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Happy Panic and Anxiety Free 2010!

Just a quick note to wish you a very Happy New Year.

As we think back on the last year we can often tend to focus on what went wrong rather than what went right. There are some of you who might feel it was not as anxiety free as you wished it could have been. If that is the case with you I want you to take solace in the fact that the road to recovery almost always has setbacks along the way.

Recovering from panic attacks or GAD is never linear like getting over a cold. You take 2 steps forward and one back. What you have to remember is that you never fail as long as you keep trying. Progress is hard track, things can be really tough and then suddenly it is like a cloud has lifted and your mind seems no longer as anxious as it was before.

Never Give Up

Never Give Up

Happy New Year
Barry Joe McDonagh


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Lower Anxiety by Learning How to Breath Correctly

Most people who experience panic and anxiety attacks regularly have forgotten how to breathe correctly.

If you think about it, consider how you breathe when you’re tense or anxious about something. If you’re like most people, your breathing becomes really shallow and you may even “sink” into your body, rounding your shoulders and slouching slightly. This often sets you up for feelings of fatigue as you breathing is too shallow.

Making sure fresh oxygen is circulating throughout your body helps to keep you alert and clear headed. When you are feeling anxious, you might slow down your breathing and thereby reducing the amount of oxygen you need.

The right way to breathe is to allow your abdomen to expand when you inhale. This allows the air to flow deeply into the pit of the stomach. When you’re feeling anxious, you may take very small breaths that don’t even allow air to get into the lower abdomen.

I walk you through a set of breathing exercises in my book Panic Away so that you understand how to breathe properly no matter what you are feeling or experiencing but basically you are looking to achieve more regular breaths that move your stomach up rather than all of the movement taking place in your upper chest.

At first, the breathing exercise might seem awkward or uncomfortable, but practicing regularly will help you adapt a healthy habit. You’ll notice that it’s easier to feel calm and secure and all it really takes is about ten minutes of practice a few times per day. Good breathing habits have a number of health benefits, so pay attention to your breathing pattern. You’ll be amazed at how a simple change can enhance your health and well-being!

Barry Joe McDonagh

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What really happens during a panic attack?

The sensations of a panic attack can appear at random times throughout the day, but in some people, the effects are more persistent over an entire day.

It’s important to remember that the physical manifestations of a panic attack are linked to automatic nervous system functions. When either of these systems is activated, you will feel a number of different sensations throughout the body. Adrenaline is released and the body goes into the famous state of ‘flight or flight’ a term which coined by Dr. Walter Canon with his original formulation of human threat response.

This cycle of sensations and heightened awareness during a panic attack often makes many people physically and emotionally exhausted. Our body continually strives for balance, so it’s important to remember that the body itself is not perceiving these sensations as anything harmful – think of them more as a vigorous exercise workout. However from the perspective of the person experiencing the sensations, it can feel completely different.

During a panic attack is common for the person to jump to conclusions about what is happening. The person tends to surrender their reasoning over to the fears of their imagination.

Christian Nevell Bovee once wrote:

“Panic is a sudden desertion of us, and a going over to the enemy of our imagination.”

A skipped heartbeat might be interrupted as a pending heart attack.
A feeling of lightheadedness as a fainting spell.
A tight chest as breathing problems.

This constant worry of ‘what might be’ is very exhausting and takes its toll, which is why it’s important to recognize what is happening and work on ways to break free from the exhausting cycle of fear.

In my book Panic Away, I share several strategies for eliminating panic attacks entirely. These strategies will help you become more comfortable with the effects that panic attacks can have, take control over the anxiety you are feeling, and enjoy a more emotionally balanced lifestyle.

Don’t put your recovery off. Why wait, start today.

Barry Joe McDonagh

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The Bigger Picture

The things that challenge us deeply, also offer us great opportunity. When it comes to anxiety, ask yourself what gift this experience brings to you. There is a hidden gift there and here is how you might discover it…

Anxiety is a crash course in self development. You might not remember volunteering for it but nevertheless you are here. This is intense learning for the brave.

You may not think of it as learning but you are already developing by the very fact that you are seeking answers. Everyday anxiety is teaching you how to be a bigger person.

Anxiety is an acceleration to a more expansive you. It feels scary but with a focus on where you want to go it can be your most valuable asset.

Viktor Frankl wrote a book called ‘Man’s Search For Meaning’.

According to a survey conducted by the Libary of Congress, Man’s Search For Meaning belongs to a list of “the ten most influential books in the United States”.

I read it for the first time last year after a tip off from someone who read Panic Away. It is the true story of how Viktor Frankl survived the concentration camps of World War Two and found meaning in that most dehumanized situation. He teaches the importance of finding meaning in our struggle and that all challenges great or small hold a special meaning for us.

Even though Viktor Frankl’s experience was so extreme, his teachings can also be applied to the challenge of anxiety.

If you look for the deeper meaning in your challenge with anxiety, you will discover the gift it holds for you.

The simplest way to do this is to write down the things that you feel you are learning from this challenge and then write down the reason you want to succeed and overcome it.

For example :


What’s the meaning?
Anxiety is teaching me to grown as a person

Reason to overcome:
I want to live a more expansive, adventurous life.

Whats the meaning?
Anxiety is helping me to trust and accept my body more

Reason to overcome:
I want to be more self reliant and confident anywhere I go.

Whats the meaning?
Anxiety is teaching me compassion for myself and others

Reason to overcome:
I want to help others overcome their anxiety.

Only you can find the meaning to your personal challenge. Once you find that meaning then determine one or more reasons for overcoming that challenge.

Anytime you feel yourself slip with a setback, remind yourself of the bigger picture and focus on that. Remember the special journey you are on. Remember the gift anxiety holds for you.

Focus on this, even on the most difficult of days, and you will keep moving forward.

Barry Joe McDonagh

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