What are you thinking right now? The thoughts on your mind can make all of the difference, something that people who suffer from panic attacks are all too familiar with. Just one intrusive thought can get you started on a spiral that leads to exactly what you'd feared; a full blown panic attack. Worrying about your family, your career, health and so on when there is no good reason to be concerned, only gets you worked up and fuels anxiety.

We all worry about things sometimes, but when you can't stop those intrusive thoughts from taking over, that's when the real trouble begins. If you suffer from anxiety or panic disorders, it's hard to just shrug these thoughts off and they push you towards panic or depressive symptoms. The longer you allow these thoughts to control you, the more likely they are to develop into a serious obsession.

It's not just your mind that suffers either. Anxiety, panic and depression can make it hard to sleep or eat, causing you to lose weight, feel tired and have a decline in your general health. You might find these physical symptoms alarming, starting you on yet another panic attack! Anxiety disorders can also make it difficult to interact with other people - even your family and friends.

A lot of people who suffer from panic attacks or anxiety disorders fear being institutionalized or stigmatized as different if they seek help. Unfortunately, this keeps many people from getting the help that they need. Panic and anxiety disorders can usually be managed, attacks often prevented and in some people, the disorder can actually be cured! The first step is to start asserting control over those intrusive thoughts.

You can begin reducing the power that your intrusive thoughts have over you by making some adjustments to your lifestyle. Keep busy with work, volunteer activities and spending time with family and friends. If you can keep your mind occupied and your focus outside yourself, those intrusive thoughts will have fewer opportunities to start you on the downward path towards panic. No one can control every thought that they have, but there is one thing we can do - we can change the way we react to negative, intrusive thoughts.

Try telling yourself that your intrusive thoughts and negative patterns of thinking have never done you a bit of good and that they've always been wrong about their dire predictions. You can also take their power away by imagining cheerful, pleasant images in their place. This takes the fear away and lets you start taking control away from your intrusive thoughts.

Loneliness reinforces negative thinking; so does fatigue. Make more time to spend with family and friends and take part in activities that help you burn off nervous energy and try to find the humor in the world - there's a lot of truth to the old saw about laughter being the best medicine.

If you've decided to seek therapy, you may want to look for a local support group in addition to one on one counseling. Support groups and group therapy sessions can be helpful - you can meet people who share your problems and the moral support that the members of these groups can be invaluable in helping them to overcome intrusive thoughts and regain control over their lives.