Surviving Panic Attacks
Hi! My name is Kitkat (or Katie if you prefer), and I'm going to be starting a discussion on surviving panic attacks. This will include ways to help someone having a panic attack, ways to combat panic attacks yourself, and discussions of personal experiences.
Before we begin this discussion, you should complete the Panic Attacks course, as this has a lot of helpful information. Here's some information on helping someone having a panic attack, copied and pasted from a topic in the Member Forum:
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If a loved one experiences panic attacks, it's important to know how to support them. Panic attacks can be very scary from an outside perspective, but the most important thing that you can do for your loved one is to stay calm. If you start to panic yourself, you'll almost inevitably make their own anxiety worse. Instead follow these steps to help them:
First you'll have to be able to recognize the situation when it occurs. Panic attacks have symptoms that closely resemble those of a heart attack or asthma attack. If this is the first time they've experienced a panic attack, they're at risk for heart or asthma attacks, or they have other detrimental medical conditions, you should seek medical attention. If they frequently experience panic attacks and are not in danger, let them know what's going on and that you're here to help.
Only ask the most important questions, as it can be hard for a person having a panic attack to focus clearly. Don't trivialize their fears or patronize them. The fear during a panic attack is very real regardless of whether there's anything truly threatening in the immediate area. Because of this, statements like "There's nothing to worry about!" and "Just calm down!" are unhelpful and can alienate the person in crisis.
Speak in a calm voice to guide them through their attack. Don't touch them unless they've given you permission, as unexpected or unwelcome touches can make an attack worse. Encourage them to focus on their breathing. It might be hard for them to take deep breaths at first, so try counting breaths. Start with a count of 2 (2 in and 2 out) and increase to 4, and then to 6.
Another breathing technique that helps is breathing out longer than you breathe in. This helps the body to ascertain that there's no danger, and shuts off the adrenaline gland.
Don't put too much pressure on them and don't overwhelm them. But unless they ask you to leave, stay with them. When it comes to surviving panic attacks, there's not a lot to do except wait it out. Panic attacks usually peak at around ten minutes and then fade. Smaller anxiety attacks might last longer, but they're more manageable."
With that said, we can open the floor to discuss other ways to overcome panic attacks! Hopefully this discussion will help us as listeners to grow and learn from each other so that we know more about how to help others.
1. Have you ever had personal experiences with panic attacks? (either you or a loved one)
2. What are some methods a person can use to cope with a panic attack?
3. What resources have been helpful to you when researching panic attacks?
4. What are some methods to prevent panic attacks from occurring?
1. Have you ever had personal experiences with panic attacks? (either you or a loved one)
Yes! I have had personal experiences with them! They not my best friend! I dislike them very much!
2. What are some methods a person can use to cope with a panic attack?
There are different ways for a person to cope with a panic attack!
- deep breathing
meditating
-listening to music
- Taking your mind to another place like the beack and think about the beach think about the 5 senses, what you can smell on the beach, what can you hear etc
- try telling yourself that everything will be okay!
3. What resources have been helpful to you when researching panic attacks?
-youtube
-friends
-7 cups of tea!
- stress ball
- my bed!
- TV to distruct myself
4. What are some methods to prevent panic attacks from occurring?
you have to know the symtoms of a panic attack first. Youhave to figure out what symptoms you get before the panic attack comes and knowing your symtoms will help you decrease your panic attack before it comes, here are a few of the symptoms
~~?Palpitations or chest pain
?Speeding up of the heart rate
?Rapid or over-breathing
?Headaches
?Backaches
?Trembling
?Tingling in fingers or toes
?Sweating
?Dry mouth
?Difficulty swallowing
?Dizziness/lightheadedness/feeling faintish (this is usually from hyperventilating)
?Nausea
?Abdominal cramping
?Hot flashes or chills
Once you feel a panic attack coming you can start to breathe deeply, remove yourself from the situation that may be causing your panic attacks, listen to music and take your mind to some place else
1. Have you ever had personal experiences with panic attacks? (either you or a loved one)
I have a panic disorder. I was diagnosed in 2002
2. What are some methods a person can use to cope with a panic attack?
I use a LOT
~ The rubber band method: Keep a rubber band on your wrist, when you feel a panic attack coming on snap it. The tinge of pain can often times "snap" you out of it
~ Smell the rose, blow out the candle. This is a breathing and visualization exercise. you visualize a rose, smell it deeply then blow out the visualized candle.
~ Going Limp! This one works for me all the time when I feel an attack coming on, sitting in a chair, just fall foward onto your lap and let every muscle go limp. You look silly, feel silly and often times this can result in laughter... which kills panic attacks.
~ Self Talk during an attack "This won't last forever", "You are not dying", "This will end".
~ Ice packs on your skin during an attack. the shock of cold can bring you out of it or give you something to focus on.
~Lie flat on a bed or couch during an attack. Start with your toes relaxing them and saying outloud "toes, I am relaxing my toes" and do so. "foot, I am relaxing my foot", do this until you reach your head, count out individual toes and fingers if need be. By the time you get to your head you are relaxed and the panic attack is generally gone.
~MEDITATION, MEDITATION, MEDITATION
~ If you are able, SCREAM. Tell the panic attack to EFF off, cuss it, tell it you are in charge. Get ANGRY. Anger will often times replace panic.
~soothe yourself. Pull your knees up to your chest and wrap your arms around like a hug. pet your head, shoulders and arms in a soothing manner like you would a child. (I also rock myself when I do this one)
3. What resources have been helpful to you when researching panic attacks?
The internet mostly.
4. What are some methods to prevent panic attacks from occurring?
~ Learn your panic triggers, but don't avoid. Figure out ways to make those situation less panic filled.
~ Coping skills. There are literally thousands of them all over the internet. Try every single one of them until you find some that work.
~ Distractions.
~ Eliminate unneeded stress from your life, which includes toxic people.
~ Remember that there is not rule book on what is normal behavior. If big parties cause panic attacks and you don't really like them anyway, it is ok not to go to them. As long as you are not avoiding things that are necessary in your life, it's ok to be you.
This is such great information! I LOVE that you put down all the ways that can help panic attacks those are such awesome ideas and I am going to try one of them next time!