Sunday, March 17, 2024

How To Work Through A Panic Attack

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Top 3 Exercises For Relieving Anxiety

The exercises discussed above are useful tools your client can use to prevent and control a panic attack.

They might also find it useful to know techniques for managing generalized anxiety that might exist in the broader context of their panic attacks.

As you learned above, anxiety can act as a sensitizing factor, making it more likely for a panic attack to occur. In a more general sense, your client may find it easier to engage with their therapy and maintain a positive attitude if they feel confident controlling their everyday mental health.

 

Focus On Action Over Words

A soothing, familiar voice helps some people, but try to avoid repeatedly saying things like “don’t worry” or asking them if they’re alright over and over.

Of course you mean well, but your words may not have much benefit in the moment. They can also make the situation more stressful, since your loved one may believe they’re doing something wrong by not being alright.

Walk Or Do Some Light Exercise

Walking can remove a person from a stressful environment, and the rhythm of walking may also help them regulate their breathing.

Moving around releases hormones called endorphins that relax the body and improve mood. Taking up regular exercise can help reduce anxiety over time, which may lead to a reduction in the number or severity of panic attacks.

Learn more about the benefits of exercise here.

Who Gets Panic Attacks

At least 6 million Americans suffer from panic attacks and panic disorder both conditions classified as anxiety disorders. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America , about 2-3% of Americans experience panic disorder in a given year and it is twice as common in women as in men. Panic disorder typically affects individuals when they’re in their 20s but is also seen in young children, adolescents, and older adults.

Step 2: Focus On Your Breath

Attack Your Anxiety Attacks Using These Tips

If you’re experiencing a full-blown panic attack, consciously make an effort to breathe slowly and deeply. Your breathing should be methodical and controlled completely by you — which is often easier said than done, as panic attacks are often accompanied by hyperventilation.

Dr. Andrew Weil calls breathing the most effective relaxation technique. “Practicing regular, mindful breathing exercise can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders,” he says. And there is clinical evidence to support the use of yoga breathing in the treatment of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and for victims of mass disasters. Research conducted by Southern Methodist University actually found that a treatment program that teaches people who suffer from panic disorder how to normalize their breathing was actually more effective than cognitive therapy at reducing both symptoms of panic and hyperventilation.

“Most panic-disorder patients report they are terrified of physical symptoms such as shortness of breath or dizziness,” says Alicia E. Meuret, psychologist and panic disorder expert at Southern Methodist University. “In our study, was proved an effective and powerful treatment that reduces the panic by means of normalizing respiratory physiology.”

What Helps To Manage Panic Attacks

Panic attacks can be frightening, but there are things you can do to help yourself cope. It could help to print off these tips, or write them down, and keep them somewhere easy to find.

During a panic attack:

  • Focus on your breathing. It can help to concentrate on breathing slowly in and out while counting to five.
  • Stamp on the spot. Some people find this helps control their breathing.
  • Focus on your senses. For example, taste mint-flavoured sweets or gum, or touch or cuddle something soft.
  • Try grounding techniques. Grounding techniques can help you feel more in control. They’re especially useful if you experience dissociation during panic attacks. See our page on self-care for dissociation for more information on grounding techniques.

After a panic attack:

  • Think about self-care. It’s important to pay attention to what your body needs after you’ve had a panic attack. For example, you might need to rest somewhere quietly, or eat or drink something.
  • Tell someone you trust. If you feel able to, it could help to let someone know you’ve had a panic attack. It could be particularly helpful to mention how they might notice if you’re having another one, and how you’d like them to help you.

See our pages on self-care for anxiety and treatments for anxiety for more information on what could help.

What To Do When Someone Else Is Having A Panic Attack

This section will provide some tips on how to help a person having a panic attack.

First, try talking them through a few of the methods above. For instance, help them find a peaceful spot, encourage them to take slow, deep breaths, and ask them to focus on a nearby object.

If you do not know the person, introduce yourself and ask them if they need help. Ask them if they have had a panic attack before, and if so, what helps them regain control.

People can also try the following tips when someone else is having a panic attack:

  • Try to remain calm. This will help them relax a little more.
  • Suggest moving to a quiet spot nearby and help them find one. Sitting down in a comfortable place can be very effective, as it allows them to focus on their breathing.
  • Remind the person that panic attacks always end.
  • Stay positive and nonjudgmental. Avoid validating any negative statements.
  • Try having a gentle, friendly conversation to distract them and help them feel safe.
  • Avoid telling them to calm down or telling them that there is nothing to worry about, as this devalues their emotions.
  • Stay with them. If they feel that they need to be alone, make sure they remain visible.

Recognize Triggers Around The Office

If your panic attacks start in the workplace, there might be situations, people or objects that trigger them. Try to recognize these. It will help you further prepare.

You should not, however, avoid these triggers to the point where it affects your performance at work. If presentations are a trigger, it might be hard to skip them and keep your job.

Anticipating the panic attack might decrease your likelihood of engaging in certain activities at work, according to Dr. Jude Miller Burke, the former Vice President of OPTUM, United Health Group. This can prevent you from succeeding by taking on new and challenging responsibilities at work.

It’s difficult to recognize and prepare for triggers without anticipating a panic attack. To help the process, Burke suggested using a combination of psychotherapy, relaxation techniques and medication .

Dont Fight The Feeling

If you had a close call with another car while driving, you would feel the same sensations you’d have during a panic attack. But it would feel like a normal reaction.

But when you’re at a party and your heart starts racing, it doesn’t feel normal. So your instinct is to stop it as quickly as possible. However, closing your eyes and taking deep breaths may actually fuel your body’s fight-or-flight response.

“When you do that, your brain thinks, ‘Oh my God, I’m in real trouble now, so let’s get some more juice in there,’” Dr. Bea says.

The strategies that work best to shorten a panic attack are a bit counterintuitive. But they will help the attack run its course and get the adrenaline out of your system sooner.

Tell Others How To Help You

If a friend or family member is near Lacey while she’s having an attack, she often asks them to breathe in ways that she can mimic or share positive affirmations. “It helps a lot to hear from loved ones that I will overcome what I’m going through,” she says.

Bluett notes that she often teaches friends and family members of people who have panic attacks about they can employ to help their loved ones. If you have techniques that work for you, don’t be afraid to tell people you’re close to ahead of time so they can support you in the moment.

What Can A Panic Attack Do To Me

It makes me feel afraid, that’s what a panic attack does. And, if I’m having a panic attack, I’m already there! I’m already experiencing the worst that will happen. I just need to ride it out. That’s the surest path to overcoming panic attacks.

Why should I accept a panic attack? Because the more I resist panic, the worse it gets. The more I develop the habit of acceptance, the more progress I make toward my goal of overcoming panic attacks.

That’s Acknowledge & Accept. How does that compare to what you usually do during a panic attack?

Tips On What To Do When A Panic Attack Hits And How To Manage Chronic Anxiety

?“The best use of is . The worst use of imagination is anxiety.”—Deepak Chopra

You feel the restrictive sensation of your chest walls caving in as if someone is standing on your ribcage. You’re becoming alarmingly aware of the rhythm of your breathing and wonder if your next breath will be your last. It’s like you’re drowning without being underwater. You think, “I can’t breathe. I’m going to die. Just breathe. Just breathe.”

Heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and rapid heart rate are just some of the scary reactions that occur during a panic attack. These symptoms can intensify and increase, leading to uncontrollable trembling, sweating, tightness around the head, and the feeling of suffocation.

As anyone suffering from chronic anxiety understands, you can’t control when a panic attack hits; and, in fact, trying to control it can sometimes make it worse. The greatest for someone dealing with anxiety is losing control in public, feeling trapped in an uncomfortable situation and experiencing . When anxiety hits, it can make you feel like you’re going crazy—like you have absolutely no control over your own mind.

Understanding Anxiety

“Anxiety can be defined as the response of an organism to a threat, real or imagined. It is a process that, in some form, is present in all living things.” —Kerr, Bowen

How To Help Someone Who Is Having A Panic Attack

Panic Attack Tip. #anxiety #coping #help

  • Stay with the person

    If you can, stay with the person during their panic attack. Just by you being there, you can help them to calm down and remind them that help is available. It is okay if you are finding it overwhelming. You can find another friend, family member or teacher they trust to support your friend and you.

  • Talk to them and encourage them

    You can chat to the person about how they are feeling or anything that they like, such as favourite Netflix shows or their hobbies. This can distract them from their anxious thoughts, helping them to feel calm and to slow down their breathing. They might find it difficult to talk and might want to focus on their breath – that’s okay and it’s important to respect their boundaries and how they are feeling.

  • Check in with your friend

    Even though your friend may no longer be panicking, they can still feel anxious or on edge afterwards. You can check in with them to see how they are feeling. This will remind them that they are not alone and you are there for them.

Talk about how you can support themIf your friend feels comfortable to, you can suggest talking about how you can support them in the future. This can be things like helping them find a safe space or finding breathing exercises that can help in the moment. This will help them feel better about coping with panic attacks.

Tip 7: Practice Relaxation Exercises

If you’ve ever sought out help for anxiety in the past, then you’ve no doubt come across relaxation strategies like visualization, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and others. You may have even tried them, and if you have, you probably didn’t experience that much success.

That’s because what these people don’t tell you is that it can take a long time to feel the benefit. Part of the reason for this is because in the beginning, all you’re doing is thinking about how to do them correctly and whether or not they’ll work. Your mind gets caught up in analysing rather than actually relaxing.

We’ve said time and time again that you cannot hope to fight anxiety if you are thinking about it too much. So when you start any relaxation exercise, you’re thinking about how it makes you feel and what it does, and whether you’re doing it right, and how ridiculous it feels, and so on. This is natural when trying something new. You’re doing nothing but thinking, because the relaxation exercise isn’t natural to you yet.

For it to be effective, you have to keep doing it and expect little results until the exercise itself becomes both boring and second nature. As soon as you’re able to perform the relaxation exercise without thinking about it or focusing on each individual part, that’s when it should start working for you.

The End Of Everything: What A Panic Attack Feels Like

Only 16, Caroline, had her first panic attack a year ago. Her mother was dropping her off at her summer job at a local school when, without warning, a full-blown panic attack engulfed her. “My heart started racing and my body felt so hot. I started to sweat and shake uncontrollably. My vision became distorted and my body felt limp, like a wet noodle,” she says. For 20 minutes, until the panic attacked passed, Caroline refused to get out of the car. Her mother didn’t know what to do.

Kirstie Craine Ruiz, 46, has lived with anxiety, panic attacks, and panic disorder for about ten years. For a long time, she had full-blown attacks 2-3 nights a week. “I would usually awake to a racing heart or the feeling of my heart expanding in my chest…as it might explode…From there, I would begin to panic and my heart would go even faster…and my body would shake so hard that it felt like I was having a convulsion.  I could barely breathe and was usually pretty sure I was having a heart attack and that I was going to die. Sometimes I’d go the ER and they’d hold me overnight because my heart would be going so fast and they couldn’t get it to go down.”

Tip 5: Evaluate Your Diet

The idea that diet plays a key role in anxiety is overblown. A person can develop anxiety with or without a healthy diet, and there are no foods that will “cure” anxiety as though they are like medication.

But there is still benefit to changing your diet. Bodies that are high in nutrients and hydration tend to have better sleep, experience less discomfort, and help a person gain better energy to cope with anxiety.

On the flipside, there are some natural tools you can use to fight anxiety. For example, herbal supplements like kava can be taken as needed, and as long as you use them in combination with non-medicinal treatments, you shouldn’t start depending on them.

Similarly, you may find that your anxiety symptoms dissipate with other natural tools as well. You may benefit from magnesium supplements, for example, because magnesium is depleted during times of stress, and magnesium deficiency can lead to some very upsetting symptoms and difficulty controlling anxiety.

There are plenty of natural and healthy options to try, and you should consider talking to your doctor about them as a way to assist in your stress reduction techniques.

Chatting With Supervisors And Co

To minimize any damage to your professional relationships, consider telling your supervisors and human resource staff members you suffer from panic attacks. You can inform co-workers, too, if you feel comfortable doing so and think it will help the situation.

Remember, it is illegal for anyone to discriminate against you because of a mental illness, including a panic disorder.

Develop Your Coping Techniques

In order for coping strategies to work, you need to practice them when you are in a relaxed state. Set aside time each day to practice different relaxation techniques. Some common coping skills include , progressive muscle relaxation, and breathing exercises.??

Through regular practice, you will notice which strategies help you relax the most, and you will be prepared to use them when you are anxious on the job.

Know The Signs Of A Panic Attack

“Often, when you don’t know the physiological signs of a panic attack you may feel more scared imagining you’re having a heart attack,” says Annie Wright, LMFT and the owner and clinical director of Evergreen Counseling. “Read up on the signs of a panic attack so you know what you’re dealing with.”

Dr. Rodriguez recommends scouring the Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s website, which covers all the symptoms:

  • Palpitations, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate
  • Sweating
  • Paresthesia
  • Derealization or depersonalization
  • Fear of losing control or “going crazy”
  • Fear of dying

Rodriguez adds that it’s critical to also get a physical exam to rule out other problems.

Why Might I Have A Panic Attack

A panic attack can happen at any time or place, and because it can happen quite quickly, it might feel unexpected.

Because a panic attack is an intense feeling of fear and anxiety, it often happens if you are feeling very anxious about something happening in your life, or you have experienced something difficult or stressful. This might be:

  • a difficult situation at home that is making you anxious
  • a frightening experience like , or neglect
  • feeling stressed about things like exams, work, friendships or relationships
  • if you have  a friend or family member
  • if you are being 
  • anxiety around school, college or university

There are many reasons why you might feel anxious and have a panic attack. Everyone has different experiences and that’s okay. Sometimes, it might feel like there is no clear reason why you are having a panic attack.

What’s important is to try and understand what you might be feeling anxious or stressed about, and what types of situations or places can cause you to have panic attacks.

The first step to doing this is to talk to someone you trust, like a friend, family member, teacher or GP. They can help you understand what you are experiencing and help you find the support you need.

I get a pounding heart and my breathing becomes rapid like I can’t get any air in – it feels stuck in the back of my throat.

Stay In The Moment To Relieve Anxiety Attacks

Homeschool Panic Attack

Although your gut response might be to leave the stressful situation immediately, don’t. “Let your anxiety level come down,” advises Carmin. Then you can decide if you want to leave or if there’s a way to get back to whatever you were doing when the anxiety attack started. Staying in the moment will help you overcome anxiety, but it’s hard to do this at first.

“It’s one of the things I respect the most about people I work with, that they are taking the leap of faith and willing to do the things that terrify them,” Carmin says. “That takes a lot of courage.”

How Do I Survive One

If you feel that anxiety building, or if it’s already DEFCON 1, consider trying the three Bs to get you through the crisis:

1. Body

Find a way to feel grounded. That’s psychology speak for “get out of your head.” Be here now. Feel your feet on the ground. Don’t just visualize or think about your feet on the ground, really feel them. Attend to the micro-sensations of each toe, each inch of foot skin, that is touching the ground. Notice the gravity, the heaviness. Now you have your anchor.

You could also hold one hand with the other. Note the soft, warm sensations of touching and being touched on each hand. Use physical touch to bring you out of your head and back into your body, and to remind yourself, “I’m here. I’m safe. I’m in my room. This is just anxiety.” I know it feels like something terrible is happening, but it’s not—those are just your thoughts about the past or about what might happen in the future.

2. Brain

Find a way to engage your brain so that it can’t think dark thoughts while you’re trying to calm your body down. Count backward from 100 by 2s, recite the alphabet backward, start with 50 and add 2, minus 1, over and over. Something that is neutral but requires mental effort.

3. Breath

This is the big one. This may be easier now that you’ve distracted your mind with busywork and reminded yourself that you’re in your body, right here, right now, and not falling into the existential abyss.

Stopping Panic: What To Do When Youre Having A Panic Attack

Here, some strategies that have worked for others that may help you:

  • Just breath, deeply. Relaxing your body can help sidestep a panic attack. Practice breathing in through your nose for a count of five, hold it for five, and then breathe out through your mouth for a count of five. Or take a class in meditation and breathing techniques.
  • Count backward. If you suddenly feel your heart pounding or experience other physical clues that a panic attack is barreling for you, try this distraction suggested by Rob Cole, LHMC, clinical director of mental health services at Banyan Treatment Centers. Start counting backward from 100 by 3s. The act of counting at random intervals helps you to focus and override the anxious thoughts that are trying to sneak into your psyche. Better still keep loose change in your pocket. Add a dime to a nickel, then add two pennies, and so on. By controlling your thoughts and focusing on something outside yourself you will being to feel calmer.
  • Get grounded. Grounding yourself is another helpful technique. Tune yourself into 4 things around you that you can see, 3 things you can touch, 2 that you smell and 1 you can taste. Again, forcing your mind to consider something outside yourself helps, says Cole.
  • How To Direct Your Breath

    • Start by breathing slowly and purposely.This will counteract the shallow breathing characterized by most attacks.
    • If possible, place your hands on your stomach and fill your belly with breath. When you inhale, you will feel your center rise and expand.
    • As you exhale, it will then contract inward. These deliberate breaths will assist in soothing your body and mind.

    It may also be helpful to count each breath. Such as counting your first full breath in and out as one, the next breath in and out as two, and so on. This will not only help you breathe better, but it will also help you feel calmer by giving your mind something to focus on.??

    The Benefits of Box Breathing for Stress Management

    If You Think You Have Panic Disorder Self

    Many individuals with panic disorder realize they have the disorder after a trip to the emergency room , as panic attack symptoms can easily be mistaken for a heart attack or stroke. An ER can only offer short-term relief or provide a referral to mental health services.

    Many people who are concerned about panic disorder visit their primary care provider . Unfortunately, according to Gruner, PCPs can sometimes mistreat panic disorder by prescribing benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam or klonopin . However, current research shows that ‘benzos’ are a counterproductive long-term treatment approach.

    “Benzodiazepines can reduce your anxiety in the short-term, but people can become dependent on them to the point where they don’t feel safe without it. They usually attribute progress to the benzo, so it can make treatment progress difficult,” says Gruner.

    Gruner advises individuals to be wary if their PCP prescribes benzodiazepines. “There is increased awareness among PCPs now with the problem of prescribing benzos to people with panic disorder, but it’s not perfect,” says Gruner. “So, it’s worth educating yourself about effective treatment before meeting with your PCP.”

    Ideally, a PCP would recommend a therapist or psychiatrist. A cognitive behavioral therapist who has experience with anxiety disorders is an ideal choice.


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