When suddenly you get an overwhelming feeling of fear, panic, or anxiety, then that means you’re experiencing a panic attack. They don’t ask for permission to occur, they just do, out of nowhere. When going through one, you will be exposed to a couple of factors that come as a result. These are difficulty breathing, oftentimes sweating intensively, trembling, and your heart pounds really fast and hard.
Panic attacks are sometimes associated with chest pain, and some even experience psychotic breakdowns such as the feeling of being detached from reality. This is because in most cases when people are experiencing them, they usually assume they’re going to have a heart attack.
But don’t let it fool you. Panicking is very real and very dangerous. They are very frequent and people experience them a lot. So to fight it better, here are our tips on how to deal with them
1. Breathe Deeply
One of the most common symptoms is hyperventilation. Hyperventilation can make it even worse, so the best way to battle hyperventilation is to take deep breaths.
When taking deep breaths, make sure each inhale fills your chest and belly, followed by a slow exhale.
2. Be Aware That You’re Experiencing a Panic Attack
We mentioned that people often confuse panic attacks with heart attacks since a common symptom is your heart pounding. You should be aware that such rushes of adrenaline pass, and that you’ll be okay after it.
Take the fear of dying away from it since it won’t help you, and you certainly won’t die from one.
If you are interested in this topic, you can learn more here.
3. Close Your Eyes
These attacks occur when you get an overwhelming feeling of fear, panic, or anxiety. These are all triggers that overwhelm you and make you feel uncomfortable. They are amplified if you find yourself in an uncomfortable environment such as the classroom, at work, at a party, etc.
To reduce the amplifying effect of your surroundings, the best practice is to close your eyes.
4. Stay in Reality
We mentioned that people oftentimes feel detached from reality or from themselves during a panic attack. The best practice for this is to practice mindfulness. Panic attacks start slow and hit hard, so there is a window of opportunity to stop it altogether. To avoid the feeling of detachment from reality, you should do something that will keep you grounded in reality. The best practice is to dig your feet in the ground, feel the textile of your jeans, or scratch your hand. These feelings give you something to focus on which will ultimately help you overcome it.
5. Relax Your Muscles
Muscle relaxation techniques are excellent for gaining control of your body. These techniques also help with panic attacks by stopping them in their tracks.
One of the most simple muscle relaxation techniques is to relax the muscles in your fingers. As time goes by, you will become better at this, and these techniques work best when practiced.
