Take A Note Of These 11 Ways On How To Tackle Panic Attacks

Do you have sudden and intense surges of fear, anxiety, or panic? If you do then it is highly probable that you suffer from panic attacks. These attacks can be overwhelming and can have both physical and emotional symptoms.

Most people suffering from such an affliction have difficulty breathing, sweat profusely, tremble, and feel their hearts pounding.

Others might also experience chest pain and a feeling of detachment from reality while having such an attack thus making them feel as if they are having a heart attack. Some have even reported having a  feeling as if they are having a stroke.

Needless to say, these attacks can be quite scary and may hit quickly out of nowhere.

So the question is – How to stop a panic attack?

 

Following are 11 ways that might come in handy in stopping one or when you feel one coming on;

 

• Try deep breathing:

Hyperventilating is one of the most common symptoms of a panic attack and it increases fear. Deep breathing on the other hand can reduce these symptoms of panic during the attack.

Once you can control your breathing you are less likely to experience the hyperventilating that can make the symptoms of panic attacks much worse.

Here is what you should be doing – focus on taking in deep breaths in and out through your mouth. As you are doing so feel the air filling up your chest and belly and slowly leave them again.

When done properly deep breathing is regarded to be the best way to stop a panic attack.

• Recognize the fact that you are having a panic attack:

By acknowledging that you are having a panic attack and not a heart attack you can remind yourself that it is only temporary, that it will pass, and that everything is fine.

Take away both the symptoms of panic attacks – the fear of impending doom and the fear that you are about to die. This will provide you with the opportunity to focus on other techniques to reduce your symptoms.

• Shut your eyes:

There might be some triggers that can overwhelm you and lead to you having a panic attack. This is especially the case when you are in a fast-paced environment with a lot of stimuli that can feed your panic attack.

The best way to stop anxiety panic attacks under such situations would be to close your eyes while you are having a panic attack. This will allow you to block out any extra stimuli and help you to focus on your breathing.

• Give mindfulness a try:

Mindfulness has to be the best way to ground yourself in the reality of what is around you. And since panic attacks can lead to a feeling of detachment from reality, this can help you in combatting your panic attack as it is happening or approaching.

Try to close your eyes and focus on familiar physical sensations like feeling the texture of jeans on your hands or the passing of air through your nostrils and then going into your lungs. These sensations ground you in reality and give you something objective to focus on.

• Choose a focus object:

There are many people who find it helpful to focus all their attention on a single object in their attempt to stop panic attack while they are having one. The way to do this is to pick an object in clear sight and consciously note everything about it.

For example, you can focus on a single dot on the wall and describe its shape, color, and size to yourself. Try to focus all your energy on that tiny spot and your panic attack symptoms might subside.

• Apply muscle relaxation techniques:

Almost like deep breathing, muscle relaxation techniques can help you to stop a panic attack right in its tracks by controlling your body’s response to the maximum possible extent.

Take your time and consciously relax one muscle at a time, starting with let us say your fingers and moving up to your entire body. However, you need to remember that muscle relaxation techniques will be most effective if you have tried them before.

• Think of your happy place:

Think of the most relaxing place in the world according to you. Is it a cabin in a snow-filled mountain? Or a thick forest filled with the sound of leaves drifting with the wind?

Try to picture yourself there and focus on the details as much as possible. Imagine yourself walking amidst the long trees or digging your feet in the snow or having a cup of coffee by the window staring at the mountains.

Whatever the case, the place has to be a calm, quiet, and relaxing one and not anything like the streets of a busy city no matter how much you love that city in real life.

• Do light exercise:

Still wondering ‘’how to stop my panic attack?’’ Well, then it is time you started working out.

Exercise helps to pump blood in our body in exactly the right way. It also helps in flooding our body with endorphins which assists in improving our mood. Remember, that you are stressed, so wisely choose a light exercise that is gentle on the body like swimming or walking.

The only exception to this is when you are hyperventilating or finding it difficult to breathe. Then prioritize catching your breath first.

• Use lavender to soothe yourself:

Lavender is widely known to possess stress-relieving properties and helps your body to relax. If you have already figured out that you are prone to panic attacks then keep some lavender essential oil on hand and apply some on your forearm and breathe in the scent when you are having a panic attack.

If you are really in the mood to experiment then you can try drinking lavender or chamomile tea as both are known to be soothing and relaxing.

The main thing to remember here is that you should never combine lavender with benzodiazepines as it can lead to intense drowsiness.

• Come up with a mantra and repeat it internally:

Instead of tearing your hair out about what can you do to stop a panic attack, think of a positive mantra and repeat it in your mind. This can be relaxing and reassuring and will provide you with something to hold on to while you are having a panic attack.

This mantra can be anything simple like “this is only temporary’’ or something that speaks to you personally. The main thing is to repeat it on loop in your head until you start to feel the panic attack is subsiding.

• Consult a psychiatrist and take benzodiazepines:

This medication can help to relieve the symptoms of panic attacks if you take them as soon as you feel an attack coming on.

Although other approaches to treating panic attacks are deemed to be preferential, the field of psychiatry has acknowledged there will always be a handful of people who will not respond fully to the other approaches mentioned above and thus will be dependent on pharmacological treatment.

These approaches in most cases include the administration of benzodiazepines some of which carry approval for the treatment of this condition like alprazolam which is more commonly known as Xanax.

However, it is crucial to remember that this medication can be highly addictive and the body can adjust to it over time. They should only be used in cases where the symptoms are severe and the patient is in extreme discomfort.

Hopefully, the above approaches answer your question as to how to stop a panic attack. Remember, a panic attack is something temporary. It eventually subsides and if you follow the above-mentioned pointers you might just be able to get a grip on the symptoms that lead to such attacks.