Anatomy of a Panic Attack

Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders, affecting over 18 percent of the adult population in the U.S.; women, especially, are twice as likely as men to develop an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Additionally, panic disorder affects about six million American adults per year, and again women have a much higher chance of suffering from them than men. If you’ve never had a panic or anxiety attack, consider yourself lucky. If you have, it can be a terrifying experience and there are some things everyone should know about what goes on in the body when it happens. First of all, you are not alone and I can assure you there is someone else in your life that understands what you’re going through. But if not, I want to lay down the foundation for what panic attacks can look like so others will recognize them and can help someone in need. 

1. Not all panic attacks are rocking back and forth and sobbing. Although some people’s attacks could look like this, most of the time they don’t; and it’s not always so obvious from the outside what’s going on. A lot of anxiety sufferers will try and hide a panic attack when it’s happening because they don’t want to draw attention to themselves. 

2. Physically, your body is going into flight or fight mode for no real reason. Because of this, the body releases a ton of adrenaline at once, thinking you are in danger. This can cause symptoms such as: fast, pounding heartbeat, chest pressure or pain, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, tingling or numbness in the extremities (including the lips), sweating, feeling too hot or too cold, dizziness, lack of coordination, nausea, and weakness. These are the most common physical symptoms of a panic attack; however, there are more internal feelings as well which include: intense feeling of impending doom or danger, fear of dying, feeling out of touch with yourself or like you are watching yourself from the outside of your body, feeling like you are in a dream or a sense of unreality, and feeling out of control. Some people have more inernal symptoms rather than physical ones during a panic attack, which can make them very hard to recognize. 

3. Helping yourself or someone else who is having a panic attack. There are a few strategies that can really help when finding yourself or someone else in the throes of a panic. Deep breathing can be an excellent tool to combat an oncoming attack or to help shorten one that has already started. Breathing fully in through the nose and exhaling very slowly through the mouth muliple times will help lower your heart rate and can stop the pounding or racing sensation. Distracting yourself or someone else with something that has nothing to do with them– take the focus off of the attack. Start telling a story and make them listen or if you’re alone, pick something from your surroundings to watch and focus on. This helps to get you out of your own head and stop falling deeper into the feeling of fear. Removing oneself or someone else from the situation that triggered the attack. For some, panic attacks are brought on by specific triggers like enclosed spaces (elevators, crowded metro cars, airplanes, etc) and removing the individual from the situation can temporarily ease the symptoms of a panic attack. However, this is not a long-term solution nor is it always possible to remove oneself (like on an airplane, duh!). In that case, working on managing your anxiety and panic attacks with therapy or medication is the best way to begin the journey to recovery. 

4. Panic attacks cannot kill you. This has been one of the most helpful mantras in my own life for fighting off a panic attack. Although it may feel like you’re dying when having one, it’s simply your body and mind going haywire, and that’s okay. You just have to let it run it’s course and eventually you will calm down and feel better– you aren’t dying! 

Some of these tips can be helpful in the beginning stages of panic disorder or anxiety-related problems. However, it is always best to seek out professional help if your anxiety or panic attacks are getting in the way of daily life or making you feel hopeless. There are ways to combat this all-too-common mental illness, and it doesn’t always have to be a battle with yourself! 

Photo credit and more information about how to cope with a panic attack found here