Panic attacks affect every third person in our country, which means that every third person has experienced a panic attack at some point in their life. In this article, we provide some tips on how to navigate a sudden panic attack as easily as possible.
More and more people go through a phase of worrying and being overwhelmed by fear, even if only for a short period of time. Anyone can have a panic attack at any time, contrary to popular belief, it is not a sign of weakness. It simply means that the person is capable of experiencing their emotions and doesn’t necessarily want to suppress everything. Eventually, everyone reaches a point of “overflow,” but the depth of that metaphorical cup varies from person to person. Currently, the continuous feeling of stress and uncertainty is the perfect breeding ground for panic attacks.
Causes of Panic Attacks
Stress plays the most significant role among the triggering factors of panic attacks. Stress hormones are produced by our bodies in response to stressful situations. In situations like exam pressure or when we need to enhance our performance, an increase in stress hormone levels is useful. However, if we experience an excessive amount of stress in our daily lives, the levels of stress hormones in our blood will remain constantly elevated. In the short term, stress hormones (such as adrenaline and cortisol) help increase our performance and overcome the situation at hand, solve emerging problems. But when the levels of stress hormones remain elevated in our bloodstream for days or weeks on end, it literally drains our body. As a result, during periods when we could have the opportunity to relax and calm down – for example, when we come home from work and finally sit down for a moment on the couch – instead of tranquility, we may experience rapid heartbeat and panic. This is because the levels of stress hormones don’t decrease “magically” in our bodies and often produce symptoms as if we were in an emergency situation: rapid heartbeat, tightness in the throat, difficulty breathing, increased blood pressure, high pulse rate.
Quick Tips for Alleviating Panic Attacks
Those who have experienced panic attacks know exactly how difficult it is to cope with them. When someone is in the midst of such an attack, there is one thing they don’t want to hear: “Just relax.” Well, although that is indeed the solution, the execution is slightly more complicated. Concentration will be our greatest help. It sounds easy when written down, but the practical implementation is far from it, yet achievable with perseverance. During a panic attack, always remind yourself of one thing: You will not die, and it will be over soon! Try to nourish this thought within yourself and avoid aggravating your symptoms, as that will only prolong the attack. It depends on your personality which practice works for you:
Count!
Take out a piece of paper and a pen. Write down a few multiplications, divisions, and start working on them! It may seem like madness, and your hand may be trembling, and you may not even be able to count properly up to two because you’re preoccupied with getting air and keeping your heart from jumping out of your chest. Nevertheless, concentrate intensely! If you focus not on the panic but on writing down the numbers on the paper and completing that division – something you would normally do in half a minute in elementary school but now feels like hours – the symptoms will subside quickly.
Write!
In the midst of a panic attack, even holding the pen and keeping it steady can be a challenge. Nevertheless, it’s a working solution: take out the paper and write! What should you write? Essentially, anything that comes to mind. Even if you write random words one after another, it’s sufficient. The key is to concentrate on the act of writing, but very intensely!
Color!
Get an adult coloring book. The more intricate the design to be colored, the more concentration it requires. Start coloring! It doesn’t matter what the end result looks like; it doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. The essence here is the same as in the previous two examples: focus on coloring, just like you did as a child, thinking “I have to stay within the lines :)”
It’s difficult to concentrate during panic attacks because our thoughts are consumed by overwhelming fear. However, no matter how challenging it may be, it is not impossible! The key phrase is to focus strongly on what you are currently doing and only on that.
