It seems that the usual reality is bursting at the seams, we are bothered by disturbing thoughts — all this provokes the occurrence of nervous disorders and panic attacks. Together with emergency doctor Maria Kovalchuk, we are figuring out how you can help yourself in such a difficult time for the psyche.
We lose control of ourselves when we have a panic attack. But it is important to understand that this condition can be managed, because it does not pose a physical threat to a person. It is important to learn to pull yourself together and slowly return to normal life.
Panic attackis a sudden attack of intense fear that causes severe physical reactions. There is usually no real danger or obvious cause. When panic attacks happen, you may think you are having a heart attack or even dying.
Mayo Clinic
1. Breathe correctly
At the first signs of a panic attack, it is important to focus on your breathing. Inhalations and exhalations should be conscious, long, deep. Deep breathing helps ease the stress response and anxiety. You can use different breathing techniques:
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Diaphragmatic breathing, in which the abdominal wall should rise as you inhale and fall as you exhale.
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Simple slow breathing. It is better to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Shoulders and back should be straightened.
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Using counting. You need to inhale and exhale, counting to four each time. It’s good if you can focus on counting and breathing.
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Holding your breath. If your inhalations and exhalations become frequent and shallow, you can hold your breath after inhaling for a few seconds. This will help you breathe more slowly and deeply.
2. Find a quiet place
During an attack, it is better to find a calm, quiet place where there will be fewer people. It is advisable to be able to sit there and relax until normal health is restored. A separate room, foyer or office is suitable. You can just go outside and sit on a bench. You need to take a comfortable position and try to relax. It is recommended to use meditation or relaxation techniques. This will help cope with anxiety.
If you have nowhere to go, you can simply close your eyes for a while and focus on breathing. The method helps especially well if the attack begins due to the fact that the person finds himself in a crowd, in a moving vehicle, or at a holiday.
4. Imagine something pleasant
You can cope with fear and anxiety by imagining something pleasant, safe, and associated with positive emotions. This could be a place where a person feels comfortable, a favorite animal, or someone close to them. The main thing is that the image evokes positive emotions and helps to calm down.
5. Tighten and relax your muscles
To relieve an attack, you can use the simplest muscle relaxation technique: for example, alternately tense and relax individual muscle groups. These can be the muscles of the back, arms, legs, and abdomen. Tension and subsequent relaxation helps to control the state of the muscles, focus on it, distracting from anxiety and fear. Such exercises help you learn to quickly distinguish a tense muscle state from a relaxed one, recognizing the approach of a panic attack.
6. Remember that the attack will end soon
After a few minutes, the strong fear will go away. You can repeat to yourself that fear is caused only by a panic attack, that this condition does not need to be controlled, that it will quickly pass on its own. This will help get rid of the fear of death and the feeling of approaching danger.
7. Control your health
A panic attack can feel like a heart attack or choking. It is necessary to be examined by a doctor and monitor your health so as not to confuse a panic attack with symptoms of a dangerous condition. If such episodes happen regularly, tell your therapist about them and describe how you felt during them. This will help you understand whether your symptoms are actually related to stress, anxiety, or have another cause. Regular diagnosis and health care help reduce anxiety.
8. Focus on sensations
Often attacks are accompanied by a feeling of unreality of what is happening, a feeling of isolation, detachment, loss of control. The ability to focus will help you cope with this. You need to focus on familiar sensations: for example, the texture of fabric under your fingers or the tactile sensations when feeling your keys. By focusing on them, you can distract yourself from the anxiety that provokes the attack in order to maintain control over the situation.
To make it easier to focus on sensations, you can carry with you a special object for this: for example, a keychain, pen or any other small , a familiar subject. If a panic attack begins at a moment when there is nothing suitable at hand, you can focus on any object and note to yourself all its features. It could be a clock on the wall, a tree on the street, a parked car, a view from a window: any object that will help shift attention.