By Amy Langdown
Panic attacks are usually associated with anxiety disorders. However, when in a stressful situation or when having a hard time, anybody can have one.
Panic attacks are usually associated with anxiety disorders. However, when in a stressful situation or when having a hard time, anybody can have one. Sometimes when having a panic attack, the sufferer can feel like they’re having a heart attack, as you can experience heart palpitations, chest pain and difficulties catching your breath. Often when having a panic attack, people call the ambulance service because they feel like they’re about to pass out or they can’t stop shaking and hyperventilating. Not knowing you’re having a panic attack just adds to the anxiety, thus resulting in a longer period of time in which you panic. It is always better therefore to be informed.
Some of the most common symptoms of a panic attack are: feeling like your chest is tight and you can’t get enough air, uncontrollable shaking, lightheadedness, nausea, heightened senses such as everything seeming louder and brighter and loss of control of your body/actions.
If you think someone is having a panic attack, the best thing to do is to get them out of busy areas and if possible to somewhere that they can sit down. The first thing to do is to attempt to ‘ground’ the person - try talking to them but do not bombard them with questions or information. The next thing to do is to get the person to focus on breathing. One simple breathing exercise is called box breathing. Essentially, you breathe in for four, hold for four, breathe out for four then hold for four; over and over again.It will take a while for the person to get into the pattern but once they do it they should begin to calm down.
If you think that you’re having a panic attack - you probably are. When you are panicking yourself, it is very hard to calm down without someone else, but if you can remember a breathing exercise such as box breathing, that will be very helpful for you. Another technique is to try the grounding technique in which you count one thing you can see, smell, feel, hear and taste (sometimes the last one is hard but it could just be what you ate for lunch or placing a mint on your tongue can help ground you also). This helps if you are feeling ‘spaced’’ or out of control.
The one thing that you must remember if you’re having a panic attack (or the thing to tell the person you’re trying to calm down ) is : IT CANNOT LAST FOREVER. There is only so much adrenaline in your body. It must end and you will go back to normal soon.
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