How Do I Get Relief from an Anxiety Attack?
Learning about how panic attacks can occur, and how they can best be treated, is a great start in reducing their frequency and severity - and we’ve put together some information that might be helpful for you.
For those who have experienced them, panic or anxiety attacks can be frightening and distressing – and the source of worry and fear that they will occur again in the future. A panic attack is our body’s way of responding to a perceived threat, but sadly, rather than protecting us, this response itself is distressing and tends to create more anxiety. Learning about how panic attacks can occur, and how they can best be treated, is a great start in reducing their frequency and severity – and we’ve put together some information that might be helpful for you.
Why do panic attacks happen?
Although panic attacks can seem mysterious and unpredictable, research tells us that often, an individual’s first panic attack is preceded by a period of stress – whether this is changes in their work or living situation, the illness of a family member, or a loss of safety or security in their environment. In some cases, this increase in stress in a high pressure environment can become overwhelming for an individual and they will start to experience physical symptoms like a sense of doom, a pounding heart, sweating, shortness of breath and other unpleasant feelings. As if this weren’t bad enough, the experience of having a panic attack can be so unpleasant that an individual can become hypervigilant to their physical symptoms – so that, in the future, when they notice a shortness of breath or beating heart, this might actually trigger another panic attack. Many people describe getting stuck in the cycle of avoidance, where they change their habits and behaviors in an attempt to not have another panic attack – which has a devastating impact on their work, lives and relationships.
What are some signs I might be about to have an attack?
This differs for everybody, but some of the major indicators are an increase in your heart rate, a sense of dizziness or chills, and other physical sensations that signal a response to threat or stress. You might notice that there are certain situations that might also trigger panic – such as high pressure situations (public speaking, exams or performing) – or physical states (eg. when you are feeling tired or stressed, or when you’ve had a lot of sugar or caffeine). It can be helpful to think of these panic responses as your body’s normal reaction to stress and danger in the moment – as unpleasant as these are, they are all ways that our body tries to protect us and respond effectively to what it perceives as a threat.
What is the best treatment for panic attacks?
As strange as it may sound, the most highly regarded treatment for panic attacks is something called exposure therapy – which involves slowly exposing an individual to triggering situations and helping them to notice and regulate their physical symptoms – so that they become used to the physical symptoms of anxiety and can self regulate. This is best done with a therapist and can take some time to become effective – but it is a highly effective treatment.
Other treatments include in-the-moment strategies for when a person is starting to experience symptoms of panic – one example of this identifying 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and one positive thing about yourself. The key to some of these strategies is to shift your attention away from the physical sensations you’re having, and focus on things outside of yourself.
The key to some of these strategies is to shift your attention away from the physical sensations you’re having, and focus on things outside of yourself.
For many people, finding ways of reducing stress and worry in their day to day lives means that they do not reach a level where they are likely to have a panic attack – strategies like deep breathing, mindfulness, progressive muscle relaxation and meditation have all been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, and are helpful tools to prevent a panic attack occurring.
How can Mind Ease help me?
Mind Ease has a number of calming exercises that are designed to reduce stress and anxiety that you can use daily as a way of managing stress, or in the moment when you feel like you may be about to have a panic attack. Some of these exercises include Breathing Visualization, Defusion, Reframing, and Progressive Muscle Relaxation. You can also learn more about panic, anxiety and stress from reading our blogs on the topic – psychoeducation and self awareness are valuable tools, and the more information you have, the better you will be at managing these situations as they come up for you.
If you’d like reliable relief from anxiety, you can install Mind Ease for free here.
