This is what a panic attack really looks like
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By Alexis Schuster
It always starts in the same way. I feel my heartbeats are accelerating, as if it would burst in my chest. At the same time, my chest feels tight but also huge; It is as if my ribs and lungs have expanded to capacity and are forced to stay there, and the tension hurts.
Then come the thoughts. The uncomfortable physical sensations begin a succession of questions and concerns: What happens? Why do I feel like this? What if I can not calm down? What is my boss / boyfriend / this random stranger on the train will think? Will I always feel like this? Am I going to die?
Then my stomach joins the party. He made backflips at the level of the Olympics, and I have that feeling of grunting in my throat, except that I'm not really gagging, so I have no relief. My thoughts lock on this new symptom and run before me: Oh, no, now I'm nauseating. Where are my ginger pills? What do I do if they do not help? What if I can not handle this problem and have to cancel my projects? When will it end?
All this happens in less than a minute. If I get lucky and I can get somewhere where I can take a few minutes, I can practice breathing from the belly and slowly slow down my heart rhythms and thoughts. But if I can not do it or if I feel like hiding what is happening then Houston, forget about a problem - we have a disaster faced on our hands.
During a panic attack, it becomes incredibly difficult to distinguish where physical symptoms such as nausea and hyperventilating end and thoughts and racing fears begin. This is because a panic attack is precisely that: you are terrified and panic, and this fear is very real. He has teeth and claws, and he destroys you and waits for you to stop fighting.
If I have bad luck, belly breathing does not work and I am touched with the following symptoms all at once and with surprising intensity: dry hair, diarrhea, crying So strong, I give myself a headache, being so that all my muscles are tight. At the same time, my thoughts urge me so fast that I just finished one before the other.
Below what and it sucks is the feeling that I quickly lose control, losing the mind, Losing all knowledge of who I am. During my most intense panic attack to date, in the bathroom of the house of my boyfriend 's parents, it seemed that there was no way that was happening, It had to happen to somebody else. It was as if I no longer knew who I was, and it was absolutely terrifying.
Actually, panic attacks do not last long. But when you feel it, every second looks like years, and you begin to think that this is unavoidable, that you will feel this way for the rest of your life. Panic attacks take your brain; They divert your thoughts and convince you that, undoubtedly, the worst case will occur, and nothing will allow you to do so.
You know you can not have fun making yourself feel better. Distracting yourself will not help, and nothing will be anything else. This is unnecessary. You're trapped.
Eventually your brain and your body begin to calm down by themselves, usually because you are exhausted and your brain begins to stop, or because you have given up and you have stopped fighting What happens to you.
Ironically, giving up is what is most useful: when you go to what is happening, you give up the idea that you can control it and that you stop fighting it. You stop adding to the tension you have created with your thoughts, which is contrary to what your brain and your body do.
Ask anyone who has panic attacks, and they will tell you that much of what they fear loses control of their minds, their bodies, in public, in front of their loved ones. Your brain tells you that you are going to faint / look like an idiot / go crazy, and people will judge you for that.
There are also other symptoms: dizziness, inability to concentrate, insomnia, chills, hot flushes, dry mouth, irritability, excessive sweating. A panic attack is complete; These are not just thoughts of running or just stomach cramps. This is all at the same time in a deluge. A panic attack is like an orgasm: you may not know what it was at the time, but this is not an ambiguous experience.
Even when the panic attack is over, you are still not "better." You are always very sensitized and you are also afraid of having another attack. This creates more anxiety and uncomfortable physical sensations, and you return to where you started. This is called the panic buckle, and it is very, very easy to get caught.
Remember: There is nothing wrong with having a panic attack. This does not mean that you are weak or broken or defective. Panic attacks are your brain that tells you there is danger. Your anxious brain is fake 99 percent of the time, but it tries to keep you alive. Your brain is wired differently from the others, and there's nothing wrong with that. You are not a bad person, and you have done nothing to deserve it. This is something really horrible that happens to you.
Some good news? While I am not a certified mental health expert, I have found some tips that really work for me.
If you are experiencing a panic attack:
1. Talk to a therapist.
This does not mean that you are locked into therapy for the rest of your life; You will only need a few sessions to access the root of your panic attacks.
2. Make habits of calm.
Try prevention and stress strategies like yoga, regular exercise and / or meditation. They can teach you breathing techniques and other habits that you can use in the midst of a panic attack to help your body calm you down more quickly.
3. Write it down.
Panic Attack Diaries are also great because they help you break down fears and symptoms and tailor your treatment to your specific fears.
4. Reaching a friend or family member.
It is really helpful to have someone to send a text, call or go to see when you are experiencing an attack. This person can remind you of the things you can do to help you calm down, and they can also help you keep the prospect. I usually call my sister, and whenever she reminds me that this is not an indication of who I am, that is just one thing that happens to me.
1. Ask how you can help yourself. If somebody else attacks a panic:
But just that. Do not overwhelm them with a bunch of decisions and options; People with a panic attack usually can not focus beyond their immediate experience for more than a few seconds at a time.
2. Do not take it personally if they do not want help or are irritable.
Again, they are going through something really uncomfortable and frightening, and it is unreasonable to expect them to be polite or act like Their being normal. If they do not want help, stick with it. Let them know that you are there so they need you, then leave them alone.
3. Do not tell them to "calm down".
Or "relax", "stop worrying", or "it's okay". There is no good way to say this: it is not useful, and it forces us to strangle you.
4. Try to be as compassionate as possible.
They do not do this for attention or sympathy. They go through something really difficult and judge them or treat them as if something was wrong with them will not help. Even if something as small as giving them a glass of water can be highly appreciated. Be sure to ask yourself before touching them: some people do not like this in the middle of an attack.
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