Am I sick, mentally ill or is it a panic attack?
Have you ever had a panic attack? They are scary, aren’t they?
But you don’t need to panic about panic.
What are panic attacks?
Panic attacks are characterized by assaults of intense fear that come with an intensity that feels unmanageable and unstoppable. During a panic attack, the body’s autonomous fight-or-flight response takes over. If you experience a panic attack, you may be beset by fear so intense that it feels overwhelming, and you feel as if you are losing control.
A hallmark of a panic attack is a strong physical reaction. It is not uncommon for people to think they are having a heart attack, because the panic attack often elicits cardiac sensations such as a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, and hot or cold sweats.
What gets a panic attack going full throttle is the fear of fear. Individuals who experience panic attacks are particularly afraid of the uncomfortable physical symptoms that accompany the fight/flight response. Now, of course, if you are worried whether your symptoms indicate a medical problem, check with your physician.
Here are five tips to handle an unexpected panic attack:
1. Notice what’s happening in your body and name the feeling:
“There’s that dizziness…there’s my heart beating so quickly.”
2. Talk to your worried mind.
Tell yourself you are not in danger but that you are experiencing the normal physical reactions that accompany panic. You might say, “It’s just uncomfortable, not dangerous.”
3. Keep an orange in your freezer.
If you are panicking, place the frozen orange on your cheek. It will literally chill you out! If you are out of the house, find a rest room and splash cold water on your face.
4. Do slow breathing with long exhalations.
The dizziness you may be feeling is caused by over-breathing. You take in more oxygen than is needed, and less oxygen reaches the tissues, leading to the uncomfortable physical changes that you’re experiencing. To counteract that, try inhaling to a count of four and then slowly exhale to a count of eight.
5. Fast forward.
Most panic episodes resolve quickly, so imagine that 20 minutes have passed and that you are feeling better.