How To Deal with Panic Attacks
Whether you just experienced your first one or you have been experiencing them regularly for a long duration of time, panic attacks are scary, debilitating and beyond uncomfortable. They can be all-consuming and something that keeps you from living a “normal”, functional life. If you are someone who suffers from a panic disorder or regular panic attacks, you may be wondering what you can do to avoid them or what you can do to cope with and endure them as they arise. Panic attacks can take hold of your life, but with some useful practices, you have the ability to take that power back. Keep reading to learn more about what panic attacks are and how to deal with them. You don’t have to be at the mercy of your panic and we want to support you in that.
What are panic attacks?
Panic attacks are when you experience an acute episode of intense fear and panic, resulting in extreme mental and physical distress. Much like anxiety attacks, panic attacks are a result of your brain having a perception of a potential threat, often when there is no actual threat to your health or safety. These attacks can manifest in many real physical symptoms that can often lead you to believe that you are having a health emergency such as a heart attack. Panic attacks are incredibly frightening and lead individuals to feel completely out of control. While they are debilitating and intense, they are also short-lived. Each panic attack has a beginning and an end and, most importantly, will not last forever.
Often people experience panic attacks as a result of a traumatic event or significant life stress, and when the stress resolves or the event passes, so do the panic attacks. In other circumstances, a person can experience frequent or consistent panic attacks that can be brought on by basic life tasks and experiences. If that is something you are experiencing, you may be suffering from a panic disorder and should seek the help of a mental health professional to receive the support you need.
What causes panic attacks?
There are many conditions and situations that can cause panic attacks. As stated above, a significant life event or trauma can lead to someone experiencing panic attacks. Those panic attacks are typically directly tied to the stress of what you are experiencing, and once that event or experience is processed and moved through, the panic attacks also resolve. This could mean experience one or two panic attacks or sometimes more, but not occurring long-term or consistently for the duration of your life.
However, there are many circumstances where panic attacks are a more regular and repetitive occurrence. Typically, that is a result of a panic disorder. There are many panic disorders that can lead to frequent panic attacks.
Some of the most common conditions include:
Panic Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Phobias
Social Anxiety Disorder
If you are having frequent panic attacks or are experiencing symptoms of the above mentioned conditions, the next best step may be to reach out to a mental health professional to seek support and guidance. There are many resources available to you to treat and manage your symptoms. Whether that is psychiatric support with medication management, or psychotherapy with a therapist – or even both; receiving the proper support can make a huge difference in your day to day life and ability to thrive and succeed.
How to deal with panic attacks
We believe there are two different ways to “deal with” panic attacks: ways to prevent panic attacks and ways to get through the panic attacks once they happen. We are here to support you through every phase and want to offer support in both preventing and navigating them as they present themselves.
Ways to help prevent panic attacks
Daily Meditation
While there is not full-proof plan in avoiding panic attacks, there are certainly ways to try and keep your mind in a more peaceful state – making it less vulnerable to potential attacks. One of the most common and also most effective ways to avoid panic attacks is the practice of meditation. If you aren’t experienced in meditation it can be an incredibly foreign and sometimes even overwhelming task. But just like most everything in life, once you practice enough, it will become more natural and easy. And in the mean time, our social media and internet-happy culture has made meditation extremely accessible. There are several videos, tutorials and meditation applications available at your fingertips that offer step-by-step, guided meditations. Meditation helps to get your mind to a peaceful and more present state of mind.
Movement and Exercise
It is said often that one of the most effective forms of stress relief and anxiety management is exercise – and there is a reason for that. Exercise releases endorphins that actually counteract cortisol; the stress hormone. People often use exercise as a stress relief technique because it can accomplish many things at once:
Distract your mind/take you out of your stress
Release tension in your body
Change your environment and setting
Additionally, exercise does not have to be high-intensity work outs. Moving your body in any way serves the same purpose. If running or interval workouts aren’t your cup of tea, you could try boxing, dance, yoga or even walking around your neighborhood. Whatever feels best to your body and mind is the most important factor.
Nutrition and Diet
When focusing on your health and ways to support your mental wellbeing, it is important to also focus on what goes into your body. There are foods to focus on eating to better your mental stability – such as healthy fats, protein and vegetables. And there are also things to avoid in effort to avoid anxiety and panic. Studies support the idea that it is best to avoid caffeine products of any kind, as they raise your heart rate, which worsens anxiety and feelings of panic. It is also crucial to avoid mood altering substances such as drugs and alcohol. Having a glass or two of wine at night to unwind may feel good in the moment, but since it is a natural depressant, it will actually worse depression, anxiety and panic disorders long-term. Avoiding these substances, as well as any other “junk” food, is an impactful way to prevent more symptoms of anxiety and likelihood of panic attacks.
Ways to help yourself through panic attacks
Of course, regardless of your extensive effort, panic attacks can sometimes be inevitable – especially when a panic disorder is present. In the moments that panic attacks arise, it is common to “white knuckle” the experience. Your first panic attack will be terrifying, helpless and can often feel never-ending. But eventually, you grow to recognize that these episodes do have an end in sight. While you very well can just wait out the process and allow it to come and pass, there are also useful tools to try out in the process that can either shorten the duration or help you to cope with the discomfort while you are in it.
Focus on your breathing
It sounds like a simple task, as breathing is an involuntary bodily function. Breathing is something that we do constantly in order to stay alive, but in moments of stress, fear or panic, it is the very first thing our mind and body forget to do. Many people in moments of panic either hold their breath or lose control of their breathing, which leads to rapid breathing and elevated heart rates. One way to focus your energy in a productive way during a panic attack, is to focus on your breathing and making efforts to slow it as much as possible. This can be in the form of timed breathing, such as breathing in for four counts and breathing out for four counts, or even longer segments. Or using visualizations to slow your breathing. Your therapist or mental health professional can offer many breathing exercise that become useful in panic attacks.
Mindfulness practices
The purpose of mindfulness practices, is to take your focus out of your fear, panic and thoughts, and focus instead on the environment around you and your body in the present moment. Instead of allowing yourself to be consumed by the chaos that is going on inside your mind, the goal is to shift your attention to what is going on outside of your mind. It is not always completely effective, but research shows it’s one of the most successful ways to combat panic attacks when they happen.
There is a common mindfulness practice called “The 333 Rule”. The goal of this rule is to help you focus on your surroundings. There are three components to this rule:
Name three things you see
Identify three sounds you hear
Moving or touching three things (on your body or your surroundings)
No mindfulness practice, including the 333 rule, will completely relieve you of your panic attack symptoms – but those listed above are proven to alleviate some symptoms and help you through the process of the panic attack.
Use self-talk and coaching
When you’re in the midst of a panic attack, it is natural to spiral out of control and lose your ability to differentiate that panic-driven thoughts and those of reality. Panic and anxiety attacks both occur when your mind perceives a potential threat to your safety, even when there is none. Because of this, when you’re in a panic attack your mind will be full of negative intrusive thoughts. You may default to saying things like “I am not going to be okay” or “I am going to feel like this forever.” Or even, “I think I might be dying”. While all of those internal thoughts and comments are common, they do not have to be the thoughts that fill your head. It is incredibly important to try and coach yourself in these moments, to counteract the automatic negative thoughts that are driven by fear. Telling yourself from beginning to end, “I will be okay,” or “this too shall pass,” or “I am strong and I can get through anything,” can actually help to shorten the duration of the panic attack, and prevent it from fully consuming you or defeating you.
Takeaway
Panic attacks are a very real, scary and often debilitating experience. Regardless of whether they are acute, isolated events or something you face on a regular basis, they are never easy. While there is not a “magic fix” or something that stops them in their tracks, there are ways to get through them and maybe even ease the damage they cause. If you are experience symptoms of panic disorders or panic attacks frequently, there may be a mental health condition that is occurring. If you are suffering for a panic disorder or other mental illness, you can benefit greatly from the support of a mental health provider such as a psychiatric nurse practitioner or therapist.
Treatment Options
At Insight Northwest Counseling, we have an experienced team of providers who are equipped and eager to help you navigate your mental health struggles and treat you in whatever way best suits your needs. If you are ready to begin the journey of healing, reach out to us today.