Panic attacks
If you have ever had a panic attack (also known as panic disorder), you know that the experience is very unpleasant. It can come on very suddenly and for no apparent reason, or it can build up in a difficult situation where you feel intense anxiety that culminates in a panic attack. Although the experience is very unpleasant, it is completely harmless. The body can tolerate this reaction, and it usually wears off after a short time.
Why do panic attacks happen?
When the brain interprets a situation as so threatening that we need to get to safety, the so-called fight or flight response is activated. This happens regardless of whether a situation involves real danger or not. Various stress hormones are released that lead to us breathing faster and shallower. This increases the level of oxygen in the blood and gives rise to many of the symptoms that we experience in a panic attack.
Common symptoms of a panic attack
Symptoms associated with a panic attack include increased heart rate, tunnel vision, dizziness, feelings of faintness, difficulty thinking clearly, feelings of unreality, shortness of breath, feelings of choking, dry mouth, tingling or numbness in the arms, hands and feet, trembling, sweating and nausea. The symptoms cause many people to fear that they will faint, have a heart attack, lose their mind or die.
How to handle a panic attack
- Slow down your breathing
Take a short pause between each inhalation and exhalation. Allow both inhaling and exhaling to take 3 seconds. Count 1-2-3 to yourself when you breathe in and 1-2-3 when you breathe out. Repeat a few times. You can put your hand on your stomach to more clearly focus on your breathing. - Put into words what is happening at the present moment
Remind yourself that you are experiencing an automatic reaction that you are not in control of. It feels scary, but nothing dangerous will happen. The body can only stay in panic mode for a short time, and it will start to pass soon. - Try to behave calmly
Sit or lie down in a comfortable position and try to go with the flow of the unpleasant feeling to signal to the brain and body that you can do this, however it may feel. Say to yourself, “I can do this, even though it’s hard.” - Focus outward
Help gather yourself by focusing on the different things that are going on around you. Try listening for different sounds around you, e.g. sounds near you for 10 seconds and sounds further away for 10 seconds, and describe to yourself what sounds you are hearing. - Plan what to do afterwards
Create direction by deciding what you will do when the symptoms have subsided enough. Are you going to rest for a while? Do you want to continue with what you were doing before the panic attack? Go for a walk? Drink a cup of tea? Give yourself some time to land and be kind to yourself.