Therapy and Medication

• Many doctors use therapy and medication as primary weapons against anxiety and panic. Medication--usually antidepressants such as Prozac or sedatives similar to Xanax--works to ease the symptoms and help you get a handle on panic attacks. Therapy, on the other hand, seeks to treat the causes of your panic and anxiety. Cognitive behavior therapy--the most commonly applied therapy in these cases--aims to uncover and resolve the traumas which created the disorder, while teaching you more positive ways of addressing anxiety and panic. Therapy often takes time and can be more of an ongoing process than a magic bullet. But many patients report results after a few weeks, and symptoms eventually vanish in most cases.
  
  

Relaxation Techniques

• Relaxation techniques work immediately, so you can implement them when a panic or anxiety attack hits. Breathing exercises make an excellent form of relaxation. Sit in a quiet area (a spare room in your house or an empty office at work), closing your eyes and breathing slowly in and out for 10 or 15 minutes. Breathe in through your diaphragm rather than your upper chest and concentrate on making your breaths even--taking the same time to inhale as you do to exhale. Yoga classes can teach your similar exercises to stay calm, and mediation techniques also work well to relieve the symptoms when they arise.
  
  

Lifestyle Choices

• Anxiety and panic attacks are often exacerbated--and even caused--by stress in our daily lives. You can reduce them by making shifts in your daily routine. Ratchet back your commitments, and adopt a work schedule which you can reasonably handle. Get a full eight hours or sleep each night, and try to go to bed at the same time every night. Exercise regularly: run, bike or take up a regimen at your local gym. Aerobic activity increases energy and leads to an upswing in positive emotions, which can help calm your anxiety and reduce the severity of panic attacks.