Anxiety is a normal human reflex to dealing with stress. You are likely to experience anxiety if you are appearing for an exam, if you have a work deadline to meet, or if you are to speak in public. But what are panic attacks? How is a panic attack different from normal anxiety?

Panic attacks are rushes of overwhelming fears that come without a warning or a reason. It is another level of anxiety or the feeling of having to deal with 'stress'. People who get panic attacks would often feel extreme fear as if someone is about to shoot them point-blank.

The general symptoms of panic attacks are: Raging heartbeat, breathlessness, as if you just can’t get enough air, paralyzing terror, nervousness, tremors, stress, heart palpitation, feeling of dread, fear, fright, sweating, hot flashes, sudden chills, extreme thought patterns where a person may feel like he/she is about to die or go crazy.

My personal belief is panic attacks do not appear out of the blue. There are usually realistic reasons for them. They could be traumatic events, regular exposure to stress, or maybe tragic news, criticism that's hard to handle, loss or separation with a loved one, or a person may just be a little more sensitive emotionally.

Whatever the reason may be, yes the drugs do make you feel good, they may even give you an excuse, but the chemicals that you take have a temporary effect. Therapy on the other hand may prove to be more beneficial but if you ask me, there's nothing stronger than your mind and its will power. Thinking clear and positive goes a long way. Period.