What To Do In The Event Of A Panic Attack? Practical Guide
When you suffer a panic attack, you suddenly feel terror, without there being any imminent or real danger. In this situation you will even think and feel that you could lose control. It is what we know in clinical psychology as an episode of acute anxiety, or anxiety attack
Panic attacks manifest themselves in any situation, anywhere and without warning. A person who has suffered a panic attack will be afraid of it happening again and this may cause them to avoid those places or situations where they previously had a panic attack.
Being overwhelmed by anxiety can happen to you at various times in your life and for different reasons, but if you have symptoms that appear suddenly for a few seconds and disappear, it may be related to panic attacks.
Frequent symptoms
The most common symptoms of a panic attack are tachycardia, difficulty breathing, pulmonary hyperventilation, tremors or dizziness. It happens when you find yourself in a situation that you perceive as having no way out, the discomfort appears unexpectedly and produces despair or fear. It is possible that the affectation that causes this intense anxiety is caused by something that is threatening to the person or their environment.
Physical signs during a panic episode increase rapidly , are generally short-lived, the intensity of the symptoms means that the person may feel that more time passes than the crisis actually takes. It is a difficult situation that requires specialist care to prevent it from becoming more acute in the future or becoming chronic with the appearance of a clinical condition such as panic disorder.
Panic attacks are more common in women than in men. They appear more frequently in young adults. Its onset is more common when the person is subjected to excess stress in their life.
How can you act in the event of a panic attack?
Generally, people who suffer from panic attacks perceive the threatening situation at a level of greater severity, which causes the body to be on alert and activates the parasympathetic nervous system that prepares us for dangerous situations.
When we have identified what causes us anxiety, The process of tension before that event does not necessarily begin when we are exposed to what causes us anxiety Sometimes we already know that we are going to face it and unconsciously our brain prepares for the moment of tension, therefore, we are in the presence of anticipatory anxiety that can be worked on in advance to reduce the perception of danger and panic attacks.
Step-by-step guide to relieve an anxiety attack
If you have not yet had a consultation with a psychologist (which is recommended), and taking into account that each case must be attended to individually, I can recommend that you combine two exercises: attention outside and deep breathing that will help you better cope with the moment of the panic crisis.
1. Attention outside
This visualization technique consists of changing the focus of attention to the stimulus that you perceive as a threat If you are mentally connected to the stressor, it will be more difficult for the anxiety situation to be regulated.
You should try to imagine something that you like and enjoy: a food, a sport, your favorite song or any element that is pleasant to you, in this way you will divert your attention from the situation that generates stress and your brain will focus on those positive stimuli.
2. Deep breathing
You can do this practice that will help you lower your activation level through three phases: Inhalation, Retention and Exhalation It consists of taking air through the nose for a few seconds, retaining the air for the same number of seconds, and then expelling the air in the same number of seconds that it was taken. For example: Inhale (mentally count to five), Hold (mentally count to five) and exhale (mentally count to five), and repeat the exercise. Possibly the first time you do it you won’t be able to maintain the five seconds in the three phases, don’t worry, the important thing is to do the exercise several times and you will gradually feel a slowdown in your heart rate.
Remember that it is important that you go to a psychology professional since deep breathing and mindfulness techniques are only emergency tools that can be useful at the time of a panic attack, but they do not completely eliminate these episodes or identify their symptoms. Causes. The vast majority of affected people improve with psychotherapy. A psychologist will be able to work with you, providing you with strategies and tools so that you can learn to regulate anxiety and prevent it from overwhelming you in the future.
