The strange and scary sensations overwhelmed me. It felt as though I had no ability to control my composure. One time, the perceptions were so strong that I headed to my doctor’s office for fear that I was having a heart attack!
These symptoms, as I later learned, were the result of having panic attacks. The cause? I had experienced multiple miscarriages—losing four babies in total—during the months prior to these attacks. My normal life practices were triggering these unnerved responses that were causing me daily anxiety.
Fortunately, my doctor was able to pinpoint the cause of my attacks. However, the reason behind these types of episodes varies from person to person. Mayo Clinic suggests the following broad categories for factors that may bring on panic attacks for some individuals, such as:
- Genetics
- Major stress
- Temperament that is more sensitive to stress or prone to negative emotions
- Certain changes in the way parts of your brain function
According to Mayo Clinic, panic attacks typically include some of these signs or symptoms:
- Sense of impending doom or danger
- Fear of loss of control or death
- Rapid, pounding heart rate
- Sweating
- Trembling or shaking
- Shortness of breath or tightness in your throat
- Chills
- Hot flashes
- Nausea
- Abdominal cramping
- Chest pain
- Headache
- Dizziness, lightheadedness, or faintness
- Numbness or tingling sensation
- The feeling of unreality or detachment
Although the symptoms related to panic attacks are frightening, the good news is that there are ways to cope and lessen their impact. Recently, I read a great article from healthline.com about this topic. Here are some helpful points to consider in stopping a panic attack if you’re dealing with this issue:
Use deep breathing
We’ve all heard the suggestion to breathe in and breathe out in a deep and intentional manner. This is a great first step in calming down our emotions and thoughts. By slowing down our racing heartbeat, we’re more apt to get in touch with the reality of our situation and settle into a peaceful mindset.
Close your eyes
Similar to the first suggestion, closing our eyes helps relax our thoughts that are otherwise feeling out of control. This also makes for a perfect stance to pray and ask God to bring peace to our minds at that precise moment.
Find a focus object
When our thoughts are racing and we feel panicked, it helps to focus on just one thing. That can be something in close eyeshot such as an object on the wall or table. Thinking about every detail of that object—its size, the sound it makes, the color of it, the textures on it—helps reign in our scattered, troubled feelings and thoughts. Now we’re able to come back to what is really happening around us rather than all the what-ifs.
Relax your muscles
Someone told me about this method of relaxation a few years ago and it really works! Concentrate on tightening one area of muscles, such as your legs. Hold in the tightened state for several seconds and then relax them. Then move to another area such as your arms. This method is great for loosening up our muscles since we tend to tighten up unnecessarily when we’re feeling anxious.
Keep lavender on hand
You may not be familiar with this calming scent. I was introduced to it a few years ago when essential oils became all the rage. I discovered that this particular aroma is very relaxing! In fact, I have to be careful how much of it I’m exposed to if it’s not time for bed. It calms me to the point of dozing off! But some individuals keep it on hand to aid in helping them relax their thoughts enough to get through an experience that might have escalated to a panic situation.
If you’ve tried these types of self-coping methods but you’re still dealing with a great amount of anxiety, please reach out to a trained, professional therapist and get help today. Panic attacks are a bit scary to experience, but they are also manageable if approached in the right way.