have you ever had a panic attack? the fear sets in and suddenly your heart rate is through the roof. as you try to calm down, your palms become sweaty and you can't really concentrate - except, at the same time you're fixating and sliding down the rabbit hole into a panic-stupor. you're overthinking, your muscles feel weird, your stomach starts to hurt and you have a hard time carrying on a conversation.
in my personal experience, at this point things can go one of two ways: you have a panic attack, or you successfully calm yourself.
before you're breathing into a paper bag (does anyone really do this??) and having a major panic attack, there are definitely a few things you can do to calm down - or to help calm down a friend!
for me, the last thing I want to hear is stay calm or relax. obviously, if I could, I would. the biggest thing that works for me is distraction. if I'm with someone else I'll ask them to tell me some story about their life, and if I'm alone I'll try to find something to read or listen to. novelty really helps here.
as obvious as it sounds, deep breathing is your best friend in a panic attack situation. you need to let your nervous system know that the fight or flight panic response is not needed. the best way to do this is by behaving in a calm way: deep breathing, not allowing your thoughts to race (take control! write things down - you won't be able to write as quickly as your thoughts are going) and stretching are all ways to inhibit that fight or flight response.
the deep breathing exercise that works for me has always been inhale for 4 counts, hold for 3 counts, exhale for 5 counts. that will slow everything down (and concentrating on the counts will distract you!)
if you have passed the threshold into the having-a-panic-attack mode, let it run its course. do your best to calm down with deep breathing, and if you're with someone let them know where you're at. it might feel like you're having a heart attack and about to die, but gently remind yourself that you're not going to die and it will eventually die down. be kind to yourself + don't blame yourself. most people will have a panic attack in the course of their lifetime, so you are not alone.
how do you deal with panic attacks?
in my personal experience, at this point things can go one of two ways: you have a panic attack, or you successfully calm yourself.
before you're breathing into a paper bag (does anyone really do this??) and having a major panic attack, there are definitely a few things you can do to calm down - or to help calm down a friend!
for me, the last thing I want to hear is stay calm or relax. obviously, if I could, I would. the biggest thing that works for me is distraction. if I'm with someone else I'll ask them to tell me some story about their life, and if I'm alone I'll try to find something to read or listen to. novelty really helps here.
as obvious as it sounds, deep breathing is your best friend in a panic attack situation. you need to let your nervous system know that the fight or flight panic response is not needed. the best way to do this is by behaving in a calm way: deep breathing, not allowing your thoughts to race (take control! write things down - you won't be able to write as quickly as your thoughts are going) and stretching are all ways to inhibit that fight or flight response.
the deep breathing exercise that works for me has always been inhale for 4 counts, hold for 3 counts, exhale for 5 counts. that will slow everything down (and concentrating on the counts will distract you!)
if you have passed the threshold into the having-a-panic-attack mode, let it run its course. do your best to calm down with deep breathing, and if you're with someone let them know where you're at. it might feel like you're having a heart attack and about to die, but gently remind yourself that you're not going to die and it will eventually die down. be kind to yourself + don't blame yourself. most people will have a panic attack in the course of their lifetime, so you are not alone.
how do you deal with panic attacks?
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