How do I know if I'm really having a panic attack or if I'm just freaking out?

You feel hopeless, your heart is running really fast, you're struggling breathing, you're mind is running extremely fast and you feel that the room is moving. That's panic!

Panic attacks come in all shapes and sizes, the same as anxiety in general. The only way to determine the difference is how you feel in the situation. http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/attacks/how-to-tell I hope this helps and i wish you the best of luck :)

I have had my first panic attack just over a month ago. It was a horrible experience. I was just watching television with my roommates when suddenly my heart raced and I had difficulty breathing. I felt like I was going to die or the world was going to end. It was an irrational fear because it came out of nowhere. I just really felt like something really bad is going to happen and I can't do anything about it. I guess the distinction between a panic attack and merely freaking out is that panic attacks last longer, maybe about 5 to 10 minutes or more and panic attacks give you an uncontrollable feeling of doom while freaking out usually comes out during a specific experience or out of stress.

Usually in a panic attack, you may experience heat flashes or pins and needles. You'll also did it more difficult to calm yourself down (stabilise your breathing) than you would if you were just freaking out. Typically, when just freaking out you won't have a particularly significant struggle with breathing.

A panic attach IS freaking out, it's really, really extreme freaking out when you feel like you're having a heart attack and can't breathe. It can be both.

The symptoms are different from just freaking out or having a panic attack. The symptoms for a panic attack are: "Racing" heart. Feeling weak, faint, or dizzy. Tingling or numbness in the hands and fingers. Sense of terror, or impending doom or death. Feeling sweaty or having chills. Chest pains. Breathing difficulties. Feeling a loss of control.

For me, whenever I have a panic attack it feels like my chest is tightening and I can't breathe. And then my skin feels like when your legs "fall asleep." Sometimes I can come out of them, sometimes I pass out.

Panic attacks are generally very sudden and last for about no longer then ten minutes. Depending on the severity of the attack it can cause dizziness, trouble breathing, shaking, or pain.

If you are having a panic attack, the tightness in your chest, inability to breathe normally and the shooting pains in your arm will mimick a heart attack. Generally when you "freak out" it's mostly hyperventilation.

There are a few ways to tell the difference. Freaking out may not feel as severe as a panic attack. A panic attack may feel like a heart attack or a complete loss of breath. They are both very sudden, but you should react slightly different to each.