Panic Attack Advice

Panic attacks come from anxiety, which is your body’s “alarm system” that alerts you to danger. Imagine walking through your front door and finding a robber in your living room. Your heart beats rapidly and your mind starts racing. Anxiety provides an extra spark to help you get out of danger in these kinds of situations. In normal, but busy, situations, anxiety gives you energy in order to get things done.

Sometimes anxiety goes out of control, giving you a sense of impending doom for no reason whatsoever. This type of anxiety will upset your life. The only way to remedy this is by controlling panic attacks.

What is a Panic Disorder?

A panic disorder is only one kind of anxiety. It occurs when you have multiple periods of severe panic, called panic attacks. Suppose one day you are getting out of your car to go to the grocery store. Suddenly, your chest tightens. Your heart starts racing. You begin to feel disoriented and start to choke. You feel like you might be dying. Was this all in your mind? Most likely it was because you had a panic attack. Panic attacks usually last about 5 to 30 minutes and can include any of the symptoms listed below. Panic attacks often lead to phobias if left untreated.

Symptoms of panic attacks:

- Feeling of choking

- Chest pain

- Rapid heartbeat

- Racing pulse

- Dizziness

- Shortness of breath

- Sweating

- Trembling

- Nausea

- Tingling in appendages

- Hot flashes or chills

- Sense of unreality

- Severe fears of losing control, committing embarrassing acts, or dying

What Are Phobias?

Phobias are extreme and unreasonable fears in response to something specific. There are many different kinds of phobias, including fears of bridges, crowds, heights, snakes, spiders, or even social gatherings. Phobias are only considered to be problematic if they keep you from having a normal life.

What Causes Panic Attacks?

The fire alarm suddenly goes off in your home and you race around desperately to find the fire. Instead, you find out there is no fire – the alarm isn’t working like it should. This is the same for anxiety disorders. Your body triggers your alarm system when there isn’t any danger. This could be because of a chemical imbalance. It can also be related to a subconscious memory, a medicinal side effect, or some sort of illness.

Controlling Panic Attacks

If you have panic attacks, talk to your family doctor. They will help you create a plan to learn skills to handle your anxiety. Your doctor may suggest counseling or prescribe medicine if deemed necessary. Here are some tips for controlling panic attacks:

Control worrying: Choose a specific place and time to worry. Make it the same every day. Spend half an hour thinking about what concerns you and what to do about it. Don’t dwell too much on what might happen, just focus on what’s actually happening. Then let go of your worries and get on with the rest of your day.

Learn how to relax: Deep breathing, muscle relaxation, and yoga are all extremely effective ways to relax.

Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and drug abuse: Exercise regularly and get plenty of sleep. The most important step is to take action, which will help you feel a sense of control over your anxiety.