What is a panic attack?
A panic attack is a well-defined period of intense fear or discomfort in which at least four (or more) of the following symptoms develop suddenly and reach their maximum intensity within ten minutes.
These symptoms include a pounding, rapid heartbeat, sweating, shaking or trembling, a feeling of suffocation or shortness of breath, chest pain or discomfort, feeling sad, unsteady, fainting, a sense of losing reality or a feeling of being separated from your body, and fear of going mad or losing control. It is a helpless, desperate feeling, but it has a definite beginning and end, well defined in time.
It is important to distinguish panic attacks from a panic disorder. While a panic attack may occur once, after which the person does not attach any importance to it, panic disorder is characterised by recurrent panic attacks, in which the person is intensely anxious about new attacks and fears their consequences, and changes his or her behaviour significantly. If a panic attack occurs, it is worth seeking a psychologist’s help; if it persists, it is very important to consult a clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist.
A panic attack is the result of a disastorous misinterpretation of certain bodily sensations. This bodily sensation is usually the result of a natural process, e.g. if you are in a hurry, your heart rate goes up, you find it harder to breathe or if you drink a strong cup of coffee, your heart may beat faster. If we misinterpret our body's signals and trigger a catastrophic misjudgement, we typically judge events much more seriously than it would be realistic, even though we only feel a slightly different physical sensation than usual. A natural bodily reaction develops into catastrophising thinking, which intensifies unpleasant bodily reactions, e.g. our heart beats faster, we find it even harder to breathe and as a result, we think that we are in a state of emergency.
In an emergency, three instinctive survival strategies can happen: either to go into battle, to 'fight', to 'flight' or to 'freeze'. In the first case, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, which leads to increased blood pressure, in the second case, blood pressure decreases, the heart slows down and faints. When we fear that our increased cardiac activity will soon lead to fainting, it is a wrong conclusion, because fainting, as a sign of increased parasympathetic activity, occurs on the contrary, with a reduced heart rate and blood pressure. So this proves that our fears are not realistic.
How can we get back to a calm, balanced state as soon as possible?
Here are ten techniques that can help you in case of a panic attack:
1. Take long, deep breaths, and start to count from one to four. Then exhale slowly, also counting to four. Take a short break, then repeat the exercise until you feel the calming effect.
2. If you have perfume at hand, smell its subtle scent. If you're in a place where this is not possible, try to smell your shirt, or maybe your hair.
3. Sit down and touch the chair/table/bed. Focus on how it feels to touch and try to describe the feeling.
4. Listen to music. Listen to the lyrics, the melody, and the instruments the band is playing.
5. Drink a glass of water. Feel the taste of the water, the temperature of the water, and feel the way it flows down your throat, slowly and gently.
6. Recall a pleasant memory. What happened then? Who were the participants? Which year and season was it? What did you feel at the time?
7. Look around and try to find green (or any other) coloured objects around you and count how many there are.
8. Observe an object: describe its shape, colour and material. Touch it. How does it feel to the touch?
9. If you have a chance, take a shower. Feel the water as it touches your body. Try to describe the feeling. What temperature feels the best at the moment? Use a delicately scented shower gel or soap and smell it. How does it feel as you rub it on your body?
10. Do 15 sit-ups or push-ups, run in place. Feel what it feels like to be in your body, what it feels like to exert force.
