A panic attack is usually considered a very alarming experience. It starts out of the blue, and it brings about a feeling of a lot of fear or impending danger. Your heart beats faster, you may experience sweating, your arms or legs may tingle, you may be nauseous, and you may have problems with your breathing.
Despite this, panic attacks can be frightening, but they are not a physical threat in any way, shape, or form. Some of the self-help strategies may enable you to deal with an acute panic attack, and this, in a way, will effectively reduce your anxiety. This article provides a breakdown of how to manage panic attacks when it is not possible to seek professional assistance.
This clearly indicates that people should understand that the attack is not a dangerous disease.
The first and most crucial stage is to realize that one is experiencing a panic attack, and as horrifying as it may be, it is not deadly.
Remind yourself:
– This will pass. It is temporary.
– It is not painful, but my body feels different, strange, or uncomfortable in a way that I know is not dangerous.
– I am secure while my mind is screaming in terror. This Attack will fade.
Avoid telling yourself negative things like your heart is racing or you are dying; instead, keep telling yourself positive things to tell yourself that everything is fine and the event causing stress will soon be over.
Controlled Breathing
During a panic attack, one is bound to breathe irregularly, breathe heavily, and take large amounts of air into the lungs. This development is actual especially when one takes a conscious effort to breathe slowly and deeply as this is proven to bring calmness to the mind and body.
– Breathe in slowly through the nose and again as you count up to four.
– Take a deep breath as if you will count up to two.
– Taking the necessary precautions with the intravenous lines and tubes, gradually release air through the lips for 6 seconds.
It is also a controlled breathing exercise that helps alleviate other symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, light-headedness, and tingling in the arms and legs that manifest as a result of hyperventilation during a panic attack.
Challenge Anxious Thoughts
Panic attacks often involve racing, catastrophic thoughts like “I’m going crazy”, “I’m going to die”, “I can’t breathe” etc. To manage this:
Try to become an observer of your thoughts when thoughts like these cross your mind. Disregard them as only a string of anxieties, not facts. All those thoughts contradict the truth. Replace these thoughts with more realistic ones such as “While I may be feeling scared, I am not in any harm”, “This is just the anxiety speaking to me”, “I can manage these feelings”.
It also prevents you from being overwhelmed by the event and getting caught up in fearful thinking, thus making it easier to treat the attack as a cognitive event rather than a real one.
Use Muscle Relaxation
Muscles tense, trembling, and having the feeling of being wound up with energy are characteristic of patients with panic attacks. It is proposed that intentionally allowing the muscles to release from their tense state can assist in reducing this nervous tension.
One simple muscle relaxation technique is:
– Just breathe in and out a few times
– Grip the objects tightly for 5-10 seconds
– Let go of the hands and arms and drop and spread out the shoulders, arms, and hands suddenly.
– Be aware of the relaxation coming down through arms, back, head, and feet
Continue with other groups of muscles such as the lower limbs, the trunk, and the limbs back. This relieves stress, making you to be more relaxed after some time.
Call a Friend
If you still feel overwhelmed even when trying grounding techniques, you can call a friend or a family member you trust. You may need to ask them to speak to you calmly and then try to coax and comfort you. Having someone listen to your fears and provide consoling words from the comfort of your own home is calming.
What you can say is, “I have a severe panic attack. Please help me to calm me down. ” It is almost always helpful to talk about what you are going through.
One of the most essential rules of problem-solving is knowing when to seek help.
Although the above mentioned tips can be helpful in controlling and reducing the incidence of panic attacks for some time, if attacks common or adversely affecting the day to day life, then it would require medical assistance. If these symptoms persist for a long time or if they become severe, one should seek the help of a doctor or a therapist.
Often, with the help of therapy and/or prescribed medication, panic attacks can be less severe and occur less frequently if they have occurred before. The initial intervention is asking for assistance rather than keeping mum.