Journalling does a number of things but mostly it shows that the thought is not realistic, it also serves as a distraction but the most important thing it does is put a positive thought into memory.
One person said the best defence, is a good offense. There are a lot of things that can be done preventatively, to minimize the attacks, and they're in the programme.
My favourite tool is progressive relaxation, along with diet and exercise.
With my anxiety I take every little symptom a nd turn it into I must be having a heart attack. I just had a severe coughing episode (I know that it is from my allergies which are severe) and I think I might have pulled a muscle in my chest. Now I am sitting here trying so very hard not to give into my anxious thoughts and have a full blown panic attack at work (it would be my fourth here). I was hoping that maybe by writing about it I could outlast my panic cycle and be ok. I really hate this...
