Like a thief in the night, panic attacks make its move unexpectedly.
Whether they strike during the day or strike at night, it shows up without warning.
That maybe the aspect of such episodes that is most frustrating - you feel it randomly and all your efforts of controlling panic attacks will go in vain.
It is still clear in my memory the first time I experienced panic attacks, it was just like it happened yesterday.
I was clueless of what was happening.
At one point I'm fine, the next scene I'm so miserable with chest pains and I can't think straight because of the ordeal.
Honestly, I thought I'm going crazy or worse, I was dying.
Since then I had a lot of encounters with the condition and I learned that controlling panic attacks is not as hard as I have imagined.
The main factor that probably gave the biggest help is when I began to have the realization that I can't completely eradicate it whatever defense I put up.
It was then that the maxim, "if you can't beat them, join them" occurred to me.
So I followed it.
The next time panic attacks tried to get over me, I switched to the offensive end.
By not trying to go against it, my panic attack episodes didn't last long and it didn't leave me exhausted.
What's more, the episodes became less and less frequent.
My normal life is back in no time and I'm now controlling panic attacks at will.