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It’s a pretty common scenario for most first time panic attack sufferers to immediately think they’re having a heart attack. After all, one of the most prominent symptoms of a panic attack is a POUNDING heartbeat that seems to flutter out of control. It’s pretty terrifying. Plus, if you’re unfamiliar with the symptoms of a panic attack, a heart attack seems like a natural conclusion to what you’re feeling.

Because it’s so common to mistake the chest pains that normally accompany panic attacks for a life threatening heart attack, this article will clear up the confusion and differentiate between the two. Upfront, I just want to say that people don’t die from panic attacks.

So even though it feels like your heart is going to pop right out of your chest during one of these episodes, the fact is, attacks like these are analogous to intense levels of cardio exercise with one major safety net. Extreme cardio exercise may potentially lead to heart attack whereas a panic attack will force you to pass out or faint before any real damage is done.

That’s because the physical symptoms of a panic attack are triggered by an offset in breathing (usually hyperventilation). Your heart isn’t being strained; it’s being thrown into a natural fight or flight response. Also, your heart isn’t what’s causing the panic attack – your mind is.

The fear combined with the physical sensation creates a natural sense of urgency.

Every year, thousands (if not millions) of people having chest pain, difficulty breathing, pain or numbness in the left arm and tingling throughout the body end up in a hospital emergency room because they believe they’re having a heart attack. Typically, a few tests are run, and the patient is sent home because the nature of the attack he or she experienced is one of panic, not coronary.

Here, I’ll outline the symptoms of both a heart attack and a panic attack so you can see their subtle differences.

The two share several common symptoms. For instance, the chest pain from a heart attack is focused in the center of the chest and is crushing, as if a heavy weight is sitting on top of the chest. It is usually persistent, may radiate to the left arm, neck or back and lasts longer than 5 – 10 minutes. Heart attack victims don’t hyperventilate (unless the person’s fear of heart attack triggers a panic attack), any tingling they experience is usually confined to the left arm, and vomiting is common.

During a panic attack, chest pain is localized over the heart and described as “sharp, and comes and goes. The pain usually intensifies with breathing in and out, and pressing on the center of the chest. Panic attack may cause nausea, but vomiting is very rare. If tingling is present, the entire body tingles. Hyperventilation almost always precedes panic attack symptoms.  If the location of the pain moves to the center of the chest, doesn’t go away within 10 minutes, is accompanied by more than one incident of vomiting or diarrhea, or goes away and returns a few minutes later, you should immediately get medical attention.

Now, if you’re having panic attacks, you may be inclined to worry about how these episodes are affecting your heart long-term.

Panic attacks don’t cause heart disease, and some experts say that they actually affect the heart similarly to the way cardio exercise does, by causing the release of adrenaline, increasing the heart rate, and expanding blood vessels. On the same note, heart disease doesn’t cause panic attacks, although a person with a history of panic attacks who is actually having a coronary may also panic for fear of worsening the heart damage, dying or being disabled.

That said, stress is NEVER good for your overall health so it’s important to start treating your panic and anxiety right away. You won’t hear me say that stress benefits your health of course but try not to think of stress as some terminal condition.

The truth is if you don’t have traditional risk factors – you’re not a smoker, you don’t have high blood pressure, obesity, have a family history of heart attack, your risk should be very low.

If you’re having panic attacks, chances are you have high levels of anxiety and this kind of constant stress can lead to obsessions about your health. I’m here to tell you that if you take care of yourself with exercise and proper eating (something you should be doing anyway), you don’t need to worry about heart failure during a panic attack. It simply won’t happen. The two scenarios (panic attacks and heart attacks) are completely separate animals and should be treated as such.

Now that said, just because you won’t die from a panic attack, that doesn’t mean you should just live with the debilitating anxiety it creates. There IS help for you.

Start with “Panic Away” and get your stress under control FAST!  You can read about it here.

Have you ever experienced feeling an overwhelming wave of anxiety rapidly wash over you once you have stepped inside a pharmacy, at work or a convenience store? If yes, this is probably because pharmacies and convenience stores are lit with harsh, fluorescent lighting.

You might be wondering now what the relationship is between fluorescent lights and anxiety. If you have experienced the beginnings of an anxiety attack just by being near a fluorescent light or being inside a room lit with them, you are not alone.

Many people who suffer from anxiety attacks feel the same way too.

In one particular survey, 53% of those who suffered from anxiety felt that their attacks got worse when they saw fluorescent lights.

The common complaints when it comes to being near fluorescent lighting from anxiety sufferers include hearing a buzzing sound, having the sudden urge to pee, feelings of being anxious or disconnected and difficulty in focusing or concentrating on things.

Some sufferers of anxiety attacks may be able to tolerate being in rooms lit with fluorescent lights for up to an hour or several hours.

Others who suffer from anxiety attacks find the experience more disconcerting. Some complain of wanting to cry or wanting to curl up into a tight ball whenever they are in a room lit by fluorescent lights even when they have been exposed to the lights only for a few minutes.

Several studies have shown that fluorescent lighting is related to anxiety, hyperactivity, attention problems, bodily stress aggressive behavior and tooth decay in children. Researchers have also found that too much of fluorescent lighting can cause annoyance which can lead to medical stress. Fluorescent lights have also been linked to worsened cases of agoraphobia or the fear of wide, open spaces.

If you have a job that keeps you indoors for most of the day, you might end each day feeling tired and burnt out. This may prove dangerous for you, especially if you are already prone to depression and anxiety.

Being under the glow of fluorescent light all day cannot make up for your need of the sun’s beneficial rays and may make your case of anxiety worse.

Doctors are advising those who are stay indoors all day, especially those who are prone to depression and anxiety, to get more sun.

If you suffer from increased anxiety when in a room with fluorescent lights, you might consider going for full-spectrum lights, which have been shown to improve the mental activity and moods of people who were suffering from depression and anxiety.

I like to make sure I get ouside for at least 15 minutes to half an hours during my lunch break at work just to take a little mental vacation from the fluorescent lights. I highly recommend you do the same. You’ll feel way better for it.

If you’d like to learn how to stop the “little things” like annoying fluorescent ligting from getting to you, you should check out the strategies taught in the Linden Method. The program is great for teaching you how to turn off these stress triggers like a light switch. You can learn more here.

You’re about to learn how to finally overcome your Hypochondria and free yourself from all the pointless worry of convincing yourself that you’re sick, ill or even dying.

I know the pain of this problem. I went through it myself for most of my life. Here I’ll be showing you how to naturally and effectively overcome your Hypochondria and put this terrible worry to rest. Let’s get to it!

Hypochondria tends to be somewhat of an afterthought when it comes to treating anxiety. Afterall, aren’t we supposed to worry about our health? Isn’t it good to stay on top of our bodies and be alert for any alarming “symptoms”?

If you suffer from Hypochondria, then you probably know otherwise. Personally, I used to TORTURE myself with thoughts of illness at even the slightest abnormality.

Every time my glands swelled up, I swore it was a tumor in my lymph nodes. Every time I had a sharp pain, I was convinced it was an early sign of stroke or aneurism. Each gas pain obviously signaled the start of a heart attack. Any kind of experience with night sweats convinced me that I somehow contracted HIV.

All of this worry over my health and this was happening at the age of 27 no less! 27 – when the body is at its absolute peak performance and I was inventing magical ways to convince myself I suddenly had HIV.

I remember, any kind of sexual experience (of course it was protected) I had during the height of my hypochondria was followed by days if not weeks of worry about how I must have contracted a sexually transmitted disease in some freakish, accidental way.

I would lose sleep over the worry until I finally cracked and visited a doctor about my concerns.

Really, I’m not being honest enough here. I had my doctor on speed dial.

Every dry patch of skin was suspect. Each time my eyes would become red or irritated, I swore my eyes must be deteriorating. Any new freckle was inspected for days under magnified mirrors. Heaven forbid I had a cold that lasted longer than a few days – it had to be pneumonia…duh!

Does any of this sound familiar?

Hypochondria can really impair your day to day living because it completely immerses your brain with worry. You have no real scientific data backing your medical concerns but suddenly YOU know more than any doctor out there.

You MUST be dying right? I mean, you just FEEL IT right? You just know and you can’t get rid of this feeling like SOMETHING has got to be wrong with you. Why can’t you shake this worry away once and for all? Ughhhh!!!

Stop Carrying Around Your Worry

The definition of hypochondria is “an excessive preoccupation with one’s health”. That definition always stikes me as a little humorous. Really, it just doesn’t depict the severity of this problem.

Having Hypochondria is like carrying around your worry everywhere you go. It weighs you down and steals your attention. You can’t focus because you’re so consumed with whatever life-threatening disease is around the corner.

Put Your Worry Down!

The fact is, you’re probably going to live for a VERY long time. More than likely you’ll live to an average age of 80 and life will be fortunate to you every step of the way. The world is filled with billions of people and if you find any comfort in statistical data, know that the chance of you catching some obscure disease or health problem is miniscule so long as you’re not putting youself in the position in the first place.

Actually, people with high levels of anxiety are the MOST meticulous about taking care of themselves, seeing a doctor once a year and taking steps towards improving their health. Just you reading this article alone is enough to tell me that you care about your own well-being.

Does your fear of speaking in front of a crowd immediately speed up your heart beat?

Does the thought bring on clammy hands, nausea, shaking body, blushing cheeks and shortness of breath?

If your answer is yes to any or all of these questions, the bad news is, you have glossophobia – known as fear of public speaking.

The worse news is, if such fear of public speaking already negatively affects your personal, work and social life, then you have what’s known as public speaking anxiety, which is a social anxiety disorder.

So much for the bad news, the good news is, first, you are not alone as it is the most commonly reported social anxiety disorder and second, you can overcome it. 

Although cognitive-behavioral therapy can help you overcome public speaking anxiety, the best treatment to it is helping yourself with an applicable strategy.

Acceptance
Your first enemy if you have public speaking anxiety is yourself. In accepting that, challenge yourself that you can overcome your public speaking anxiety.

Preparation
The key to a successful speech is preparation. Know your material well. Your ability to communicate with your listeners depends on the quality of your research. You can never be confident in delivering a haphazardly prepared presentation. Know that ultimately, nothing can go wrong if you are ready and prepared for anything.

Practice
Practice makes it perfect. To overcome pubic speaking anxiety, rehearsal is a must. Time your speech and treat each rehearsal as if it is the big day. Begin this exercise by facing yourself in front of the mirror while delivering your speech. If you feel comfortable with that, invite a friend to hear your speech. Once you have become comfortable speaking in the presence someone else, invite some friends and members of your family to hear you talk in order to prepare you for a bigger crowd. Do this until you feel comfortable in public speaking to a number of people.

Bulleting
Memorizing what you have to say is the worst thing you can do as you may forget your words. It is more effective if you make bullets points in paper (not cards). Never read your speech because reading is not public speaking.

Be early to the venue
If you are given the chance to visit the venue before the big day, better grab that opportunity and practice delivering your presentation on the very same podium where you will engage in public speaking. On the big day, overcome your public speaking anxiety by being at least an hour early at the venue so that you can make yourself comfortable with the environment. Approach the podium and stay there for a while until your public speaking anxiety is reduced. Don’t rush. Just breathe.

Relax
Always tell yourself that it is normal to feel nervous. Even seasoned speakers still feel jittery right before a public speaking engagement. Think of positive thoughts and reduce your public speaking anxiety by taking deep breaths. Talk socially to people before the program begins as it will help you reduce stammering.

Engage your audience
While waiting for the program to start, introduce yourself to your audience so that you will feel comfortable talking to them. Maintain eye contact with your audience, especially those whom you know, as it creates a connection.

Remedy when you lose track
If you lose track of the sequence of your speech and you don’t know what to say next to , do not panic. One technique to get away with this is to throw a question to your audience. The time they take in answering will give you ample to time to reorganize your thoughts and get back on track. Such interactive method will not only help you overcome your public speaking anxiety but can also enliven your presentation.

The good thing about giving your first speech and overcoming your public speaking anxiety will help you gain experience and confidence, thus, making the second and the subsequent speaking engagements easier to deal with. Face your public speaking anxiety now and do not let it control your life.

Keep the above tips in mind so that you’ll never miss a wedding, decline a promotion, flee, faint or make a fool out of yourself again.

As always, you can always find more great tips and tricks on overcoming your anxiety throughout the site. In the meantime, check out the “Panic Away” program here and learn how you can end ALL anxiety permanently.

Do you find yourself panicking the moment the slightest bit of attention is placed upon you? Does the Idea of being in the limelight terrify you? Are you constantly worried that you’ll embarrass yourself infront of other people? If you’ve answered yes to some or all of these questions, chances are you suffer from some degree of social anxiety disorder.

I’m not trying to label you here. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you for having social anxiety. But if you do have it, you should be open and honest with yourself about it. There’s nothing worse than someone who blatantly has social anxiety disorder and does absolutely nothing about it. They simply carry on living their lives in complete terror of social interaction.

See, I used to be that person. For years, I’d go through my day dreading talking to ANYONE. I always felt judged, on the spot and generally awkward. I thought I was just doomed to suffer a life under the hot lights, never able to relax in the presence of others.

When I would interact people, the situation usually ended with me profusely sweating, tripping over my words and with a pounding heart that felt like it was going to pop out of my chest.

Really, I wasn’t even looking for a solution at that point. I just kind of accepted my anxiety and figured I’d have to deal with it for the rest of my life. I’d just grit my teeth and get through every social occasion, uncomfortable the whole time. Things were hopeless and I began to retract myself more and more from life.

Eventually, the problem got bad enough to where I finally broke down and started researching how to make it right. There just HAD to be a way to get this horrible anxiety out of my system. After LOTS of reading and much trial and error, I’ve found some really effective techniques to overcome social anxiety.

Fortunately for you, there won’t be any trial and error. These techniques work for anyone right off the bat. The best part? They don’t involve medication or therapy. They’re totally natural. I’ll be revealing this powerful plan to overcome social anxiety in just a moment. First, let’s get a better understanding of what social anxiety disorder is all about.

Understanding Your Social Anxiety

Social anxiety is characterized by the intense fear of embarrassing yourself. The fear is so extreme that you’ll avoid nearly any situation where you’d need to interact with one or several people at a time.

You may feel watched or like you’re being closely evaluated by those around you. In reality it’s all just in your head, but that can be a hard concept to grasp for most social anxiety sufferers. You’re probably constantly worried about what other people think of you and want to know how you stack up against someone else’s standards.

This fear of making a good impression is strongest with people you’re unfamiliar with.

Fear of embarrassing yourself in public is a constant worry and can sometimes lead to agoraphobia, the fear of venturing outside your own home.

Common triggers of social anxiety disorder include:

• Being teased by friends or people you know
• Speaking in public
• Being the center of attention (like at birthday parties)
• Having confrontational conversations
• Taking exams
• Dating
• Making conversation at work or at parties
• Facing rejection
• Speaking with authority figures
• Speaking up at meetings
• Making important phone calls
• Being called on in class or during a meeting
• Eating or Drinking in public
• Showing off your physique (at a pool or sauna)

There’s more but that covers a large portion of your high anxiety situations.

Your symptoms during these intense moments of social anxiety may resemble that of a panic attack. Sweating, shaking, pounding hearbeat and rushes of adrenaline are all common.

Personally, I had bouts of extreme blushing. My face would light up with red until I looked like a cherry tomato…not a good look.

The problem stems from low self-esteem and can totally be overcome with the right practices. I hope you’re excited because you’re about to learn these EXACT practices. Here’s where you start your road to recovery.

Tips to Overcome Social Anxiety

Avoid Caffeine Do yourself a favor and just stay away from it. You may think that coffee makes you more sociable with its temporary caffeine rush but you’ll really just be setting yourself up for a hard crash. Once that happens, your social anxiety will take hold and you’ll feel less confident than ever. In short, cut out the coffee until you’ve got your worry under control.

Avoid Alcohol This is pretty much the same rule that applies to caffeine. You may think that drinking makes you more confident while you’re buzzing, however, once morning hits, your social anxiety will just fill you with regret. I remember an office Christmas party where I had just one or two too many. Although I didn’t act like a drunk fool, my social anxiety made me feel otherwise the next day. I was filled with embarrassment and guilt over nothing at all. Don’t forget that alcohol is a depressant.

Get Enough Sleep Fatigue will bring on the effects of social anxiety and depression faster than anything else. It is crucial that you’re getting at least 7 or more hours of sleep a night. Lack of energy is sure to keep you down and quiet throughout the day. In short, get some rest and wake up feeling like a million bucks.

Change your focus In order to overcome social anxiety, you’ve got to learn to change your focus from your interior monologue to your outside surroundings. Pay attention to people around you. I call this technique “people watching”. It’s amazing what you observe when you just take a moment to get out of your own head. This distraction will take you away from your own personal criticisms. Remember while doing this to think in a positive if not comical light. Sometimes it takes a little extra effort to see the beauty and humor in life. When you step back and observe like this, you’ll realize how much we are all the same. Reading can be another great way to change your focus. By reading, you are actively following a script, storyline or dialogue. You won’t possibly be able to get trapped in your own negative thoughts if you’re entranced in a book. Unfortunately, this tactic doesn’t work as well with movies or tv because there are too many distractions and you don’t actively have to focus on the task at hand.

Questions are the Answer When you’re in a one on one conversation with someone or in a group conversation for that matter, the secret to relaxing is controlling the flow of dialogue. How do you do that? You ask questions to those in the conversation and you listen intently. See, most people (those without social anxiety at least) LOVE talking about themselves. They just can’t wait to tell you what they do, how their day was, what their pet peeves are etc. When you ask the right questions in a conversation you signal them to do what they really want to do…talk about themselves. Not only will this allow you to sit back and relax, the person talking to you will think you’re having a TERRIFIC conversation (mainly because they’re enjoying all their own talking). They’ll also think you’re a great person because you’ve listened so politely. Control the flow of conversation with questions. You’ll shift attention off yourself and shift the responsibility onto the person you’re speaking with. It’s a proven tactic to overcome social anxiety.

Employ Compliments When you’re in a social situation, find something unique, impressive or respectable about the person you’re speaking with. Almost everyone has a strong point. Look for the strong point in your conversation counterpart. Once you identify it, give them a subtle compliment. Here’s an example…If you’re talking to someone who has two small children try something like this: “Wow Jan! It’s pretty impressive you still have so much energy raising two kids. You look great. I would imagine it can get exhausting raising young kids, but you look like you’re doing it like a pro.” Here’s what you just accomplished in that little example. You gave them a subtle compliment, raising their own self-esteem AND you opened up a whole new line of conversation in which they can talk about themselves. You just became a WONDERFUL conversationalist. Nice job. Now that particular example is just one of an infinite number of possibilities. Get creative. Remember, you don’t have to sound like you’re sucking up to the person you’re talking to. Just be polite and humble. It will show with your intent listening. Listening is the key.

Find Your Passion Do you have a hobby or interest that you love? Are you an exceptional artist, athlete, computer guru, chef, video game player, writer, anything? When you emerse yourself in something you love, it builds self-esteem. Why? Because you’re improving yourself in some way – no matter how small.Having an interest you’re passionate about will give you something to talk about when it is your turn to speak. It’s so important to have some kind of creative outlet. Being good at anything will renew your zest for life and get your excited about tomorrow. If you don’t have a particular hobby or interest, it’s never too late to start. It can be anything. Sewing, fishing, woodworking, painting, exercising, watching movies, checking out new restaurants – ANYTHING. Just find your “something” and love doing it. This may sound simple, but you’d be surprised how many people have lost their enthusiasm for everday things. Having passion is what keeps us loving each new day. Find yours and follow it to your hearts desire.

The REAL Secret…

The secret is confidence. Gaining confidence corrects your self-esteem issues, reprograms your brain for success and gives you an optimistic, positive perspective.

The best way to start gaining confidence is by following tried and true methods that you can practice at once.

One of my favorite programs that teaches this is called “Unstoppable Confidence“. Unstoppable confidence is an ebook that systematically unlocks the doors holding you back from your most successful self.

It shows you MAJOR lifestyle changes you can start making right now to achieve your goals. The program identifies what’s holding you back from everything you want in life. Additionally it will teach you to give yourself the strength to change your life.

See, a lot of books that say they’ll increase your confidence just give you what I like to call a little “pep talk”. Sure they’ll make you feel good and motivate you for a day or so, but what then?

“Unstoppable Confidence” is different. It shows you how to apply EXACT written AND psychological exercises that let you see tangible improvement in your income, appearance and you’ll feel improvement in all your everyday interactions.

This is one of my most highly recommended resources for anyone who’s looking to overcome social anxiety and finally live the life they’ve always dreamed. You can read the book right now here. Start right now and Make change happen!