> Practical Family Living

We all know the uncomfortable feeling of anxiety. Our hearts race, our fingers sweat, and our breathing gets shallow. Racing thoughts dominate about a perceived threat that we think is too much to handle. Our "fight or flight" response has kicked in. It’s a brain thing. This morning a friend called with an attack of this kind. She calmed when I shared the facts of the condition so I share it here.

Our brain protects us by triggering hormones to help us deal with what seems to be danger. Deliberately relaxing muscles can help slow down the ramped up “juices” that flow through the body. Evaluating the racing thoughts will bring reality to the "over the top" worry. Putting a stop to how bad things might get is something our built in “mind manager” can do.

All of this and more about anxiety and panic is to be learned at: PFL.org. Type in the words anxiety or panic in the search line. We have hundreds of resources there on this topic from our therapists free for you and your loved ones.