Panic Attacks Vs Anxiety Attacks
Both panic attacks and anxiety attacks can feel extremely uncomfortable and horrible to experience, however, there are some key differences between them. Identifying what you are experiencing might help you to figure out what management/ coping methods work best for you.
These are general points about panic and attacks - as everyone experiences these differently, it may be that this does not fully reflect your own experience!
Panic Attacks:
- Extremely intense symptoms which can have a large disruption to your day.
Characterised by the following symptoms:
- Heart palpitations, pounding heart
- Excessive sweating
- Trembling or shaking
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing
- Feeling of choking
- Chest pain/ discomfort
- Nausea/ abdominal distress
- Feeling dizzy, lightheaded, faint or unsteady
- Feelings of unreality or being detached from onself
- Fear of losing control or going crazy
- Fear of dying
- Numbness/ tingling sensations
- Chills or hot flashes
- Panic attacks also usually happen out of the blue, or for no apparent reason.
Anxiety Attacks
- Anxiety intensifies over a longer amount of time
- This causes stress to reach a level that feels overwhelming - like an attack.
Symptoms can include:
- Muscle tension
- Disturbed sleep
- Difficulty concentrating
- Fatigue
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Being startled easily
- Heart beating fast
- Breathing quickly/ short breaths
- Dizziness
- These symptoms may last for quite a while.
Write Below:
1) Which of these symptoms have you experienced before?
2) What helps you to manage these symptoms?
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