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assisting in the realization of civil and social rights
How to cope with anxiety and panic attacks?
22.05.2024
How does anxiety differ from panic attacks?
Panic attacks (PA) are essentially bouts of fear, they occur abruptly, and during a PA, it is extremely difficult for a person to engage in their usual activities. Anxiety, on the other hand, can accompany a person for a long time and be background. But this does not mean that anxiety does not reduce the quality of life.
A panic attack usually lasts from 5 to 30 minutes, sometimes its duration can reach an hour, and in some cases even a day. Anxiety, on the other hand, is a prolonged state characterized by anxiety, feelings of fear (both regarding specific situations and without reason), crying, irritability, general weakness, physical discomfort, sleep disturbances, etc.
Panic attacks can be part of general anxiety and occur against its background, but not always. In any case, both anxiety and panic attacks are grounds for visiting a psychotherapist, making a diagnosis, and receiving treatment.
Symptoms of a panic attack
1. Rapid heartbeat;
2. Rapid breathing, tightness in the throat, feeling of lack of air, which makes you take deeper breaths.
3. Tremor of the limbs and/or even trembling throughout the body.
4. Feeling of "lightness" in the head, dizziness, feeling as if you are about to lose consciousness.
5. Numbness or tingling in the limbs.
6. Feeling of heat (sometimes cold), increased sweating.
7. Derealization (feeling as if the world is unreal and you are looking at it as if "through a screen") and/or depersonalization (feeling as if you have no thoughts in your head, no personality, feeling that you are living "on autopilot").
8. Discomfort in the chest, heart pain.
9. Discomfort in the abdominal area, nausea.
10. Very strong fears, such as going crazy or dying.
According to international standards, at least 4 symptoms must be observed to establish a panic attack. This is a list of the main symptoms, although there may be even more of them. Panic attacks can manifest themselves differently in each person. However, despite the fact that someone's panic attack may look "more serious" (for example, someone is suffocating during a panic attack, but you are not), this is not a reason to devalue your condition.
What to do if you experience panic attacks or anxiety?
The main thing is not to ignore the symptoms and not to wait for the condition to get worse. Seek help from a psychotherapist in time, who will determine the course of your treatment: offer you therapy sessions and/or prescribe medication. In addition, you can try to cope with severe attacks on your own.
Self-help techniques for panic attacks
The main goal of all self-help techniques during a panic attack is to shift the attention of your brain from fear to the surrounding reality, to change the focus to some action, object, sensation.
1. Grounding technique.
Look around the place where you are and find 5 blue objects (or any other color), 4 objects with an unusual texture that you will enjoy touching, 3 objects that you can taste, 2 objects that you can smell, and 1 object that makes sounds. If possible, interact with these objects (touch, taste, smell, listen).
These steps can be combined and changed as you wish. For example, you can add hot and cold objects, look for objects of a certain shape or size only, etc.
2. Breathing «in a square» 4-4-4.
Inhale for 4 seconds, then hold your breath for 4 seconds, and then exhale for 4 seconds. Focus on your breathing, count the seconds to yourself. Repeat as many times as you see fit.
3. Shifting attention. Focus on some monotonous actions. For example, you can color anti-stress coloring books or just wash the dishes.
4. Take a cube of ice in your hands or hold your hands under hot water. This will help shift your thoughts from anxiety to physical sensations.
5. Try alternately tensing and relaxing different parts of your body: toes, hands, shoulders, etc. You can also do some simple physical exercises: rise and lower onto your toes, squat, bend over. This will help you switch from anxiety to bodily sensations.
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