How to Stop & Prevent a Panic Attack
I have written about what a panic attack is in a previous post but basically it occurs when an emergency or alert message is being sent to the
adrenal glands. In short, it is an adrenaline reaction.
Adrenaline causes the heart to pump extra blood which moves into
your major muscles to increase your ability to run and to increase the strength
in your arms. Extra blood also goes to your brain, heightening your abilities
to respond to the ‘emergency’.
So, to try and stop a panic attack we are trying to stop
this adrenaline reaction.
Stopping a Panic Attack
1.
Recognise That You Are Having a Panic Attack.
-A lot of the time when someone is having a panic attack they are convinced that they are dying or having a heart attack and this increases the sense of panic even further. That is why it is so important to recognise that what you are experiencing is panic and remind yourself that you are not dying and that panic attacks are not harmful.
-Tell yourself that you are safe, that nothing bad is going to happen to you and that the symptoms and feeling of panic won’t last forever.
-A lot of the time when someone is having a panic attack they are convinced that they are dying or having a heart attack and this increases the sense of panic even further. That is why it is so important to recognise that what you are experiencing is panic and remind yourself that you are not dying and that panic attacks are not harmful.
-Tell yourself that you are safe, that nothing bad is going to happen to you and that the symptoms and feeling of panic won’t last forever.
2.
Muscle Relaxation.
-When you panic your muscles tense up and so when you begin to panic or have a panic attack you should try to relax your muscles as much as possible by tensing your muscles and then releasing (or relaxing) them.
-When you panic your muscles tense up and so when you begin to panic or have a panic attack you should try to relax your muscles as much as possible by tensing your muscles and then releasing (or relaxing) them.
3.
Controlled Breathing.
During a panic attack your breathing quickens so that oxygen is pumped more quickly around the body. You may even hyperventilate.
-Breathing too quickly or irregularly can lead to other symptoms of panic like dizziness and tingling. Therefore, if you can control your breathing during a panic attack then these symptoms can also be targeted. It takes three minutes for your adrenal glands to fill your body with the adrenaline response and so if you can breathe slowly (or in a controlled manner) for three minutes, the adrenaline reaction should stop and these emergency messages should no longer be being sent.
-This is difficult because your body is telling you that you need more air when in fact you need less and so you need to actively fight your body and tell yourself to breathe slowly.
-Try not to breathe too deeply or in a shallow way, from your chest.
-Breathe in from your nose and out through your mouth. Note that this technique works best during the early stages of panic.
During a panic attack your breathing quickens so that oxygen is pumped more quickly around the body. You may even hyperventilate.
-Breathing too quickly or irregularly can lead to other symptoms of panic like dizziness and tingling. Therefore, if you can control your breathing during a panic attack then these symptoms can also be targeted. It takes three minutes for your adrenal glands to fill your body with the adrenaline response and so if you can breathe slowly (or in a controlled manner) for three minutes, the adrenaline reaction should stop and these emergency messages should no longer be being sent.
-This is difficult because your body is telling you that you need more air when in fact you need less and so you need to actively fight your body and tell yourself to breathe slowly.
-Try not to breathe too deeply or in a shallow way, from your chest.
-Breathe in from your nose and out through your mouth. Note that this technique works best during the early stages of panic.
4.
Distract Yourself.
-There are many different ways in which you can do this:
1. List the months of the year backwards.
2. Name as many names as you can that begin with the letter ‘B’.
3. Reflect on your favourite memory and try to remember as many details as possible.
4. Sing a song.
5. Try doing sums in your head.
-Note that when distraction works, this proves that nothing awful was ever going to happen to you.
-There are many different ways in which you can do this:
1. List the months of the year backwards.
2. Name as many names as you can that begin with the letter ‘B’.
3. Reflect on your favourite memory and try to remember as many details as possible.
4. Sing a song.
5. Try doing sums in your head.
-Note that when distraction works, this proves that nothing awful was ever going to happen to you.
5.
Challenge Your Thoughts.
-Sometimes it is better to question your anxious thoughts, rather than distract yourself from them.
-Ask yourself, what is the worst thing that could happen? Then ask yourself how many times have you had these thoughts and has your worst fear ever happened?
-If you think that you are having a heart attack or dying and you have had a panic attack before, ask yourself why this time is any different? Remind yourself that you felt like this before and you survived and you were not harmed.
-Sometimes it is better to question your anxious thoughts, rather than distract yourself from them.
-Ask yourself, what is the worst thing that could happen? Then ask yourself how many times have you had these thoughts and has your worst fear ever happened?
-If you think that you are having a heart attack or dying and you have had a panic attack before, ask yourself why this time is any different? Remind yourself that you felt like this before and you survived and you were not harmed.
Preventing a Panic Attack
1.
Educate and Understand.
One aim of treatment for panic is to reduce the belief that something awful is going to happen. You may have already noticed that your panic attacks have started to reduce because you have begun to understand what they are and what is happening when you are having a panic attack. Recognising that you are not dying and that panic attacks are not harmful is extremely helpful when trying to prevent future panic attacks.
One aim of treatment for panic is to reduce the belief that something awful is going to happen. You may have already noticed that your panic attacks have started to reduce because you have begun to understand what they are and what is happening when you are having a panic attack. Recognising that you are not dying and that panic attacks are not harmful is extremely helpful when trying to prevent future panic attacks.
2.
Exposure – Don’t Avoid!
-If you had a panic attack in a shop you may associate the attack with shopping and so you may think that you can avoid having a panic attack by never going into a shop again. However, it is important that you continue to enter the environment to show that you are capable of going to the shop without having a panic attack. The more you avoid the situation the more you will attribute the panic attack to the shop and the more panic you will experience when you do go to a shop. It is very important to expose yourself to the situation in which you had the panic attack as soon as possible.
-If you had a panic attack in a shop you may associate the attack with shopping and so you may think that you can avoid having a panic attack by never going into a shop again. However, it is important that you continue to enter the environment to show that you are capable of going to the shop without having a panic attack. The more you avoid the situation the more you will attribute the panic attack to the shop and the more panic you will experience when you do go to a shop. It is very important to expose yourself to the situation in which you had the panic attack as soon as possible.
3.
Remove Safety Behaviours
-Similarly, if you use safety behaviours such as lying down when you have a panic attack because you think it will prevent a heart attack, then you will think that the reason you didn’t have a heart attack is because of this behaviour, when in reality you wouldn’t have had a heart attack anyway.
-If you don’t start to remove safety behaviours your panic will only increase as you will become more convinced that your panic can harm you.
-So, if you usually lie down try running up and down the stairs instead to prove to yourself that you won’t have a heart attack even if you don’t lie down.
-Similarly, if you use safety behaviours such as lying down when you have a panic attack because you think it will prevent a heart attack, then you will think that the reason you didn’t have a heart attack is because of this behaviour, when in reality you wouldn’t have had a heart attack anyway.
-If you don’t start to remove safety behaviours your panic will only increase as you will become more convinced that your panic can harm you.
-So, if you usually lie down try running up and down the stairs instead to prove to yourself that you won’t have a heart attack even if you don’t lie down.
4.
Relaxation.
-To avoid a build-up of panic try to set aside time every day to dedicate to guided relaxation. This could be yoga, relaxation CD’s, meditation, muscle relaxation.
-When you are lying in bed before you go to sleep try to go through each of your muscles, tense and then relax them.
-Don’t expect to see results after one session and if this particular technique doesn’t work for you please don’t give up hope! Panic attacks are completely treatable!
-To avoid a build-up of panic try to set aside time every day to dedicate to guided relaxation. This could be yoga, relaxation CD’s, meditation, muscle relaxation.
-When you are lying in bed before you go to sleep try to go through each of your muscles, tense and then relax them.
-Don’t expect to see results after one session and if this particular technique doesn’t work for you please don’t give up hope! Panic attacks are completely treatable!
5.
Reflect
-Think back to a previous panic attack experience, challenge
your thoughts and replace them with more realistic thoughts
-For example:
1. Instead of ‘I am having a heart attack’ a more realistic thought may be ‘I have had this feeling before but I didn’t have a heart attack’
2. Instead of ‘I am going mad’ a more realistic thought may be ‘I am experiencing panic. That is not the same as “going mad”.’
-For example:
1. Instead of ‘I am having a heart attack’ a more realistic thought may be ‘I have had this feeling before but I didn’t have a heart attack’
2. Instead of ‘I am going mad’ a more realistic thought may be ‘I am experiencing panic. That is not the same as “going mad”.’
6.
Talk
-Discuss any worries that you have. Talk about them, don’t ignore them or else the will only build up and may result in a future panic attack.
-Discuss any worries that you have. Talk about them, don’t ignore them or else the will only build up and may result in a future panic attack.
Remember
1.
These techniques are to help reduce the symptoms
of panic. They are not preventing something terrible or harmful happening
because nothing terrible or harmful is going to happen, regardless of whether
you use these techniques.
2.
Panic attacks are not harmful (even though they
are terrifying and exhausting.)
3.
Everyone is different. Not everyone finds the
same techniques helpful, if these don’t work for you that doesn’t mean that
nothing can help you. Try to focus on finding a technique that works best for
you, even if no one else has ever thought of it and even if it doesn’t work for
anyone else, it doesn’t matter. Do what works for you.
4. Don’t expect a miraculous result straight away but panic attacks are treatable.
"You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.”
-Dan Millman
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Wow this is such an amazing post. Everything you have said is such helpful advice I really hope it helps a lot of people! I agree with the exposure, I used to have them a lot in clubs and I when I would think beforehand "I've had one here before I might have one again" I was more likely to. But I've persevered and gone to the same clubs and they have reduced so much! Wonderful post lovely! Clare xxx | clayaa.com
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your lovely comment! I'm so glad that you found it helpful and to hear of your improvement. Have a lovely day and keep moving forward. xxx
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