Panic isn’t directly caused by stress or anxiety – panic arises when we MISINTERPRET and CATASTROPHISE frightening but harmless symptoms of anxiety.
The key to overcoming panic is to UNDERSTAND IT – then FACE IT so that we can learn that our feared consequences don’t happen.
The problem with relaxation exercises is people sometimes use them to try to AVOID / STOP / GET RID OF panic and although we may feel slightly relaxed for a short while we will still be left with the FEAR of panic.
We may then believe that the relaxation technique ‘saved’ us from our imagined CATASTROPHE and it will then become a ‘safety behaviour’ – which keeps us locked in the cycle of fear.
It is more helpful to lose your fear of panic through exposure and THEN learn relaxation techniques later on to deal with any underlying stress.
If you DO practice relaxation techniques just remember that they WON’T take away your fear of panic attacks.