I suddenly, for no obvious reason, my heart starts pounding. I feel dizzy, I sweat and shake, and I'm terrified that I will collapse, die, or completely lose control.
Panic attacks are among the most frightening symptoms of stress and are experienced by approximately one in ten adults. If you have never had a panic attack, it is difficult to understand what the sufferer goes through. Imagine that you are sitting on a train on your way to visit a friend, when you notice a masked man enter your carriage waving a machine gun. Quite naturally you panic - your heart begins to race, you break out in a sweat, shake, and you try to work out how you can escape. Now imagine experiencing the same feelings of terror, in the same railway carriage, but for no apparent reason. There is nothing there - just other travellers quietly talking and reading their newspapers. As you try desperately to make sense of what is happening, your mind leaps to wild conclusions and you probably think, "I'm going mad... I'm having a heart attack... I'm going to make a fool of myself... I'm losing control, I'm going to die".
Everybody has experienced these frightening symptoms, as the body's so-called "fight or flight" response. Imagine the physical feelings associated with a near miss in a car accident. Your body automatically goes into a state of high arousal as it prepares to cope with danger. This immediate, physical response can be traced back thousands of years to a prehistoric ancestors who had to fight or n away from wild animals in order to survive In the face of danger, adrenalin is released making the heart pump faster to increase t blood supply to the muscles in the limbs, breathing speeds up to take in more oxygen and sweating cools the body. This same ref reaction lies at the heart of panic attacks. The difference is that, although it has exac the same physical effects, it now occurs in situations where there is no obvious danger We must constantly remind ourselves that a panic attack, which might occur in a supermarket, or in a meeting at work, has its roots in this life-saving response. A panic attack will not harm you. You will not fain go mad, or have a heart attack.
A panic attack may appear to come "out of blue", but you will usually find that the m, trigger is an overload of stresses, worries, a life events that reverberates between your onscious and unconscious mind. This build up of internal stresses, combined with being in a situation where you may feel slightly trapped or threatened, is often enough to cause
unpleasant physical sensations. Your first natural reaction is to misinterpret these symptoms, thinking that something is seriously wrong or is about to happen to you, such as having a heart attack, dying, or going mad. A second natural reaction is to want to escape or run away.
The three factors - physical symptoms, worrying thoughts, and avoidance behaviour feed off and perpetuate each other to create
a downward spiral of panic. Once you have had one panic attack you are always looking for signs of another - you become over vigilant, sensitized to minor bodily symptoms that you would have previously ignored.
If you start to misinterpret what is happening, you become more anxious, you have irrational thoughts, and you start to panic. Remember that, although they are unpleasant and frightening, panic attacks are harmless.
If you start to avoid certain situations for fear of having an attack, you risk progressively losing your mobility. In your mind, the fear of an attack grows, whereas if you can understand and confront your fear, you will realize that you are able to cope with and conquer it.
You are most likely to suffer a panic attack when you are feeling tired or run down, and consequently less well equipped to cope with the stresses of daily life. If you find that stress tends to affect your breathing and circulation, you may be more prone to panic attacks than others for whom stress causes muscular or digestive problems. Many people find that their predisposition to attacks is inherited.
BE RATIONAL
Remember that feelings of panic are normal, physical reactions that are
exaggerated. They are harmless nothing worse will happen.
STAY WITH THE
PRESENT
Notice what is happening in your body. Slow yourself right down and focus on
the word "calm" - but keep going. Relax your muscles and drop your shoulders
back so you can breathe deeply.
ONLY NOW
MATTERS
Don't think about what might happen.
ACCEPT THE
FEELINGS
The attack will be over quickly.
MEASURE YOUR
ANXIETY
Grade your anxiety from 10 (high) to 1 (low). Watch your level go down.
STAY IN THE
SITUATION
If you run away or avoid the situation will be more difficult next time.
TAKE SLOW
DEEP BREATHS
Concentrate on breathing out.
DISTRACT
YOURSELF
Study your surroundings in great detail.
TALK TO
SOMEBODY
Tell a close friend what you are feeling.
CONCENTRATE
As the feelings gradually subside, think again about what you were doing
before the onset of the attack.