Friends and family mean well when they see you in the throes of a panic attack. As scary as a panic attack is to experience, they can be just as scary to watch: a fun-loving person turned into a terrified, hyperventilating mess in a split second. So our loved ones want to fix it, and fix it fast! But if they've never experienced a panic attack, they most likely won't understand what is happening and may even get frustrated when their attempts to talk you down don't work.

Listen around for a day or so, and you're likely to hear someone laugh that he or she is a perfectionist. People throw this word around a lot, and half the time it's with a hint of pride, connoting a person who works too hard and regularly exceeds expectations. Perfectionists get their identity from pushing too hard and being everything to everyone. And they are often incredibly anxious and "perfectly miserable." Many perfectionist clients report being fastidious children:

In the not-so-distant past, our society valued the “strong, silent type,” a type of man who speaks infrequently but can be relied upon as a strong partner, friend, and coworker. But modern society seems to prize outgoing extroverts more and more, and this can be a big frustration for quiet, introverted males. But what is an introvert? About 1/3 of people are true introverts, meaning that they “refuel” by spending time alone. Introverts can be talkative, but they also requi