A panic attack is a sudden attack of intense fear that causes serious physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause. Panic attacks can be very frightening. When they happen, a person feels like they are losing control, going crazy or might die. Outwardly, it often looks like a heart attack.
Panic attacks usually start suddenly, without warning. They can come at any time - while driving a car, in a shopping mall, while sleeping or in a business meeting. Panic attacks have many variations, but symptoms usually peak within a few minutes.
Panic attacks usually have some of these signs or symptoms:
- a sense of death or impending danger
- fear of loss of control or fear of death
- a sense of unreality or alienation
- fast, rapid heart rate
- shivering, chills, trembling limbs
- sweating
- shortness of breath or lump in the throat
- fever
- nausea
- abdominal cramps
- chest pain
- headache
- dizziness, dizziness, weakness
- numbness or tingling
What to do if you have a panic attack?
A panic attack can happen suddenly and happen to a person at the workplace, in public transport, etc.
To overcome a panic attack, doctors advise an exercise "Breathing on 5":
- take a breath on the count of 5;
- hold your breath for 5 seconds;
- exhale to the count of 5;
- repeat 5-8 times.
The next exercise, which can help a person calm down - breathe in a paper bag. If you already know that you may have a panic attack, it makes sense to carry it with you.
You may have seen it done while watching American movies. The idea is that during a panic attack, our body becomes oversaturated with oxygen and breathing into a bag can help reduce the oxygen concentration and calm the symptoms of the attack.
Also useful equipment "Here and now".
These are techniques that help a person in a state of strong but unreasonable anxiety to return to reality.
For example:
- touch three objects, feel their shape, texture and temperature;
- look at 5 random objects and think about each one separately;