Anxiety and panic attacks are a frequent reality for many people, and they can be very scary, especially if you do not understand what is happening. This article discusses some tips for both people who experience panic attacks and for those who are trying to understand what panic attacks are. It's a scary thing to see your child having a panic attack. The first thing that you should do is to try to get them to slow their breathing down. Many anxiety attacks consist of rapid breathing. You child may not be able to gain their composure without the help of your guidance. When you are having a panic attack think about the reason you're having one. What have you eaten today? Who did you spend time with? What were you thinking about just before it happened? Once you feel better, try to write down everything that might have affected your state of mind and led up to the panic attack and then narrow down the reasons. If you understand how breathing can change your mood, you can control your anxiety. If you lengthen or slow down the speed of your exhalation, your body and mind will begin to relax. If you slow down the speed of your inhalation, you will stimulate your body and your mind. If you know someone prone to panic attacks, try and be a mindful of situations that you know may trigger an attack and avoid them. If you sense your friend or loved one is about to go into a panicked stage, speak in calm tones and distract them while you casually remove them from the situation. When you begin to feel an attack coming on, you should try to dis-empower the attack. Tell yourself over and over that your attacks have never caused any harm to you and panic attacks have never hurt any one else. Tell yourself that it does not mean anything at all. Get angry at your fears and tell them you won't let a panic attack take you down! Really tell your feelings that you are sick of them and that you really don't want them in your life! Let them know that when they leave this time you don't ever want to see them again, so goodbye! Now that you've read the article, you should have a better understanding of what panic attacks are and some of the things that can be done to lessen their grip on you or someone close to you. Implement what you've learned here, and you can increase your quality of life. PanicBuster.com was created by anxiety treatment expert David Mellinger, MSW (RESUME). Click on the link to learn more about anxiety, worry, phobias, and obsessions and compulsions (OCD)