Quite often, many of us are covered by such moments when it becomes scary for an inexplicable reason, there is a panic, a feeling of anxiety. This condition can have a different duration: someone passes in a few minutes, and someone does not let go for several hours. This is nothing but a panic attack. What to do in such a situation, we will understand in our article.
Panic attack concept
If you listen to the explanation of the doctors, then such attacks are a response of the body to stress, to aggressive manifestations of the external environment. Such attacks are most often carried out by people who have a weak nervous system. They are very keen on all the negative. For some time, they still manage to restrain themselves, but there comes a time when it is simply impossible to hide from a panic attack. Moreover, according to doctors, anything can become a trigger mechanism.
Quite often, such attacks begin, it would seem, for no apparent reason. In this they resemble vegetovascular dystonia. Let's understand how a panic attack manifests itself , what to do at the time of the attack?
Manifestations of a panic attack
In order to assert with 100% certainty that a person is suffering from panic attacks, several factors are necessary. When an attack begins, the following symptoms can be observed:
- The heart begins to beat harder.
- The pulse quickens.
- Sweating appears.
- There is a feeling that there is not enough air.
- Inside, a feeling of incomprehensible anxiety and fear.
- Trembling limbs.
- Chills appear.
- There may be pain in the chest.
- Some are afraid of death.
- Nausea and dizziness appear.
- Fainting may even occur.
- It feels like you're going crazy.
- There may be numbness in the arms and legs.
- The body runs through heat, then cold.
- Some have a stomach ache at this time.
- Visual or hearing impairment occurs.
- Cramps.
- The gait is broken.
If a person manifests several of these symptoms at once during an attack, then it can be argued that he has panic attacks. The question arises: for what reason do they appear?
Causes of Panic Attacks
Modern medicine still cannot sometimes explain the manifestations of the human psyche. Our brain is still a mystery in many of its manifestations. To know how to deal with panic attacks, you need to find out their cause. There are several of them:
- Quite often, a person is in constant tension from an inability to solve a problem. She gnaws and pursues him, there is a panic that it is impossible to solve it - and now one step to a panic attack.
- If there is some kind of not very pleasant event that frightens a person, and if once the body has experienced fear, then such a reaction is remembered and reproduced in a convenient case.
- Unwillingness to run into someone or something can also end in a panic attack.
Often it’s enough to understand what discomforts you and worries you, try to neutralize this factor, and panic attacks cease to arise.
First aid during a panic attack
If you are often visited by such situations, then you should know what to do in a panic attack. We must learn to deal with it. Here's what you can do right away:
- If you feel a lack of air, then take any bag and take a few exhalations and breaths into it. Try to do it calmly.
- A smile through strength can also improve the situation.
- Try to concentrate only on your breath, count, inhale longer or exhale.
- Try not to focus on your feelings, look at the objects around you, start counting stairs or cars passing by.
- If you are in a room surrounded by people, situations that provoked panic, then get up and just leave.
- Talk with your doctor, maybe you should take a course of sedatives.
- You can visit a psychologist who will teach you what to do in a panic attack.
- You must try to convince yourself that in such situations they do not die.
- Find a lesson for yourself that will distract from negative thoughts and help relax the nervous system.
Ways to get rid of panic attacks
Many believe that if they began to attend strong panic attacks, what to do, they do not understand, then they have a direct way to the psychotherapist’s office. But there are several psychological techniques that will help, if not completely get rid of this problem, then significantly reduce it. They can be used not only at the time of the attack, but also in advance, if, for example, you know that you always have fear in the elevator and panic begins.
Let's take a closer look at what these techniques are that will help you put your nerves in order.
First Aid - Relaxation
Our emotions directly affect our physiological state. If fear appears, then it immediately fetters our muscles, they seem to be paralyzed by them. If you already anticipate the onset of a panic attack, then you need to reduce muscle tension, which will reduce the likelihood of a panic attack. You just need to relax them, but not everyone can afford such a skill; you need to learn this. Many of us, oddly enough, do not even notice that their muscles are in constant tension.
You can learn special relaxation techniques, yoga, autotraining are good help in this.
All these techniques require preliminary training, they must be practiced regularly if you often succumb to panic and fear. Only then, at the right time, will you be able to cope with the situation.
Proper breathing in the fight against panic
At rest and in a balanced state of the nervous system, a person’s breathing is even and shallow. With the onset of panic, it either becomes intermittent and quickened, or it may even freeze. At this point, a large amount of blood flows with muscle fibers with oxygen and nutrients, as if preparing them for an attack or flight.
But often rapid breathing provokes weakness in the body, noise or ringing in the ears, dizziness, and these symptoms themselves can provoke a panic attack. If you control your breathing, then such consequences can be avoided. If you are in a panic, you must:
- Get more air into your lungs.
- Try not to breathe with your chest, but with your stomach.
- Inhale through the nose, and exhale through the mouth.
- Inhale into four counts and exhale into 6.
- So repeat until breathing is completely normal.
It will be difficult for the first time without a special training, but over time the training will give its results, and it will become easier to cope with your lost breath.
Distraction as a way to get rid of a panic attack
If panic occurs, then the person begins to listen to his condition, and this further exacerbates the situation. He controls his breathing, it seems to him that he is suffocating, that his heart is beating wrong. Experiences about your condition only make the attack even more pronounced, and a vicious circle is formed.
To prevent this, we must try to shift our attention to the outside world from our sensations. You can simply consider the surrounding objects or try to describe in detail what you see. This will help to distract from yourself and gradually the panic will recede. This applies to absolutely any place and time of the onset of a panic attack.
Panic in an airplane
There are quite a few people who are not so afraid of anything as flying on an airplane. Of course, if you can instead take the train or bus, it’s good, but if you can’t avoid the flight, what should you do then? The first thing you can advise is to prepare for the flight:
- Do not look in front of the road terrifying reports of disasters and accidents.
- Bring along something like a talisman, thing or item that you think brings you good luck.
- Have a good meal in front of the road.
- You can talk with a flight attendant before take-off, she will help you overcome fear.
- Think only of the good.
- For distraction, you can bring a book or player with you to listen to music.
But what to do with a panic attack if all the measures have not helped?
- Controlling your breathing can help a lot. We have already spoken about this.
- In advance, write down the melodies for relaxation on the player or phone, at the time of a panic, they will be most welcome.
- A panic attack in an airplane has overtaken - what should I do? Freeriting technique will help. To do this, stock up on a pen and notebook and write down all your thoughts. It helps calm down.
If you think through everything in advance, then you can avoid panic or survive it with less loss for your nervous system.
Panic attacks during pregnancy
What to do in such situations and how to cope, future mothers do not always know. If, even before the interesting situation, the woman was subjected to panic attacks, then during pregnancy it happens that they do not bother her, since the head is completely occupied with something else - thoughts about the future baby.
But everyone knows that the state of pregnancy of many women makes it even more alarming, which means there is a risk that panic attacks will become frequent guests.
Doctors advise future mothers to pre-visit a psychologist or psychotherapist in order to prepare in advance for such situations and know how to behave. We must not forget about the ways that will help to cope with the situation:
- Breathing exercises.
- Relaxation.
- Distraction from their feelings.
During childbearing, it is undesirable to take medications, therefore it is better to refrain from taking tranquilizers, especially without the recommendation of a doctor.
From the information it becomes clear that all categories of people, regardless of gender and social status, can be subjected to bouts of anxiety and fear. What to do during a panic attack, we examined above, the proposed techniques and methods are suitable for absolutely everyone, not just pregnant women. If the future mother in this difficult period for her will be surrounded by caring and loving people, then there will be much less reasons for panic attacks.
How to prevent a panic?
Since the causes and mechanism of panic attacks have not yet been fully clarified, there are no specific recommendations for their prevention, although doctors may advise the following:
- Lead an active lifestyle: it has already been proven that a lack of endorphins, which are produced at the same time, is a common cause of an attack.
- Try to keep calm under any circumstances, learn relaxation techniques, learn to control yourself and cope with emotions.
- Strong tea or coffee can lead to heart palpitations, so it is better to reduce their consumption.
- Exclude alcohol from your life, its intake can provoke completely unexpected reactions of the body, including fear.
If you do not help any methods to deal with panic, then it is better to visit a specialist in order not to aggravate the situation even more.
Of course, in our time it is difficult to remain calm and balanced, but each of us should strive for this, then you will not have to think about what to do in a panic attack, you will not give a chance to overcome you with fear and anxiety. Be healthy and protect yourself from all hardships.