Experiencing panic attacks after pregnancy can be a very common occurrence; being common does not make it any less debilitating or scary.
Compounding this situation may be the fact that you might have never suffered or experienced these attacks before or even during your pregnancy.
So where are they from and how come you are just now experiencing them? Well, to answer that, you must first try to determine what it triggering these attacks in the first place...
is it due to fear that you might be unable to lose your post delivery weight? Or is it due to the fear that your baby may not grow normally? I can go on and on but I think you've gotten the message.
In this article we will try to get a general idea of what these attacks are and then you will discover three ways in which you can get back to your former panic-free self...
Panic attack is defined as brief periods of intense terror and apprehension, often marked by trembling, shaking, confusion, dizziness, nausea, and difficulty breathing.
These attacks, defined by the APA as fear or discomfort that abruptly arises and peaks in less than ten minutes, can last for several hours and can be triggered by stress or fear although the specific cause is not always apparent.
What actually occurs during an attack is that your body perceives the occurrence of a dangerous situation or threat and reacts in a primeval pre-programmed fashion.
Mostly referred to as "fight or flight", your body assumes that the intense feelings of stress and anxiety you are feeling is a threat to it and reacts accordingly.
But in reality, there is no existence of danger at all.
This reality causes you to be left with symptoms such as; palpitations, a racing or increased heart rate, dizziness, feeling of impending doom, tightness in your chest, or hyperventilation etc.
So how come you who have never experienced any attack previously and during the term of your pregnancy now suddenly begin to suffer from this condition? Well, it may be due to the stress you just endured through the 9-month period of worry over your baby's health or about the delivery process especially if this is your first pregnancy.
This is not mentioning the various physical and chemical changes that occurred before and during your pregnancy term which you had no choice but to endure.
All of these may very well be the source of your panic attacks after pregnancy; in reality you were probably just waiting to have an attack; all you needed was a trigger.
These attack, whatever the root cause or trigger, can be gotten rid of.
Here are three ways to achieve this; 1.
Get a confidant - you need to get someone you trust, either a friend or very close relative, who you can confide in without fear.
You would need to talk to them about your worries and your feelings.
These people will often times have the ability to have a balanced and positive view of issues because they can think without clouding those thoughts with too much emotion.
So you fear that you will be unable to rid yourself of that post pregnancy baby fat? They will let you know that you are being paranoid or something along those lines.
2.
Controlled breathing - if you need to relax, get into the habit of breathing slowly in a controlled manner.
Here's how to do this; lie on your back while breathing slowly.
Ensure that you are taking in air through your nostrils and exhaling through your mouth.
Try not to breathe too deeply and ensure that you are utilizing your whole diaphragm and not your chest only.
3.
Rest a lot - this cannot be overemphasized.
You have just been through an ordeal that will leave any man, hunk or not, dead on his tracks - you deserve that rest.
And this is not a once off thing, no; it need to be frequent and regularly day time and nightly rests.
You could just nap a little or lay down and read a good book or just chill out while listening to soft positive music.
You could also engage in a therapeutic hobby that is also relaxing like; meditation or yoga.
If you do these, you will rid yourself off of those nasty panic attacks after pregnancy.