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For those of us who have struggled or are struggling with panic attacks, it can get frustrating to hear the term misused. We’ve all hard someone who is nervous say things like, “OMG, I’m freaking out! I’m totally having a panic attack!” The thing is, if you can actually say, “I’m having a panic attack,” there’s a high probability that you’re not!
Panic attacks are excruciating and debilitating. When you are having one you feel like you’re dying; which makes you panic even more (and no, we’re not exaggerating!). They can make you feel like you can’t catch your breath or are choking or like you are being smothered. Sometimes they come with a side order of chest pain, tightness, and/or palpitations which can feel like you’re having a heart attack. You can feel hot and sweaty or have chills. You can get dizzy, light-headed or faint. They can make you feel and fear being out of control or like you are going crazy! And it feeds on itself because after you have a panic attack you get afraid that it’s going to happen again. Doesn’t this sound like a ton of fun?!
You don’t need all of these symptoms to officially experience a panic attack. You only need four of them; but isn’t that enough?
Sometimes they are ‘expected.’ In other words they are a reaction to a specific fear. Sometimes they are ‘unexpected;’ in that they don’t seem to be related to anything specific. Both feel like hell; but the unexpected kind are also pretty frustrating and confusing because you have no idea why they are happening!
We don’t really know why they happen. We know that some chemistry in the brain isn’t functioning as it should. What we don’t know is how it gets that way. We know that other forms of anxiety and stress can play a role. Caffeine intake can even have an impact. While understanding that there are biochemical factors playing a role doesn’t help resolve a panic attack; it can help us to understand why, depending on the severity, medication is sometimes necessary to balance things out.
We know…you’re probably thinking…that’s great and all but what can I do when I’m actually having one?!
- Recognize it. It’s a huge step to just realize you are having a panic attack and aren’t actually dying!
- Remind yourself. As stupid as it sounds, cialis 5mg 14 stuck preisvergleich china starkt it is helpful to say to yourself something like, “This is just one of those anxiety things again.” This is a way of telling our brain this feels awful but it’s not something I have to be afraid of.
- Reorient yourself. Basically, this means bringing your brain back to the present…the right here and now where nothing scary is actually happening. One of the easiest ways to do this is to look around right where you are and use your five senses. What do you see? What do you hear? What can you touch? If anything, what can you smell? Do you have anything with you that you can taste ( a beverage or a mint or something like that)? Look around and identify these things…look at them, listen for them, touch and see how something feels, etc. This process is giving your brain something else to think about and it calms down the panic reaction.
It’s significant to note that these three steps are designed to help with symptoms. It’s just as important (if not more) to identify and work on any underlying anxiety and stress as well. Figuring this out on our own can be challenging. This is definitely an area where counseling can help.
Take care of you…
