Panic Attacks
A panic attack is a severe experience of anxiety. People may feel intense dread, experience various physical symptoms and have extreme thoughts of losing control, going mad, having a heart attack or dying. It is also possible to become afraid of panic attacks themselves because the experience can be so unpleasant. Paradoxically this tends to make a person even more prone to having an attack!
Although panic attacks can be very frightening, they are not actually harmful - people do not actually have heart attacks, develop psychiatric illnesses or die from them!
Here are some strategies to help in the event of a panic attack:
- Remind yourself that a panic attack will end!
- Remind yourself that panic attacks are not actually dangerous!
- Remind yourself of any previous occasions when you handled a similar situation well.
- Picture a person you trust or who cares about you and imagine the person is with you offering encouragement.
- Focus on the present moment and on the things around (outside of) you - observe their shape, colour, sounds...
- Stop what you are doing and slow yourself down for a moment! Breathe more slowly and gently (though not actually holding your breath). Then continue what you were doing slowly.
- Take a big sigh, stretch out, and then flop and relax.
- If you are able, take some gentle exercise, e.g. go for a stroll.
- Get angry! Don't let this anxiety (or situation) get the better of you!
When to seek further help
Anxiety can affect your health only when it becomes chronic and severe, so it is important that you seek help if you think that this is the case:
- if the anxiety problems do not start to improve despite trying the ideas above
- if your fears are persistent and difficult to control
- if your anxiety is stopping you from living a normal life, or if you are avoiding important activities.