I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression — the two tend to go hand-in-hand — when I was in fifth grade. It’s gotten easier to deal with over the years, although one thing can still knock me off my feet: panic attacks.
I wouldn’t say they’re as horrible as they’ve been before. I can tell when one is starting, and I know what to do to stop them most of the time. I’ve learned to recognize situations that have the highest chance of making me panic (crowds, claustrophic spaces and sometimes crowded restaurants). Living with anxiety is all about learning how to cope. Understanding the illness won’t happen overnight; even now, nine years after my diagnosis, I still struggle.
What Causes an Panic Attack?
While panic attacks can differ from person to person, Mayo Clinic defines a panic attack as “a sudden episod of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause.” Many times, although nothing is physically happening in the body, it can feel like you’re having a heart attack, you’re sick or you’re dying. My panic attacks make me feel as if I’m going to vomit. They are also linked to the fear of being unable to escape a dangerous situation.
The amygdala is a cluster of nuclei that is considered the brain’s center for emotions, motivation and emotional behavior. It is best known for its role in fear and aggression. Many animal studies have been done to lead to psychologists theories that panic attacks occur because of abnormal activity in the amygdala. Another theory, written about in Scientific American Dr. Paul Li of the University of California, Berkeley, is that panic attacks take place in the midbrain section of the brain, the periaqueductal gray, which regulates defense mechanisms like the fight or flight response. When defense mechanisms malfunction, the brain may perceive that there is danger when there truly isn’t.
While it’s interesting to theorize as to why the brain freaks out for no reason, it’s harder to understand what it’s like just from learning about the body parts that cause panic attacks. Experiencing a panic attack is very different from understanding why it happens.
Before I write about my experiences, I’d like to clarify that even if a panic attack that you have doesn’t match this word for word, it doesn’t mean it’s not a panic attack. Everyone’s bodies are unique, and, therefore, they react differently to panic attacks. As it was mentioned above, panic attacks can cause feelings of illness, heart attacks, dying or unwarranted fear of a situation. In addition, everyone can experience a panic attack; you don’t have to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder to experience one.
What Does an Panic Attack Feel Like?
Lately, I’ve been having a lot of panic attacks in my Strategic Communication class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I couldn’t tell you why, but I happened to have a random panic attack one day, and, naturally I began worrying about it happening again, which most likely led to it becoming a regular occurrence — anxiety is a very fun, cyclical disorder like that, after all.
When I start to have a panic attack, I begin to fidget. I play with my hair, I crack my knuckles, I tap my foot, whatever monotonous thing I can do to get my mind to drift away from the situation.
Time passes. I try to calm myself down.
I begin to feel very warm and very contained, like I’m in a claustrophobic environment. I begin to freak out now, and my stomach starts to hurt, and it feels like I’m going to be sick. I can almost feel the bile creeping up my throat. I hate being sick in that way, so I panic even more than I already was. My hands start to get clammy, and I begin to break out in a cold sweat. I take a lot of quick, shallow breaths, which sends my heart rate up, and I can feel my pulse beating rapidly.
More time passes. I’m just trying to stay calm enough to not have to leave the classroom.
I start to clear my throat, which I used to do constantly when I was first diagnosed with my anxiety disorder. It used to calm me down for some strange reason –the brain is weird, and I really don’t know why this was a comfort for me — but now it’s an old habit that comes back when I’m far into a panic attack.
It’s terrifying, and I know there’s absolutely nothing dangerous about a strategic communication class (except maybe the exams), but I can’t help it. It feels as if I’m on fire, as if everyone is looking at me and judging me for freaking out, as if something is weighing me down.
I have to choose what to do about it, whether to stay in class or to leave.
How Can a Panic Attack Be Stopped?
After growing up combating anxiety, as well as learning how to cope through a few years of therapy, I trust myself enough to know how to deal with panic attacks. I can’t beat them all yet, but I’m farther than where I’ve been in the past.
There are a ton of ways to stop a panic attack, and it takes time to discover which ones are right for you. The most basic one is deep breathing.
This is the first thing I was taught in my therapy sessions, and it was reiterated for years after. Even now, when I’m panicking about anything, my mom will tell me to take a few deeps breaths to clear my mind. The best way to deep breath is a slow breath in through your nose, hold it for a second or two and then slowly exhale through your mouth. Repeat this for a minute or two, and you’ll see an immediate change in your body. Your brain has an abundance of oxygen, and you can finally think clearly.
Sometimes you have to remove yourself from the situation, even if it’s just briefly. Most of my experience with panic attacks has been in restaurants, at schools and other common places for someone my age, so my experience has been escaping to the bathroom or to get a drink to take a moment for myself. Having a moment to collect my thoughts and take a break from the situation causing the panic attack is one of the best things I can do to help myself out. Of course, once I’m a bit calmer, I’m able to go back to class and continue working or taking notes.
Distracting yourself is another great way to stop a panic attack.
If you concentrate on your work, or on a random activity, or on anything else, your mind won’t be able to focus on any false senses of doom or illness. Even watching a meaningless gif like the one above can take your mind off of a panic attack.
Panic attacks can be debilitating, but, as the cliche saying goes, it gets better. Knowing what is happening and that other people experience the same symptoms that you feel, makes a big difference. Panic attacks are treatable; all it takes is a little understanding and time.
For more information:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8872.php
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-happens-in-the-brain-when-we-experience/