Ready, Set, Panic! How to Deal with Panic Attacks
Words by Katherine Castillo Eustaquio
Published in Total Fitness Magazine November 2010 Issue
Panic attacks are your body’s SOS techniques, emergency flares, and warning signs to tell you that it can’t cope with the present situation. They can last for just a few seconds or can extend up to an hour. Panic attacks happen when adrenalin is released into the blood stream without the presence of any threat and therefore, the body can’t use it for the “fight or flight response.”
During these moments, you will experience chest pains, nausea, fainting, breathlessness, hot or cold flushes, and even tunnel vision. You may feel that you are at your weakest and at the verge of death when, ironically, your body is really at its strongest due to the presence of adrenaline in huge amounts.
Once it subsides, your immediate response may not be a relief. Rather, you fear that it might happen again so you will develop a defensive state of mind that will prevent future attacks. Eventually, defensiveness can turn into a potent terror that can affect your daily life.
3 Kinds of Panic Attacks
1. Spontaneous – unpredictable and are not related to any stressor that can trigger it. While they vary in intensity, the fear of suffering from another attack discourages the sufferer from going to public places.
2. Specific – usually happens in the presence of something the sufferer is fearful of (e.g., dogs, spiders, heights) and is prone to agoraphobia, the fear of being in a place or situation where panic attacks might strike and where getting away is tricky. Sufferers may become agoraphobic as a defense mechanism to the exposure of phobic catalysts.
3. Situational – this is most common with agoraphobics and claustrophobics. This kind of panic attack usually happens in enclosed places like elevators, planes, and buses.
What to do when you’re experiencing panic attacks:
• Slow breathing. Breathing into a paper bag has been used to increase CO2 levels in the bloodstreams. However, several studies have shown a link between panic attacks and high CO2 levels. Moreover, it inhibits the intake of fresh air into the lungs. So instead, try breathing slowly through the mouth.
• Distract yourself. Listen to music, focus on one object, or close your eyes and count to ten until you feel calmer.
• Remember what you’ve learned: That your body is actually at its strongest phase because of the adrenaline and that the sensation of an impending doom is unreal.
The downward slope of panic attacks vary from person to person but preventive measures can be made to hinder the onset of this condition at an early age. Here are a few:
How to Avoid Panic Attacks
• Squeeze in exercise, relaxation, and downtime in your daily routine. Perfectionists are said to be more prone to panic attacks because of their critical nature. So loosen up and don’t lose your head.
• Get sufficient amount of Vitamin B to ease anxiety. Go for the whole grains, fresh green veggies, fish, and animal products.
• Cut back on alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. While some people can tolerate them without the jitters, cutting back will help you avoid other ailments.
• Yoga breathing is not limited to yoga classes; in fact, you can do it every day. Practice slow breathing using your abdominals, retain your breath longer, and take your time exhaling to help slow down the pace at which you’re functioning.
• Seek medical help or support group if you can’t handle the anxiety on your own or find a suitable relaxation technique.
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Published in Total Fitness Magazine November 2010 Issue
Panic attacks are your body’s SOS techniques, emergency flares, and warning signs to tell you that it can’t cope with the present situation. They can last for just a few seconds or can extend up to an hour. Panic attacks happen when adrenalin is released into the blood stream without the presence of any threat and therefore, the body can’t use it for the “fight or flight response.”
During these moments, you will experience chest pains, nausea, fainting, breathlessness, hot or cold flushes, and even tunnel vision. You may feel that you are at your weakest and at the verge of death when, ironically, your body is really at its strongest due to the presence of adrenaline in huge amounts.
Once it subsides, your immediate response may not be a relief. Rather, you fear that it might happen again so you will develop a defensive state of mind that will prevent future attacks. Eventually, defensiveness can turn into a potent terror that can affect your daily life.
3 Kinds of Panic Attacks
1. Spontaneous – unpredictable and are not related to any stressor that can trigger it. While they vary in intensity, the fear of suffering from another attack discourages the sufferer from going to public places.
2. Specific – usually happens in the presence of something the sufferer is fearful of (e.g., dogs, spiders, heights) and is prone to agoraphobia, the fear of being in a place or situation where panic attacks might strike and where getting away is tricky. Sufferers may become agoraphobic as a defense mechanism to the exposure of phobic catalysts.
3. Situational – this is most common with agoraphobics and claustrophobics. This kind of panic attack usually happens in enclosed places like elevators, planes, and buses.
What to do when you’re experiencing panic attacks:
• Slow breathing. Breathing into a paper bag has been used to increase CO2 levels in the bloodstreams. However, several studies have shown a link between panic attacks and high CO2 levels. Moreover, it inhibits the intake of fresh air into the lungs. So instead, try breathing slowly through the mouth.
• Distract yourself. Listen to music, focus on one object, or close your eyes and count to ten until you feel calmer.
• Remember what you’ve learned: That your body is actually at its strongest phase because of the adrenaline and that the sensation of an impending doom is unreal.
The downward slope of panic attacks vary from person to person but preventive measures can be made to hinder the onset of this condition at an early age. Here are a few:
How to Avoid Panic Attacks
• Squeeze in exercise, relaxation, and downtime in your daily routine. Perfectionists are said to be more prone to panic attacks because of their critical nature. So loosen up and don’t lose your head.
• Get sufficient amount of Vitamin B to ease anxiety. Go for the whole grains, fresh green veggies, fish, and animal products.
• Cut back on alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. While some people can tolerate them without the jitters, cutting back will help you avoid other ailments.
• Yoga breathing is not limited to yoga classes; in fact, you can do it every day. Practice slow breathing using your abdominals, retain your breath longer, and take your time exhaling to help slow down the pace at which you’re functioning.
• Seek medical help or support group if you can’t handle the anxiety on your own or find a suitable relaxation technique.
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