Recognize That Youre Having A Panic Attack
Take away the fear that you may be dying or that impending doom is looming, both symptoms of panic attacks. This can allow you to focus on other techniques to reduce your symptoms.
It is not always possible to avoid triggers for a panic attack, but if you know what triggers it, this can help you understand that it is a panic attack and not something else.
How To Help Someone With Anxiety
All of us worry and get scared from time to time. But those with anxiety may feel consumed by fears of things that might seem irrational to others. It can be hard to relate to these concerns, and as a result, many people dont know how to best help someone with anxiety. People are often dismissive of people experiencing anxiety, says Joseph McGuire, Ph.D., a pediatric psychologist with Johns Hopkins Medicine. With other medical illnesses, you may be able to see physical symptoms. But with anxiety, you dont necessarily see what the person is dealing with. So its important to be sensitive to what the person with anxiety is going through, even if it doesnt make sense to you. Its distressing to watch a loved one experience panic attacks and face anxiety every day, but there are things you can do to help. It starts with recognizing the signs of excessive worry and understanding the best ways to support your loved one.
Things To Not Say During A Panic Attack
Attacks of panic are identified by a mix of emotional, mental, physical signs. The attacks usually begin with a feeling of dread, anxiety, nervousness, or worry.
The anxiety feelings can intensify when the individual begins to experience physical sensations like:
1: The physical discomfort is typically accompanied by anxious thoughts and feelings that include fear that the attack might result in one losing control, become insane, suffer medical emergencies, and even perhaps be killed.
When a panic attack occurs, its not unusual to experience through the feeling of depersonalization and disillusionment that make them feel disconnected from themself and the world.
2: Patients who experience panic attacks usually are not in control of the moment when they will experience symptoms.
For those who have panic disorder, the attacks occur at any time and without warning or explanation.
People with specific phobias might experience panic attacks only after being exposed to the specific phobia, but these fearful triggers may not be challenging to stay clear of.
Since attacks can happen anytime and anyplace, some people might attempt to help the victim through anxiety attacks.
Its incredibly kind of anyone to attempt to help the person with these challenging symptoms.
However, well-meaning family members or family members and strangers can try to assist, only to make a mistake and hurt those suffering from the illness.
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Recognize Youre Having A Panic Attack
While panic attack symptoms would vary depending on the patient, there are some common panic symptoms you can look out for. When you first notice the racing heart or rapid breathing, remind yourself: this is a physical process that will run itself out in a few minutes. Repeating a phrase, such as I will be OK or this is temporary, can help. The more you practice recognizing when theyre beginning to occur, the better equipped youll be to know how to stop having a panic attack as soon as the next one occurs. Knowing the warning signs can help subside recurrent panic attacks.
Getting Help For Panic Attacks
Getting help is key in learning how to stop a panic attack. You can get the tools you need to alleviate symptoms, manage future panic attacks when they occur, and potentially even reduce the frequency of attacks. You can find help through a therapist or other mental health care provider, your primary doctor, or a support group or mental health treatment facility or program.
If youve decided to seek help from your doctor or therapist, they might:
- Suggest regular talk therapy
- Ask you if youve considered medication
- Suggest you cut back on caffeine and alcohol
- Recommend a regular exercise routine
- Encourage you to maintain a healthy diet
- Suggest you practice mindfulness and other calming practices
Working with a mental health professional who is familiar with anxiety disorders can be helpful in learning and building the coping skills that are appropriate for you personally no one coping skill is right for everyone. Medication management with a prescriber can also be added to help with managing panic attacks but shouldnt be the only method we rely on for managing panic attacks, as there are practices and tools you can learn that can support you as well.
1. NIMH » Anxiety Disorders. Nimh.nih.gov. . Published 2018. Accessed January 4, 2022.2.
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Help The Individual Stay Grounded
Once a panic attack has begun, grounding exercises can be very helpful in bringing the individual back to a place where theyre in control. Grounding exercises take the focus off the attack itself by helping the person connect with their environment.
Among the best strategies for handling a panic attack is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. To utilize this technique, guide the individual in finding:
- Five things they can see around them, such as a piece of artwork, and think or talk about what they like or dont like about it
- Four things they can feel, such as how the sun feels on their skin or the surface of the furniture theyre sitting on
- Three things they can hear
- Two things they can smell
- One thing they can taste
How Panic Differs From Anxiety
Panic and anxiety are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different events. Instances of panic are short-lived and intense. They usually last less than 10 minutes because the body cant stay in such an aroused state for extended periods of time.
A panic attack activates our fight-or-flight response that helps prepare our body to protect us from real or perceived threats. However, panic attacks can occur with or without a threat. Anything from watching a scary movie to exercising to consuming excessive caffeine can trigger the physical changes that may lead to a panic attack.
On the other hand, anxiety is a more future-oriented emotion and usually results from thinking or imagining a negative occurrence in the future. Anxiety can be long-lasting, with a lower level of arousal in the body.
Anxiety and panic are interrelated, and both contribute to panic disorder, says Gabe Gruner, LICSW, a psychotherapist at the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic at Brigham and Womens Hospital.
Gruner specializes in obsessive compulsive disorder and other anxiety disorders. The anxiety part of the disorder involves worrying about future panic attacks, he says. A person with panic disorder may think, When will my next panic attack occur? What will happen? Theyre anxious about the panic attack, even when theyre not having it.
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Panic Disorder In Children
Panic disorder is more common in teenagers than in younger children.
Panic attacks can be particularly hard for children and young people to deal with. Severe panic disorder may affect their development and learning.
If your child has the signs and symptoms of panic disorder, they should see a GP.
After taking a detailed medical history the GP will carry out a thorough physical examination to rule out any physical causes for the symptoms.
They may refer your child to a specialist for further assessment and treatment. The specialist may recommend a course of CBT for your child.
Screening for other anxiety disorders may also be needed to help find the cause of your child’s panic attacks.
Panic Disorder: When Fear Overwhelms
Do you sometimes have sudden attacks of anxiety and overwhelming fear that last for several minutes? Maybe your heart pounds, you sweat, and you feel like you cant breathe or think clearly. Do these attacks occur at unpredictable times with no apparent trigger, causing you to worry about the possibility of having another one at any time?
An untreated panic disorder can affect your quality of life and lead to difficulties at work or school. The good news is panic disorder is treatable. Learn more about the symptoms of panic disorder and how to find help.
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What To Say To Someone Having A Panic Attack
Panic attacks can be scary to experience and observe. If you are with someone who is having a panic attack, there are things you can say to help. Clear, direct messages are more effective than general comments. It is important to be non-judgemental and provide reassurance.
- Talk to them in a calm voice and speak in short sentences.
- Ask about medications they may use during a panic attack.
- Ask what they need or what has helped them in the past rather than making assumptions.
- Help them slow their breathing by focusing on slow, deep inhales through the nose, and long exhales through the mouth.
- Offer additional suggestions in a way that makes them feel in control. Do this by asking them if they’d like to try a new strategy rather than telling them what to do.
Can Panic Attacks Be Prevented
Many people look to panic attack prevention methods to eliminate the problem, but there is no sure-fire way to prevent panic attacks or stop them for good. Some people experience panic attacks for a short period, while others have them for the rest of their lives. However, you can do some things to prevent their frequency and make them easier to manage when they do happen:
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Treatment For Panic Attacks And Panic Disorder
The most effective form of professional treatment for tackling panic attacks, panic disorder, and agoraphobia is therapy. Even a short course of treatment can help.
Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on the thinking patterns and behaviors that are sustaining or triggering your panic attacks and helps you look at your fears in a more realistic light. For example, if you had a panic attack while driving, what is the worst thing that would really happen? While you might have to pull over to the side of the road, you are not likely to crash your car or have a heart attack. Once you learn that nothing truly disastrous is going to happen, the experience of panic becomes less terrifying.
Exposure therapy for panic disorder allows you to experience the physical sensations of panic in a safe and controlled environment, giving you the opportunity to learn healthier ways of coping. You may be asked to hyperventilate, shake your head from side to side, or hold your breath. These different exercises cause sensations similar to the symptoms of panic. With each exposure, you become less afraid of these internal bodily sensations and feel a greater sense of control over your panic.
Support Them To Seek Help
If you think your friend or family member’s anxiety is becoming a problem for them, you could encourage them to seek treatment by talking to a GP or therapist. You could:
- Offer to help them arrange a doctor’s appointment. If they are scared of leaving the house, you could suggest they ring their GP to find out if they will do home visits and telephone appointments.
- Offer support when they attend appointments. You could offer to go with them to their appointments and wait in the waiting room. You can also help them plan what they’d like to talk about with the doctor. See our page on for more information.
- Help them seek help from a therapist. See our page on for more information.
- Help them research different options for support, such as community services or peer support groups such as those run by Anxiety UK and No Panic. See our page for more information. You could also call to find out more about local services.
See our page on for more information.
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Tell Yourself Youre Just Processing Information
When youre suffering from PTSD, panic attacks are so often you cant tell when youre actually having one. Youre in a constant state of fight or flight for months on end. Youre too scared to fall asleep and terrified while being awake. Eventually, when you do finally fall asleep, you wake up from nightmares that scare you awake. Sometimes they come as often as every ten minutes.
A social worker once told me that nightmares are the brains way of processing information. The best way to combat them is to say processing information every time you wake up from one. This little trick has helped desensitize nightmares over the long-term so you feel less panicked after waking up from one.
Close Your Eyes And Breathe
Whenever you find yourself having a panic attack, take a moment to lie down, close your eyes, and take a deep breath in. Then out. In. Then Out. In. Out. Breathing deep naturally helps slow your heart rate to help you calm your anxiety. Taking the time to focus on your breath helps move your mind into the present inside of the past or future. Find time each day to get that quiet moment to yourself just to breathe. The more you practice mindful breathing, the fewer panic attacks youll have.
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Remember That It Will Pass
During a panic attack, it can help to remember that these feelings will pass and cause no physical harm, however scary it feels at the time.
Try acknowledging that this is a brief period of concentrated anxiety, and that it will be over soon.
Panic attacks tend to reach their most intense point within 10 minutes of their onset, and then the symptoms will begin to subside.
Understand Their Panic May Not Make Sense To You Or Them
Panic attacks can be confusing as well as scary. People generally cant predict them and theres often no clear cause. They can happen in stressful situations but also during calm moments or even during sleep.
It might seem helpful to tell your friend theres nothing to be afraid of. But theyre probably perfectly aware theres no actual threat.
Thats part of what makes panic attacks so confusing. The reaction matches a fear response but nothings happening to cause that fear. In response, someone who gets panic attacks might begin to fear the symptoms themselves, or link them to a serious health issue.
Its typical to feel embarrassed or ashamed of such an intense reaction, Bingham explains. But having a trusted companion offer compassion can allow space for the person to return to baseline.
You can be that person even without understanding why they get panic attacks. Thats far less important than your ability to offer empathy and recognize their distress as real and significant.
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Activate Your Diving Reflex
Materials Needed: Bowl of Cold Water Between 55-65 Degrees Fahrenheit, Ice if Necessary
Please note that it’s recommended that the water temperature not fall below 50 degrees Fahrenheit as you could experience facial pain during submersion.
Disclaimer: If you have a pre-existing allergy, medical, heart, or blood pressure condition, please consult your Primary Health Care Physician before trying this exercise.
This technique is a go-to distress-tolerance skill taught in Dialectical and Behavior Therapy for use when our emotions are at an all-time highâand we can all agree that 2020 left us in need of more coping skills. Activating our innate mammalian diving reflex is an easy and holistic way to get heart rate downâand down fast.
All mammals, including us, are equipped with this ancient safety instinct. Researchers suggest that the evolutionary adaptation may have developed to help conserve oxygen during times of asphyxiation, such as drowning. The primal reflex is activated when receptors in our faces, specifically, our nostrils and sinuses, are subjected to and submerged in cold water.
How Is Panic Disorder Treated
If youre experiencing symptoms of panic disorder, talk to a health care provider. After discussing your history, a health care provider may conduct a physical exam to ensure that an unrelated physical problem is not causing your symptoms. A health care provider may refer you to a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical social worker. The first step to effective treatment is to get a diagnosis, usually from a mental health professional.
Panic disorder is generally treated with psychotherapy , medication, or both. Speak with a health care provider about the best treatment for you.
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Stopping A Panic Attack