What to Do During a Panic Attack
You’re going about your day and suddenly you find yourself with a racing heart, sweating, nauseated, and confused. You understand that you are having a panic attack. The question is what can do you to mange it?
Deep breathing: Although it might sound cliched, remembering to breathe is the most important part of having a panic attack. You don’t necessarily have to count to 10, but making a conscious effort of focusing on your breathing can help. For one thing, it gets much needed oxygen to your brain. For another, it takes your attention away from the attack and diverts it to the numbers that you are counting.
Stop and replace: Try stopping the negative thought and replacing it with a positive one. If you’re nervous about getting up in front of a big group of people and you find yourself having a panic attack, try to push that thought away to the back of your mind. Instead, think about the television show that you will be watching that night. Try naming all of the actors and going through the last episode in detail.
Make a phone call: If you have a trusted friend and think it will help, give them a call. What you don’t want is someone who is going to brush you off and tell you that it’s not a big deal. What you do want is someone who can reassure you, help talk you through it, or help you change the subject. (Whichever one works best for you.)
Ask “so what” rather than “what if”: Occasionally, panic attacks are brought on by fear of something bad happening. In this case, try stopping and thinking about the possible outcomes if that bad thing did happen. By facing the bad situation and talking yourself through it, you might find that the fear of the unknown is actually scarier than the things that might actually come out of the situation.
Distraction: Even in the most stressful situation, the mind can be tricked. Using something to distract yourself from the panic attack can be a way of handling it. Try turning on the radio if you are in the car or the television if you’re at home. Focus on the words or music and make a conscious effort to understand their meaning. By doing this, your mind might get distracted into more or less forgetting about the panic it was previously feeling.
Meditation: By learning to meditate, you might be able to stave off the frequency of panic attacks. There are some activities, such as yoga, that can teach you relaxation techniques to incorporate into meditation as well. Once you become adept at it, then meditating during a panic attack might help alleviate the symptoms.
If you find that your panic attacks are affecting the quality of your life then you should talk to a doctor. Even though they are not really serious, despite how sudden they are, they can make things difficult. The good news is that they are treatable and can be managed, once you find the method that works for you.
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Written by Aaron Piertzen on October 24th, 2009 with
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