Panic Attacks - What to Do
Panic attacks, although not physically dangerous, can be very scary and worrying.
They often feel like any combination of these symptoms (and sometimes more):
> Shortness of breath or hyperventilation - the "I can't breathe" feeling
> A racing heart and/or being able to feel your heartbeats - the "pounding heart"
> Chest pain/discomfort - the "tight chest"
> Trembling/shaking - the "shaky" feeling
> A choking feeling, as if the air is getting stuck in your throat
> Dissociation/numbness - the "dream" or "unreal" feeling
> Stomach pains/nausea - the "going to throw up" feeling
> Dizziness/lightheadedness - the "faint" feeling
> A feeling of losing control/dying/going crazy
As you can see, there's a lot of stuff that can go on during a panic attack (there are more, less common symptoms than the ones I listed above).
But, you might be asking, what brings them about? Why do people go from "normal" to a panic attack at sometimes seemingly unstressful things?
Well, there are a number of complications that can cause panic attacks to occur like low blood sugar or an overactive thyroid gland. However, often it is the situation a person is in, their genetics, their lifestyle, their upbringing or a combination of those (and more).
Often, people will have a build up of stress going on in their life (commonly because of work, school, family or death of someone they knew). This build up will accumulate sometimes without the person fully realising, before reaching its height and coming out as a panic attack.
Other complications, such as anxiety (very common factor) can cause panic attacks, due to the nature of the complication.
Is there a way to deal with them?
Is there a cure?
It depends on your interpretation of the word "cure". If your panic attacks are due to a physical complication, medication can put an end to your panic attacks.
Otherwise, there are various coping strategies and exercises to try that often work for people. I'll give you one in this post, and will be posting more in the future as I find the most effective ones.
This exercise is called "belly breathing" and it's a great way to get your breath, slow your heart rate and calm your thoughts (ultimately reducing/ending a panic attack).
Step 1: Place one hand just above your belt line, and the other on your chest, right over your ribs
Step 2: Open your mouth and gently sigh, as if someone had just told you something really annoying. As you do, let your shoulders and the muscles of your upper body relax, down, with the exhale
Step 3: Close your mouth and pause (a few seconds)
Step 4: Keep your mouth closed and inhale slowly through your nose by pushing your stomach out. Don't force too much air in - just until you've taken all you comfortably can in
Step 5: Pause (a few seconds)
Step 6: Open your mouth. Exhale through your mouth by pulling your belly in
Step 7: Pause (a few seconds)
Step 8: Repeat until you feel noticably better
Stay safe everyone and remember - sometimes all it takes to cheer someone up is to show that you care and offer a listening ear.
Helped by: http://www.anxietycoach.com/breathingexercise.html