How to Deal With a Panic Attack: A Practical Guide

Anxiety is the most common of all mental health issues, and it has been steadily increasing since the 1950s.

We all experience anxiety occasionally, but it becomes known as panic when it reaches a more extreme level.

When a panic persists, this is typically called a panic attack.

And if you’ve ever had one, I don’t need to tell you how unpleasant they are.

Today, we will walk through 5 steps that can help you catch the signs relatively quickly and work through the discomfort as soon as possible.

RESOURCES & LINKS:
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Do unexpected panic attacks occur spontaneously: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21783...
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For our first step, it’s important to identify what thoughts, feelings, or situations are most likely to contribute to a panic attack.

This is likely different for everyone, but like most things in life, there tend to be clues and patterns.

If you don’t notice any particular rhyme or reason for the attacks, that’s fine. We still have a plan to manage them.

Second, knowing what physical and psychological symptoms to watch out for is important.

According to research, the most common physical symptoms of a panic attack are:
An increase in heart rate
Shortness of breath
Tightness in the chest
Upset stomach
Sweating
Shaking
Hot flashes
Numbness
And feeling dizzy

And the most common psychological or mental signs of a panic attack are:
Feelings of panic and uneasiness
Feelings of dread
A fear of dying
A feeling of not being connected to reality
And the fear of losing control mentally

You don’t need all the physical and psychological symptoms I just listed to have a panic attack.

For most people, there are usually one or two strong, telltale symptoms that initially let you know that you are starting to have a panic attack.

Based on a 2011 study by Dr. Alicia Meuret and colleagues, the 2 most common symptoms to watch out for are increased heart rate and shortness of breath, but your telltale signs could differ.

And the goal of picking up these symptoms quickly is so you can try to minimize the severity of the panic attack.

For the third step, the goal is to begin calming the body.

The best way to do this is to change how you breathe.

You could have different breathing schedules, but the main goal is to get slower, deeper breaths.

If you are by yourself, I’d encourage you to breathe in for 2-3 seconds, hold your breath for 2-3 seconds and exhale for 2-3 seconds, with a goal of doing this 10 times before returning to normal breathing.

If you are having a panic attack in public, this could feel awkward to follow a breathing schedule, so I’d encourage you to focus on breathing more slowly and deeply.

The next step is to begin calming the mind.

What you say to yourself is critical at this stage, as it will influence whether the panic attack gets better or worse.

For example, if your self-talk at this stage is something like, “Oh my God, I can’t stand this; I’m sure this is a heart attack.”

The panic attack is probably going to get worse.

So, the goal at this stage is to have calming phrases.

Sample phrases could be:
“I can handle this; I’ve done it before.”
“These feelings will go away soon.”
“It’s just a wave; what goes up must come down.”

For most panic attacks, the worst is usually over within 10 – 20 minutes. More severe panic attacks can last a little longer but eventually end.

For our fifth step, I encourage people to get moving whenever possible.

When the brain feels panicked, it releases hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline that would be helpful to decrease.

And if you can get moving for at least 10 or 15 minutes after a panic attack, it can help create a greater sense of calm by using up some of that excess adrenaline.

And ideally, the more intense the exercise, the better if you’re experiencing strong symptoms, as it will have a greater impact on reducing the amount of adrenaline floating around in your system.

So, I encourage you to try these steps to help you cope with a panic attack.

If you need help putting these steps into practice, please contact us @ https://www.drsullivan.ca/

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