5 Ways How To Overcome Panic Attacks

Panic attacks, according to the Mayo Clinic, involve a sudden onset of intense fear or discomfort. It is often peaking within minutes and triggering severe physical reactions without any apparent cause. Fortunately, there are many ways to overcome panic attacks if you experience one. However, before delving into solutions, let’s thoroughly comprehend a panic attack and its circumstances.

Have you ever experienced panic attacks? That crippling hot sensation is coursing from your fingertips through your arms and spreading across your face. It feels like hypertension or a heart attack and you feel like you’re overheating and on the verge of dying. The experience is undeniably petrifying. The fear of impending doom runs rampant through your mind.

In the meantime, you pursued medical help, only to be told that your blood pressure and ECG readings were within normal range. Yet, despite the doctor’s reassurance, you remain perplexed by the continued occurrence of palpitations and an intense feeling of fear. You may have reached a stage where the dread of another panic attack confines you indoors, rendering you too anxious to step outside.

Panic attacks are typically terrifying, causing sensations akin to a heart attack and often feeling like imminent death. However, despite the fear they evoke, it’s essential to stay composed, evaluate your circumstances, pinpoint triggers, and remove yourself from stressors. Therefore, it’s vital to understand that effectively handling panic attacks is achievable, even when they seem overwhelming. In this blog post, we’ll examine the characteristics of panic attacks, identify common triggers, and offer practical techniques for managing and surmounting these intense bouts of anxiety.

Panic Attacks and Its Symptoms

According to the Mayo Clinic, a panic attack manifests as a sudden onset of intense fear or discomfort, peaking within minutes and prompting severe physical reactions even in the absence of real danger or an apparent cause. Despite typically lasting only a few minutes to half an hour, the aftermath can entail lingering physical and emotional effects for hours. Moreover, while panic attacks do not directly endanger life, the subjective experience during an episode can overwhelm individuals, creating a profound perception of a life-altering crisis. Consequently, the emotional intensity can induce a sense of impending catastrophe. Despite their non-life-threatening nature, panic attacks significantly impact overall well-being and disrupt quality of life. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/panic-attacks/symptoms-causes/syc-20376021

Panic attacks are characterized by a combination of physical and psychological symptoms, including but not limited to:

• Rapid heart rate
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating
• Chills
• Hot flushes
• Trembling or shaking
• Chest pain or discomfort
• Nausea or abdominal distress
• Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
• Feeling of collapsing
• Fear of losing control or going crazy
• Fear of dying
• Numbness or tingling sensations

The fear of experiencing another panic attack poses a significant challenge. Once you navigate through one episode, the looming concern is when the next one will strike. This cycle of fear profoundly impacts daily life, thus restricting activities and choices to evade potential triggers. Consequently, heightened anxiety often leads to avoidance behaviors, where specific situations or environments perceived as potential triggers are intentionally avoided. Such avoidance mechanisms serve as common coping strategies, driven by the desire to avert the distressing and incapacitating effects of panic attacks. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that avoidance can perpetuate a cascade of anxieties, thus impeding long-term recovery.

Indeed, pursuing treatment for panic attacks offers significant benefits. A variety of therapeutic methods, including counseling, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), or medication, can be effective in managing and reducing the impact of panic attacks. With appropriate treatment, individuals can acquire valuable tools and coping strategies to alleviate fear and improve overall mental well-being. This fosters a more balanced and fulfilling life, facilitating the gradual restoration of control over one’s life.

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5 Ways How to Overcome Panic Attacks

Some individuals find relief from panic attacks through the use of prescribed medications. However, if you find yourself without immediate access to medication and psychological assistance and need to navigate through panic attacks on your own, consider following the steps outlined below on how to overcome panic attacks.

How to overcome panic attacks, try these effective techniques:

Divert your mind

As easy as it sounds, it’s difficult when you are in the middle of a panic attack. The key challenge lies in the fact that, with panic attacks, any physical sensation can swiftly capture your attention, causing your mind to intensify the experience and triggering additional physiological reactions. When you sense the onset of a panic attack, the initial step is to redirect your focus as quickly as possible. Engage your mind with positive and calming thoughts to help alleviate the intensity of the situation.

Remove yourself from the environment

Panic attacks can occur unexpectedly in various places. If you find yourself in a specific situation where panic sets in, it’s crucial to swiftly distance yourself. For instance, imagine you’re at the grocery store, and suddenly you start feeling lightheaded with a rush of heat. In such a scenario, leave your shopping cart behind, find a quiet place to sit, and regain your composure. If possible, consider heading home. Taking these steps is essential to manage the immediate effects of a panic attack and ensure your well-being.

Use Essential Oils

Many individuals link the scent of essential oils to a state of relaxation. Smell any essential oil that personally brings you a sense of calm during panic attacks. Engage in aromatherapy by using essential oils to harness their potential calming effects. Many people find certain scents, such as lavender or chamomile, to be associated with relaxation and stress relief.

Engage in deep breathing

In circumstances where escape is not possible, consider practicing deep breathing. Practice slow, deep breathing to help regulate and calm your nervous system. Inhale deeply through your nose, pause for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly through your mouth. This intentional breathing pattern helps regulate the respiratory system, promotes relaxation, and can be an effective tool for calming the body’s response to stress and anxiety during a panic attack.

GROUNDING TECHNIQUES

Engage all your senses—observe your surroundings, listen to the sounds, feel the textures, notice any scents, and even taste something if possible. List three things you can see, three things you can hear, three things you can smell, three things you can touch, and three things you can taste. This method serves as a grounding technique, connecting you to the present reality.

What are the common triggers that cause panic attacks?

Accordingly, it is imperative to recognize the triggers behind your panic attacks to develop effective coping strategies. By examining the environments, thoughts, or experiences preceding these episodes, you can gain valuable insights into the root causes of your anxiety. These triggers may range from work pressure and relationship challenges to traumatic memories or specific phobias. Once these triggers are identified, personalized strategies can be developed to address the specific sources of your anxiety. Moreover, understanding your triggers is crucial in breaking the cycle of panic attacks, allowing you to anticipate and prepare for potential stressors. This proactive approach shifts your focus from mere reaction to thoughtful prevention and control.

While triggers can vary from person to person, some common factors include:

Overthinking

Excessive thinking often leads to heightened anxiety. Sometimes, there may not be a clear reason or external event causing this, but your mind becomes engrossed in extensive overthinking. In such instances, your thoughts can dominate, causing various worries even in peaceful situations. Overthinking, when your mind races without a clear cause, can intensify feelings of anxiety. It’s crucial to manage and alter your thoughts to promote a calmer and more relaxed state of mind.

Stress

High levels of stress, whether from work, relationships, or challenging life circumstances, can increase the likelihood of experiencing panic attacks. When you’re dealing with significant stress, both your body and mind may react in a manner that triggers intense episodes of anxiety. It’s crucial to discover effective ways to handle and diminish stress to reduce the risk of panic attacks. Prioritizing your well-being and adopting healthy coping mechanisms for stress can significantly impact your overall emotional state and improve how you feel.

Phobias

Individuals with specific phobias may experience panic attacks when exposed to their feared object or situation. If you’re really scared of something specific, you might have panic attacks when you encounter that thing or situation that scares you a lot. For instance, if you’re terrified of heights, you might experience a panic attack when you have to be up high or even think about it. Facing what scares you can bring about a sudden and intense bout of anxiety.

Trauma

Experiencing distressing events in the past can increase the likelihood of you having panic attacks. This is particularly evident when dealing with a condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), where past events can cause significant anxiety and contribute to the occurrence of panic attacks.

Medical Conditions

Certain physical issues, such as problems with your thyroid or heart, can increase the likelihood of experiencing panic attacks. It’s not solely a mental matter – specific medical conditions can contribute to heightened feelings of anxiety.

Ultimately, the process of understanding these triggers involves introspection to identify internal thought patterns contributing to heightened anxiety. Armed with this insight, individuals can tailor coping strategies to address both external triggers and internal processes, thereby fostering a more effective approach to managing panic attacks. In essence, by delving deep into these triggers, individuals gain a deeper understanding of the underlying causes of their anxiety, enabling them to develop targeted strategies to confront and overcome these challenges.