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From the Editor’s Desk: Fight Panic Attacks

posted by ChickSpeak
Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 5:24pm CST

The room suddenly starts to spin, your stomach hits the floor, and your heart is racing at an accelerated pace. You can’t focus your eyes and your breathing becomes heavy and uncomfortable.

You start to believe you won’t be able to inhale deeply again, and you start to feel so uneasy you think you may lose control.

You’re not passing out. You’re having a panic attack.

With a country full of over-achievers worried about one test grade, the perfect internship, the ideal weight, and being ten minutes early to anything and everything -young chicks are prone to suffer from anxiety.

Panic attacks are not uncommon and highly treatable through coping techniques, counseling and mild anti-anxiety medicine when necessary. While it may feel like the walls are literally closing in, and an open door is inaccessible, living a functional life with panic attacks is completely possible.

Follow our guide to answer some questions you may have about panic attacks:

How Do I Know if I’m Having a Panic Attack?

There is a long list of warning signs of a panic attack. According to Solve Your Problem, a shortness of breath is usually caused by an increased heart rate, and while there may not be any physical reason for breathing problems, a chick suffering from a panic attack may find herself gasping for breath.

Due to breathing struggles, nausea may start to build up in your stomach, followed by cold or numb hands.

Additionally warning signs can be found here, or listed below:

Fear: Usually due to the symptoms listed above because you may not understand why you’re experiencing such difficulty.

Depersonalization: Because you may fear very afraid and physically uncomfortable, you may experience what some chicks refer to as an “out of body” experience. You may not feel like yourself to the point where you don’t think it’s really you experiencing it.

Cold or Hot Flashes: Not due to an early menopause, but because of your fear and inability to breathe, your hands may start to get sweaty or your feet may become cold.

How Can I Teach Myself to Calm Down During a Panic Attack?

Having a panic attack can be so frightening that you may not know what to do, but it’s important to coach yourself through the attack.

Often times, as young adults, we’re always instructed to be our own best friend and encourage ourselves through every decision in our lives -this common piece of advice couldn’t be more appropriate during a panic attack.

The first and most difficult first step to take during a panic attack is instructing yourself to breathe. It may feel like you can’t breathe, but you really can. Your panic attack is causing the shortness of breath, not something wrong with your body.

Try to count to ten slowly while inhaling as deep as you can, and then exhaling while counting to ten again. Repeat this several times until your breathing is controlled. While doing this, consciously remind yourself to calm down and address what you’re having as what it is: a panic attack. Nothing more, nothing less. If you let the fear consume you, it will become that much more difficult to breathe easily again.

It also helps to call someone you can trust during a panic attack. Just let them know what’s happening and their voice will soothe you through it until you can find your grounding again.

Some chicks find it helpful to place their hand on their heart and feel the beating. This helps them to be in touch with themselves, and gain a connection with their mind and body.

What Causes Panic Attacks?

There are not a certain set of reasons that cause panic attacks, and causes are different for every chick. Some women experience panic attacks on a regular basis, while some may only have a panic attack once in a blue moon. There are some reports of women waking up with a panic attack and others just going about their normal day, when one suddenly strikes them.

According to HealthGuide, panic attacks usually run in a chick’s family, and correlate with major life changes like graduating from college, a big interview, getting married or having a baby. Usually, events that are stressful or present a huge transformation for a chick can cause a panic attack to start out of fear and anxiety.

Overindulgence in stimulant use (caffeine, drugs, etc.) can also cause panic attacks.

How Do I Make the Panic Attacks Stop?

First and foremost, if you feel like panic attacks are taking over your life and you’re not in a position to handle them independently, ChickSpeak highly encourages you to seek professional help. A trained psychologist or therapist can help any chick to identify, cope and overcome panic attacks, and most universities offer such services free or at little charge.

A psychologist will work with you to identify what is causing your panic attack, and through therapies like cognitive behavior therapy, you can work to overcome the fears and anxieties causing your attacks. Certain antidepressants and relaxation methods also help to control panic attacks.

The most important thing to remember is that panic attacks are a controllable condition and you can overcome them. Make sure to be a smart chick and treat your body and mind right by providing yourself with information and treatment to make your life easier.

The only moments that should take your breath are away are the ones that are beautiful and inspiring, not scary and full of panic.

Lindsay Tigar is the Editor-at-Large for ChickSpeak, and has suffered from panic attacks herself. She hopes every chick who believes she is dealing with the symptoms and notices a disruption in their normal routine will seek help, and work to get their life back together.