Panic attacks – how to get rid of them quickly: personal experience

How to Deal with a Panic Attack Quickly?

Our relationship with our own body is quite complex, especially when we don’t want to listen to its signals. It has long been understood that any health problems are a message to our consciousness.

Our subconscious uses certain symptoms to convey information about physical or psychological distress, indicating that urgent and radical changes are needed in our lives.

Useful information for webmasters working with traffic arbitrage and for anyone who encounters this in their lives.

What are the causes of a panic attack?

One of the most vivid and significant messages is a panic attack — a sudden state of sharp deterioration in health, a feeling of fear of death. There are no visible causes for a panic attack, but there are, of course, underlying causes. However, this message must be interpreted taking into account a person’s personal experience and individual characteristics. What can a panic attack tell us?

“You can’t go on living like this!” Our body is trying to say, “How long can you live under stress? You’ve reached a dead end, but you’re not doing anything to find a way out!” A prolonged psychologically traumatic situation, accompanied by negative emotions and a feeling of hopelessness, gradually leads to a breakdown in the body’s functioning.

Problems accumulate, a person endures, suffers, resigns themselves to the situation or tries to do something, and negative emotions accumulate in their psyche. At some point, they are “overwhelmed” by a cloud of negativity that has burst out of their subconscious (where they had constantly “pushed” it).

This can happen both during a difficult period in life and later, when the bad streak is over. The trigger for a panic attack can be a change in physical condition (excessive stress, fatigue, illness, being in a confined space), social instability, or anxiety about the future.

A fleeting, insignificant reason is enough for everything that has accumulated over the previous period to spill out.

How long can you be afraid?

The process of forming a panic attack is initiated by accumulated fears that a person has not tried (or been able) to overcome. Fear blocks the satisfaction of needs and the achievement of goals, forcing a person to avoid situations of choice or risk, teaching them to avoid or run away from problems.

But needs don’t go away! Resentment towards oneself and life appears, along with feelings of dissatisfaction, anger, and envy towards those who live in accordance with their own desires and goals. Fears are “pushed” into the subconscious, where they continue to grow and multiply.

A person goes down into the subway, gets scared for a second (enclosed space, lots of people, etc.), and suddenly a whole host of fears burst out: terror, heart palpitations, trembling hands, panic.

People with panic attacks have problems with self-perception and self-esteem. Due to their character, upbringing, or circumstances, they do not believe in themselves and their strengths, and are prone to self-criticism and self-deprecation. Feelings of helplessness and inadequacy give rise to fear of the future, fear of failure, fear of being misunderstood, etc.

One of the underlying causes of panic attacks is a lack of meaning in life and a lack of understanding of one’s self.

Living by inertia, without a goal and without awareness of the significance of one’s own actions, a person seems to “hang” in a vacuum, without a stable foundation. Therefore, any misfortune can throw them into a whirlwind of negative emotions.

Understanding “Who am I? What am I like? What am I doing now? Why am I doing it? Who needs me, and who do I need?” is an essential part of growing up and creating a foundation for a stable existence.

Why do panic attacks keep us in fear?

Imagine this: you are walking down the street, enjoying a sunny day, and suddenly a balloon bursts somewhere nearby. You jump, your heart skips a beat, your muscles tense up — this is an instinctive reaction to danger. But if you are healthy, after a couple of seconds your body will realize that there is no threat and relax.

Now imagine that this unfortunate balloon popped at the most inopportune moment — for example, when you were going through a difficult period or feeling vulnerable. Your nervous system remembers: “Wow, that was scary! Let me save this experience and react even more strongly next time, just in case.”

This is how the vicious circle of panic attacks arises:

1. The first attack is an unexpected reaction of the body to stress.

2. Fear of repetition — the brain remembers that it was scary and begins to fear the panic attack itself.

3. Avoidance — the person stops riding the subway, going outside, or being alone, just to avoid experiencing it again.

And now they are a hostage. Not by terrorists, but by their own fear.

In 1988, researcher David Barlow (Barlow D.H.) put forward a cognitive theory of panic: it states that a panic attack becomes entrenched when a person attaches catastrophic meaning to their sensations. Simply put, if you feel dizzy and think, “This must be a stroke,” your anxiety will skyrocket.

Conversely, if you say to yourself, “Oh, I think I’m just nervous, it will pass,” your anxiety level will decrease. This is confirmed by numerous studies of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which show that changing your attitude toward panic helps reduce its frequency and intensity.

How can you help yourself cope with panic attacks?

How?…

From personal experience, the quickest and most effective method is to stick out your tongue as far as possible and breathe slowly and deeply…

1. It is important to understand that a panic attack (PA) is not fatal in itself and does not lead to life-threatening illnesses. Listen to your body’s reaction and allow it to be. Do not evaluate your feelings, just experience them. Do not let your thoughts drift toward a catastrophic outcome.

2. Anxiety brings with it muscle tension. Therefore, when you feel anxious, it is important to relax your muscles as much as possible. The easiest way is to contract different muscle groups for 5 seconds at a time and then relax them.

3. Distract yourself and focus on anything other than anxiety and fear. Look around you, paying attention to details, remember something funny, sing (aloud or to yourself) your favorite song. Feel that you are standing firmly and confidently on your feet.

4. Breathe. A simple technique:

do not try to inhale more air, breathe slowly and evenly;
inhale on the count of “1, 2, 3, 4,” exhale, counting to 6 in your mind;
breathe this way until your condition normalizes.

5. And most importantly: work on your thinking.

Your heartbeat has quickened.

Automatic thoughts: I might have a heart attack.

Rational: Nothing terrible is happening to me. My heartbeat has quickened because I myself sent a signal to my brain that I am in danger and my “fight or flight” defense mechanism has been triggered. I have experienced this state many times before. It is a normal reaction to fear and cannot lead to any serious consequences.

Dizziness, weakness, a feeling of “unreality” about what is happening.

Automatic thoughts: I am going to lose consciousness and faint.

Rational: This is a temporary condition due to the redistribution of blood circulation from the “fight or flight” defense mechanism. I will calm down now and feel better.

Worsening symptoms.

Automatic thoughts: My symptoms will become so severe that I will not be able to control myself.

Rational: My symptoms will never become so severe as to put me in danger, as they are created by my brain to protect me. The panic attack will end and I will experience nothing but discomfort, even from the strongest PA.

Self-help for panic attacks

Self-help consists of two groups of methods: situational and preventive.

The situational group includes emergency self-help techniques for when the first symptoms of anxiety and panic appear.

The preventive group includes actions that the patient takes in advance, in a calm, safe environment, to reduce anxiety and prevent panic attacks from developing.

Method I. Breathing regulation

What happens to your breathing when anxiety builds up and you are overcome by fear and panic?

There are three ways to regulate your breathing:

1. Take any bag (the literature usually recommends a paper bag, if available — if not, any bag will do), hold it tightly against your face so that your nose and mouth are “inside” the bag, and breathe in and out into the bag.

Remember that air from outside should not enter the bag! Second condition: breathe as calmly and slowly as possible.

How long? Until the symptoms of PA begin to subside.

Advantages of the method: no special training is required, and you can always carry a bag with you.

Disadvantages of this method: some people find it difficult to do this in a crowded place, and PA often occurs in such places.

2. Instead of a bag, you can breathe into your cupped hands. You should also breathe as evenly and slowly as possible.

Advantages: can be used anywhere without attracting attention.

Disadvantages: this method is less effective than using a bag.

3. Slow breathing, abdominal breathing. Practice in advance. To do this, place your hands on your stomach, right hand below, left hand above. Then, on the count of 1, 2, 3, inhale and inflate your stomach like a balloon. On the count of 4 and 5, hold your breath. On the count of 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, exhale slowly. Repeat at least 10-15 times.

Advantages: you don’t need to carry anything with you, your body relaxes quickly, and the PA recedes.

Disadvantages: none.

Method II. Distraction

PA increases due to concentration on symptoms and obsessive thoughts that inevitably begin to spin in your head.

Remember, your goal is to distract your attention, namely to shift your attention from the internal to the external.

1. Counting. Count any objects. These can be buttons on the coat of a person standing next to you, white cars passing by, lit windows in the house opposite, or subtracting 7 from 100 and so on.

2. Rubber band. Stock up on regular rubber bands, the kind used to tie banknotes in a bank. Wear it on your wrist and when you feel the symptoms of panic attack, snap the rubber band on your hand.

3. Pinching will work if you don’t have a rubber band. It will either prevent the development of PA or distract you and give you time to apply other first aid measures.

4. Imagination game. Imagine yourself in a calm and pleasant place. One of my clients couldn’t go to the bank, but she was able to overcome her fear by imagining that she was walking around Paris, admiring the beauty of the squares and parks, that she had a meeting with a friend in one of the city’s cafes, and now she was going to go to the bank, withdraw money, and… Your imagination is limitless.

5. Switch from one activity to another that is completely opposite. However, it is important that the activity calms you down. For example, if you feel chills and your hands and feet get cold during a panic attack, and you are at home, take a hot shower, run a scented bath, or at least wash your face with hot water. If a panic attack catches you outside, go into a café and order a hot tea.

6. Focus your thoughts on everyday tasks. Returning to what you were doing or were going to do before the panic attack will stabilize your condition. Nothing calms you down better than everyday worries.

7. Singing. Come up with a funny slogan about panic attack at home, practice it in advance, and sing it to the tune of any song so that it sounds as funny as possible.

8. Smile. Try to smile. Focus your thoughts on this action. At first, it will be difficult and your smile will resemble a grimace, but over time your muscles will get used to it, your smile will become more natural, and your muscles will be more relaxed.

9. See a psychologist; this will help solve the problem.