Not to long ago I was reading about Dan Harris, an ABC anchorman that had a panic attack while he was on air. There were millions of people watching that evening and Dan said it was absolutely the most humiliating experience of his life.

I also watched the video of him having this attack, and quite frankly I couldn’t really tell he was having one. I noticed he was a bit uncomfortable, but nothing that would indicate he was in dire distress.

Then again I really don’t know why I was expecting to see something more dramatic when I know how good I was at masking my anxious feelings from others. People who have suffered from debilitating panic attacks for years, usually have mastered the art of disguising their panic attacks.

Many people that experience the dreaded panic attack on a regular basis not only has to deal with panic attack symptoms, such as hyperventilating and shaking during the onset of a panic attack, but also deal with the fear associated with having one in front of other people.

Just the thought of such a scenario can actually bring on a panic attack. I know all to well the vicious cycle this creates and the pain that arises from it all. It’s enough to make you want to shut yourself in the house and not bother coming out. That’s exactly what I ended up eventually doing.

Most of us though, unlike Dan Harris aren’t going to be in front of millions of people when we have a panic attack. None the less the anticipation and the mental images we tend to rehearse in our minds about it is quite frightening and vivid.

Thus is doesn’t matter whether it’s one million people watching or just one. Just the prospect of having a panic attack in a public place can cause someone to actually have a panic attack for real.

This anticipatory anxiety often results in a person avoiding people and places where they imagine an attack will occur. Unfortunately in the long run, this type of avoidance can easily and rapidly result in a person avoiding more and more situations.

Fore example, I can remember when I was younger and going to college, I avoided taking classes when I knew the campus would be buzzing with activity. The problem is that in time, I starting avoiding almost everything and became agoraphobic.

Thank God I’m no longer living my life with that kind of avoidance and fear. But I’m hear to tell you that if you’re finding yourself justifying your avoidance behavior because there are still some things you can do, be careful.

Because the things that you can do now may turn into the things you can no longer do if you keep avoiding uncomfortable scenarios that you’re playing out in your head over and over again.

Although the ego tells us that we should be shameful, humiliated and embarrassed if we have a panic attack in front of others, I’m also hear to tell you that there should absolutely be no shame in experiencing something that you can’t control at any given time.

Just like when someone has a heart attack or a stroke that they can’t control, they shouldn’t be shameful either.

In addition to this, I want you to keep in mind that most people that you think are noticing you are having a panic attack, actually have no idea you are. As I said earlier most anxiety sufferers are so good at hiding their attacks that even a family member might have trouble knowing.

More so I want you to keep in mind that most people don’t know you’re having an attack because they’re so caught up in their own world and problems that they’re not focusing enough on you to notice.

So never be ashamed that you can’t control your panic attacks at this point and truly understand that if you do have one in public most people are too preoccupied with what they’re dealing with to care or notice.

I’m thinking though, that if you could control this pesky little sucker you would with all your might restrain it and bury it in a deep dark hole where it could never escape again!

You know, one reason you can’t control your panic attacks up until now is because no one has taught you how to. Perhaps you’ve getting by with just barely coping or you’re avoiding situations altogether that you think might provoke one.

As I said earlier, once you start avoiding one thing, it can lead to you avoiding other things. And before you know it you’re avoiding your life!

Please don’t let this happen to you. I know that game and believe me the only thing you can do in it is loose. Don’t think your panic attacks are going to magically go away.

It really is time for you to learn how to take control over your attacks. Realize that just coping with them is not giving yourself the power you deserve to live a happy life.

I suggest you give the Panic Away Program a try. It comes with a money back guarantee anyway, so if it doesn’t help you get control over your panic attacks and start living your life to the fullest then simply ask for your money back.

I know you’re thinking, “Oh no not another sales pitch”! Really I know your frustration because I use to be the agoraphobic that barely left her house.

Now I’m not going to say I’m able to get up and speak to a large crowd yet, but I can say I’m doing a heck of a lot better because I started implementing the principles that they teach, as well as other things I will share with you in later posts.

Check out my Panic Away Review if you’d like to gather more information about it before you invest your hard earned money and precious time.

Listen you’ve got to get aggressive when treating your panic disorder and search for treatments that are effective for you. Whether it’s the Panic Away Program or not, I urge you to get the help you deserve in order to live your life to the fullest.