How to deal with panic attacks: 12 effective ways

Stress, which has become a familiar companion of modern life, has found itself insidious assistants – panic attacks. They can overtake you everywhere – at home, at an important meeting, in public transport… And although the sensations in such a situation, to put it mildly, are uncomfortable, everyone can cope with an attack. The main thing is not to let him take over. estet-portal.com will reveal the secrets of how to effectively and as quickly as possible get rid of a panic attack.

What are panic attacks

Panic Attacks – It's not fatal, but it's very, very annoying. A person is suddenly seized by a feeling of terrible anxiety accompanied by fear – the feeling is inexplicable and therefore especially painful. In combination with various somatic symptoms, these sensations become simply unbearable for a person, and if they are not curbed at the very beginning, then it can even come to the onset of phobias. To prevent this from happening, it is important to learn how to cope with seizures

Panic attacks – it is nothing more than the body's reaction to a failure in the communication of the brain with the body. This misunderstanding, like any other, can be resolved by mastering simple secrets.

Before starting any fight, it is worth examining the enemy. What are panic attacks? This is an attack lasting from several minutes to several hours with a feeling of severe anxiety and fear. To put it simply: this is a malfunction in the system of the brain, resulting in a kind of false alarm with an adrenaline rush, which puts the body on “combat alert”. The body immediately reacts to potential danger:

• heartbeat and breathing quicken,
• sweating increases,
• blood pressure rises,
• nausea appears,
• tormented by insomnia.

Breathing problems can cause choking, dizziness, numbness in the limbs, even fainting. This is where fear appears – ally of a panic attack. It may seem to a person that he is going crazy, he has an incurable disease and he is dying. Naturally, he starts scrolling through  all the options, and the anxiety snowballs. 

To prevent this from happening, it is important to stop the panic attack at the very beginning – at the stage of adrenaline rush, not allowing the snowball to turn into an avalanche that can cover your head.

What to do with panic attacks: 12 useful tips

So, it did happen! Don't hesitate, but don't rush either. Read these simple tips, and perhaps you will be able to extinguish the attack of this ailment.

1. Breathe. Breathe slowly into a paper bag (as American movie characters often do) or by placing your hands over your mouth to restore the rhythm of breathing.
2. Drink. But not intoxicating, but quite the opposite: in small sips of cold water (100-150 ml).
3. Wash. Cool water brings to the senses. Rinse your face as you visualize the causes of the panic attack being washed away. If you have a bottle of thermal water, use it.
4. Speak. With friends, relatives on the phone, with virtual interlocutors on the network, with a diary or with a random companion if trouble overtook you, for example, in the subway. Talk about something pleasant, exciting for you. If no one is around or you don't want to talk to strangers, talk to … yourself. Speak out loud (if you are at home) everything you do. Find for yourself, your loved one, words of encouragement, reassurance.
5. Distancing yourself. Realize that your emotions are short-lived and will soon evaporate. So let go of your thoughts and take the position of a passive observer.

Remember: Panic Attack – this is not a death match. So do not fight, do not argue with him, otherwise the level of adrenaline will increase, anxiety will increase. Mentally "step back" and watch from the side as his strength is depleted.

6. Sing. If you are not in a public place, sing a fun song, focusing on its content and mentally imagining a video sequence for words.
7. Take hands. Rub your palms until you feel warmth in them, remember an expander or a simple rubber ball, shake your hands.
8. Relax the body. Ideally – Lie down and turn on some soothing music. Imagine that you are a fluff that hovers over a flowering meadow that breathes peace.

9. Solve problems. It doesn’t matter what: remember a theorem, solve a crossword puzzle, create a new route to work, play a game downloaded to your phone, describe in a foreign language everything that you see in front of you… Main – switch the brain from a panic attack to a solution to some problem.
10. To stroke the fur of a cat, a dog, a hamster. Talk to your pet. If you have an aquarium at home – wonderful! Look at the smooth movements of the fish and tell them how beautiful they are, how lucky you are to have such silent friends.
11. Chew. For example, chewing gum. Well, if it is menthol.
12. Be the boss. When the fear begins to slowly go away, tell yourself: “I decide everything here, because I – main. I turned off the "adrenaline faucet," so, body, calm down! You are in my power. And I'm fine!».

Forewarned is forearmed. We hope that the advice of estet-portal.com will help you destroy the monster called a panic attack in the bud. However, a visit to the doctor will be very useful!