motto is ?Bad things don?t
happen? and I say it constantly. Anytime something comes up that makes me
nervous or hesitant, I repeat this phrase and I instantly have the courage
to try anything. You need to internalize this motto and know that, no matter
what happens, you?ll be happier that you took the plunge and took a risk.

I?ve been in the back of cop cars and strangled to the verge of passing out.
I?ve jumped off cliffs and hit rocks on the way down. I?ve been within
thirty minutes of freezing to death on the side of a mountain in a
snowstorm. I was even homeless in Paris for a night.

But I?ve never regretted anything. All of those instances came from me
ignoring fear and taking a risk ? and I would do it all over again if I
could.

Because before I was in the police car, I was on a roof, breathtaken by the
view of Baltimore?s Inner Harbor across the Chesapeake Bay. Before the
strangling, I was dancing with a beautiful woman. Before I hit the rock, I
was freefalling into a pristine lake hidden in the middle of the Adirondack
Mountains. Before the hypothermia, I was looking out at a moonlit mountain
valley covered by an untouched blanket of snow. Because of the homelessness,
I got to see Notre Dame lit up at 3 a.m. and walked down an empty *Champs*-*
Élysées** and stood in silence under the Arc de Triomphe.*

*Your fears are keeping you from experiences life to the fullest. They?re
hiding you from the incredible experiences and breathtaking moments that
will change your life and lift your soul.* Life is too short for us to be
afraid.

Tags: adventure, anti-aging, coaching, forgiveness, growing bolder, grunge, healthy-juicy life, play, power, RAOKA, risk, support
Posted 22 Jan 2010 by Cheryl in grunge, guests, recent posts, stay young | add this page to Mister Wong

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11 Comments Add Yours ↓

David Rogers
Twitter: david365
#

01.30.2010 06:16
1
Running at your fear head on (point no 1) may work for some people for some fears – but the downside if it doesn’t work is horrendous. It is better to draw up a plan for gradually facing the fear – preferably with support – rather than head for total immersion.
Learning to deal with full blown panic attacks – which are in a different league to feeling fearful – needs to start with education about what is happening to the body. At the heart of a panic attack is this belief you are about to die – until you can genuinely believe otherwise you will struggle.
David Rogers´s Last Fabulous Post blog ..Is Optimism the Foundation of Self Confidence?

Reply

Cheryl
Twitter: thatgirlisfunny
#

01.30.2010 08:30
2
Hi David,
Yes, thanks for pointing that out. We’ve highlighted when this strategy works…not when it doesn’t. Sounds like a good topic for another post. There’s always something else waiting to test our willingness to push out the edges and conquer fear in new realms. We even say it out loud, “I thought I would die!”
Cheryl´s Last Fabulous Post blog ..Top 10 funniest facebook fan pages: “I was blown away when i realised the word ‘ok’ is a side ways person

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Panic Attacks and Cold Sweat: 5 Steps to Break Through Fears and Phobias

We’re all afraid of something.

1) Tackle your fear head-on

2) Get educated

3) Stop thinking

4) Get a support group

5) Be fearless

Flat Ass Fridays – Flaunt Your Flaws!

Speaking of Guest Posting:

Guest Posts by bloggers on ThatGirlisFunny’s

Top 25 Most Popular Posts List

Want to find out how I make this happen?

info on Chris Garrett’s Guest Posting ebook

Cheryl Ragsdale

Archives

Most Effective Blog Teams

Best BlogCatalog Bloggers!

That’s me on the cover – Details for Staying Fit Over 50 inside!

People We Love!

thatgirlisfunny.com

Panic Attacks and Cold Sweat: 5 Steps to Break Through Fears and Phobias

We’re all afraid of something.

1) Tackle your fear head-on

2) Get educated

3) Stop thinking

4) Get a support group

5) Be fearless

Flat Ass Fridays – Flaunt Your Flaws!

Speaking of Guest Posting:

Guest Posts by bloggers on ThatGirlisFunny’s

Top 25 Most Popular Posts List

Want to find out how I make this happen?

info on Chris Garrett’s Guest Posting ebook

11 Comments Add Yours ↓

Your Comment

Cheryl Ragsdale

Archives

Most Effective Blog Teams

Best BlogCatalog Bloggers!

Recommended Reading - Popular Posts

That’s me on the cover – Details for Staying Fit Over 50 inside!

People We Love!