8 Tips for Coping with Panic Attacks

Many individuals experience anxiety-induced panic attacks. Panic attacks are unexpected, sudden episodes of intense fear or terror. Individuals who experience reoccurring panic attacks may have Panic Disorder, a DSM anxiety disorder that affects around 6 million adults in the United States. Panic attacks happen quickly and reach their peak within minutes. They can occur spontaneously, or they can be triggered by a situation or feared object. Due to the nature of panic attacks, experiencing one may lead to a fear of future attacks, increasing the individual’s anxiety and causing the individual to avoid situations or locations in which an attack occurred. Some symptoms that occur during a panic attack include:

• Chest pain, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath
• Sweating, trembling, and dizziness or light-headed
• Numbness or tingling
• Chills or hot flashes
• Nausea or abdominal pain
• Feelings of impending doom, detachment, losing control, or dying

Panic attacks are jarring and terrifying, so here are some tips on how to cope with them:

1. Recognize that you are experiencing a panic attack. By recognizing that you are experiencing a panic attack, you can take the fear of dying and impending doom away, alleviating your symptoms. Remind yourself that this is temporary, and it will pass.
2. Close your eyes. Reduce the amount of stimulation around you by closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing,
3. Take a few deep breaths. Deep breathing is a natural soothing exercise that calms you down. Controlling your breathing can help reduce hyperventilating, which in turn will help reduce other symptoms.
4. Challenge negative thoughts. If negative thoughts arise during an attack, rationally challenge them to help reduce symptoms. For example, if you think you are going to die, remind yourself that panic attacks do not kill people or that you have experienced this before and made it through it.
5. Use a focus object. Find a single object to focus all your attention upon during an attack. Try to focus on different aspects of the object and describe its qualities to yourself. Focus all your energy upon it.
6. Recite an internal mantra. Repeating a mantra provides you something to focus on and put all your energy into. Repeat it in a loop to yourself.
7. Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is about focusing on the present. Partaking in mindfulness activities can help ground you when panic attacks cause you to feel detached from reality. Focus on the physical sensations around you, such as the feel of your clothes, your feet on the floor, or your arms around your body.
8. Try progressive muscle relaxation. Relax one muscle at a time, starting small with your fingers or toes, and work your way through your body. Practice this technique throughout the day to better prepare yourself to use it during an attack.