Recently, Armenian Judo Expert Karo Parisyan admitted to folks at the UFC that he has been diagnosed and has been suffering from Panic Attacks. Karo explained that during his April 2 Ultimate Fight Night bout with Brazilian fighter Thiago Alves, he had a strong panic attack that had negative effects on his fight game and contributed to his loss by TKO early in the second round. Before the fight, it was reported that Karo told a close friend “I want to go home”.

Many people may laugh at this and say that Karo needs to man up, but unless you have experienced a panic attack yourself, you have no idea just how influential they can be. The sport of MMA requires a tremendous amount of mental strength as well as physical strength. Even without a panic attack, the psychological pressures can be tremendous. I have suffered from panic attacks my whole life and know just how debilitating they can be. It is an amazing force that can definitely take the fight out of you.

Instead of putting Karo down for this illness, I personally have to commend his courage. Not only is he succeeding in what I believe to be one of the toughest sports on the planet, he has basically done it with a handicap…panic attacks. Karo continued to train even though he could not get enough sleep. He continued to work on his fight game even though he could not eat and maintain proper nourishment. He stepped into the Octagon to face the very tough Thiago Alves even though every cell in his body was telling him that something was very very wrong….. That is what you call courage. Courage is not lack of fear,it is the ability to overcome it.

Do you get panic attacks? Here’s a description from WikiPedia:

“Panic attacks are sudden, discrete periods of intense anxiety, mounting physiological arousal, fear, stomach problems and discomfort that are associated with a variety of somatic and cognitive symptoms. They are a subset of an evolutionary response commonly referred to as fight or flight that occur out of context. This response floods the body with hormones, particularly epinephrine (adrenaline), that aid in defending itself from harm. Experiencing a panic attack is said to be one of the most intensely frightening, upsetting and uncomfortable experiences of a person’s life.

Sufferers of panic attacks report a fear or sense of dying, “going crazy”, or experiencing a heart attack or “flashing vision”, feeling faint or nauseous, or losing control of themselves. These feelings may provoke a strong urge to escape or flee the place where the attack began (a consequence of the sympathetic “fight or flight” response).

A panic attack is a response of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The most common symptoms may include trembling, dyspnea (shortness of breath), heart palpitations, chest pain (or chest tightness), hot flashes, cold flashes, burning sensations (particularly in the facial or neck area), sweating, nausea, dizziness (or slight vertigo), light-headedness, hyperventilation, paresthesias (tingling sensations), sensations of choking or smothering or derealization, the feeling that nothing is real.”

If you read this description and can relate, don’t let this illness stop you from living your dreams. Karo isn’t going to let it stop him and I definitely won’t let it stop me.

For tips on how to overcome the terrible curse of panic attacks, visit The Anxiety Coach.

Photo:Daily Motion