How To Teach Your Children About Anxiety Or Panic Attacks
Anxiety attacks usually last for about 10-15 minutes however it can feel like a lifetime for both you and your child. After your child has his or her first panic attack, it is important to educate them on the signs and symptoms associated with panic attacks so if another one occurs, they can understand what is happening. Teach your children that panic attacks are a false alarm in their bodies. Let them know the physical sensations associated with a panic attack so that when they experience them, it wont be as scary.
How Long Does A Panic Attack Last
Typically symptoms will be at their worst within ten minutes. You might experience a panic attack over a longer period of time though or have several panic attacks over a short period of time.
If you’re having lots of panic attacks at very unpredictable times without an obvious cause, you might be diagnosed with panic disorder.
How To Help Someone Who Is Having A Panic Attack
It can be difficult to know what to do when someone has a panic attack, especially if you’re supporting a friend or family member, but there are things you can do to help.
- Stay with the person
If you can, stay with the person during their panic attack. Just by you being there, you can help them to calm down and remind them that help is available. It is okay if you are finding it overwhelming. You can find another friend, family member or teacher they trust to support your friend and you.
- Talk to them and encourage them
You can chat to the person about how they are feeling or anything that they like, such as favourite Netflix shows or their hobbies. This can distract them from their anxious thoughts, helping them to feel calm and to slow down their breathing. They might find it difficult to talk and might want to focus on their breath – thats okay and its important to respect their boundaries and how they are feeling.
- Check in with your friend
Even though your friend may no longer be panicking, they can still feel anxious or on edge afterwards. You can check in with them to see how they are feeling. This will remind them that they are not alone and you are there for them.
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Know The Signs Of A Panic Attack
“Often, when you don’t know the physiological signs of a panic attack you may feel more scared imagining you’re having a heart attack,” says Annie Wright, LMFT and the owner and clinical director of Evergreen Counseling. “Read up on the signs of a panic attack so you know what you’re dealing with.”
Dr. Rodriguez recommends scouring the Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s website, which covers all the symptoms:
- Palpitations, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate
- Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
- Feelings of choking
- Feeling dizzy, unsteady, light-headed, or faint
- Chills or heat sensations
- Derealization or depersonalization
- Fear of losing control or going crazy
Rodriguez adds that its critical to also get a physical exam to rule out other problems.
How Can You Help Or Support A Family Member Or Friend With Anxiety
Just ask what they need, when they may be anxious or having a panic attack, and when they arent in that state yet. Anxiety is such a misunderstood mental illness and terms get used incorrectly all the time. Its hard for people who dont suffer from it to understand its effects on the person experiencing it.
The best advice I can give to those who are anxiety sufferers is to be open and honest with the ones you love so they can understand you better. Once you figure out what works for you during these moments, share that with the people closest to you.
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Dos And Donts When Someone Is Having An Anxiety Attack
Do not ask them to calm down but do listen to them with empathy.
Since the start of pandemic, there has been an exponential rise in people experiencing mental health challenges across the world. According to a study, there were 375,000 Google searches for anxiety between March and May of last year alone. This is because for many, this is the first time theyre confronted with challenges like anxiety and depression, and dont know what to do when they or someone close to them is experiencing it.
An anxiety attack can be a very scary experience and handling it correctly can go a long way in calming the person down. With the help of Panneer, Re:Set has put together a list of dos and donts to help calm someone having an anxiety attack.
Ways To Manage Anxiety During An Attack
One of the best things you can do during an anxiety attack is to stop and breathe deeply. Taking deliberate and measured inhales and exhales can help counteract the rush of adrenaline you feel during an attack and slow your heart rate. Focus on the breathfor instance, inhaling to a count of five, pausing, then exhaling to another five countcan also give your mind something to latch onto, which can lessen the panic. This is also a terrific management technique when you are experiencing an attack in public, as its something you can do on your own and doesnt require any special tools or equipmentand it doesnt draw attention to yourself.
Another good way to manage anxiety in public is have a guided meditation app on your phone. All you have to do is open the app and put on your earbuds, and you have a soothing, calming method of defusing the fear. Meditation has been shown to be effective at boosting mood and draining tension from the muscles, relaxing the mind and body.
Your phone can also come in handy in a couple of other ways. If you are experiencing anxiety in public, find a quiet spot where you can call a friend who knows what you are dealing with and can talk you through the episode. You can also have a playlist of your favorite music designed to calm your anxiety and you listen to that when needed.
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Sensory Grounding With Ice Or Cold Water
If you have a washcloth and a water bottle, you have a good start to a panic attack survival kit. Sometimes panic attacks make people feel uncomfortably hot. A damp washcloth around the neck or face can ease this feeling and give you a sensation to think about.
3 ways water can calm a panic attack:
- Hold an ice cube in your hand and focus on the sensation
- Place a cold, wet washcloth on the back of your neck
- Dunk your head into a bowl of ice water
Stopping Panic: What To Do When Youre Having A Panic Attack
Here, some strategies that have worked for others that may help you:
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Learn To Recognize The Signs Of Anxiety
Anxiety disorder is the most common mental health condition in the United States, affecting up to 18% of the population. Knowing the signs of anxiety can help you realize when someone you love is having fearful thoughts or feelings. Symptoms vary from person to person but can be broken into three categories:
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What Should You Do If You Are In Public And Start Having A Panic Attack
If you notice the signs related to a potential panic attack, Brick recommends an exercise to help ground you and bring you back to the present moment. This will distract you from the attentional focus you place on your bodily sensations during, or just before, a panic attack.
Holly Brick’s exercise for panic attacks
She says this exercise is also helpful in breaking the anticipatory anxiety where you fear the next panic attack. This leads to further hypervigilance and attentional focus on your bodily changes, and often means you avoid people and places.
“Following a panic attack, you might be constantly on the lookout so as to prevent another attack. However, this attentional focus actually causes you to be overly vigilant. This leads to misappraisal of any small bodily change as a signal of immediate danger or panic, and so the cycle continues.”
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What Causes A Panic Attack
Panic attacks are very common, with up to 5 in every 100 Australians experiencing a panic attack at some stage in their life. During a panic episode, someone is overwhelmed and disabled by the physical symptoms listed above. The panic reaches its peak after about 10 minutes and can take up to half an hour to subside. A panic episode leaves the person feeling temporarily exhausted and drained.
Having a panic attack doesnt necessarily mean you have panic disorder. Panic disorder is when you have repeated panic attacks that severely disrupt your life.
Panic attacks can be caused by:
- a temperament that is sensitive to stress or negative emotions
- changes in the way your brain functions
Calming Step : Have A Script Ready
A panic attack can fill your head with racing, negative thoughts, which can keep the panic going and make you feel worse. But you can wield a powerful weapon against them: A script of positive thoughts.
Write down encouraging words you can read to yourself during a panic attack, Dr. Josell says. Your script should answer the negative thoughts. So if you feel like youre going to pass out, tell yourself you wont. If you feel like youre dying, tell yourself you wont die from a panic attack. The words you hear are powerful, and over time, they become your truth.
Ideally, write your script when youre feeling calm. Tuck it in your pocket or purse or type it into your smartphone notes so its easy to access.
If youre in the middle of a panic attack and dont have your script, you can fight negative thoughts on the fly. Try repeating in your mind or out loud phrases like, Im strong, and I can handle this, or This is only temporary, and it will pass.
Your script helps you deal with an attack that arises, but its a preventive measure, too. It can calm your fear of having another panic attack because you know youre in control. The more confident you are that you can manage a panic attack, the less likely you are to have future attacks.
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How To Tell If You’re Having An Anxiety Attack
If you feel like you had severe anxiety, then you had an anxiety attack. Any form of severe anxiety can count as an attack. But for those that are experiencing something more like panic attacks, the experience tends to be similar between different people.
Recall that anxiety attacks can mimic other health problems. If you haven’t been to a doctor, it’s a good idea to go at least once to rule out any more serious issues. Make sure your doctor knows about anxiety, however. Not all doctors are aware of the severity of anxiety attack symptoms. Some may not believe that anxiety can cause so many physical symptoms and sensations, but it absolutely can. Thats why its so important to find the right doctor.
The symptoms below are often experienced differently by different people. During an anxiety attack, your body experiences a wave of stress that is so profound, it’s difficult to know exactly how your individual body will react. Yet below are some of the most common symptoms of an anxiety attack:
You may not experience all of these symptoms at once either, and each one may cause various degrees of severity. You may also feel as though there is no way that it is an anxiety attack. Anxiety attacks and panic attacks are often so severe that the sufferers live in constant fear of the symptoms coming back.
Anxiety attacks also tend to peak around 10 minutes . Then as they dissipate, they often leave you feeling fatigued and drained, possibly fearful of another attack.
What To Do To Cope With A Panic Attack
When I had my first panic attack at the age of 19, I believed with absolute certainty that I was in mortal danger. I lie in my dorm room bed for what felt like hours, clutching my pounding heart and gasping for air. Fifteen interminable minutes later, it was as if it had never happened, and I felt relatively normal but that wouldn’t be the last incident. I went on to have many more panic attacks, and have since been diagnosed with a panic disorder . I’m among two to three percent of Americans with PD while 18.1 percent of Americans have anxiety disorders in general the most common mental illness. Since that day, Ive treated my condition both with therapy and medication.
Despite managing my PD, I do still suffer the occasional panic attack, but with professional guidance , Ive learned that there are simple things I can do to stop a panic attack in its tracks. I talked with mental health professionals to discuss why my own techniques work and what more those of us living with panic attacks can do.
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Learn How To Manage Your Anxious Thoughts
Anxiety doesnt come out of the blue. When you have anxiety attacks, its often because your mind tends to spiral into negative thoughts often without your control. Sometimes you can control this anxiety by keeping these thoughts at bay and learning to dismiss triggers that cause you anxiety.
For many, this is easier said than done. But there are many different strategies you can try that may be effective. These include:
A Question Checklist
When you feel anxious, have a checklist on hand of questions to ask yourself about that anxiety experience. The longer the checklist, the more youll find that your thoughts become more realistic. Questions that you can use include:
- Is there a reason to believe something is wrong?
- What evidence is there that something is wrong?
- Is there a chance Im blowing this out of proportion?
Affirmations
Affirmations not for everyone, but those that do use them find them to be very beneficial. Affirmations are things that you say to yourself to make yourself feel better. These include:
- Im okay. This is just anxiety and I will get passed this .
- I have a great life and Im looking forward to tomorrow.
- My anxiety wont control me.
Getting Used to Physical Symptoms
The latter is known as exposure therapy and there are countless ways to create exercises that will habituate you to your panic attack triggers.
Could You Be Suffering From Panic Disorder
Take our 2-minute panic disorder test to see if you may benefit from further diagnosis and treatment.
During the day if she was out, the attack felt like my head suddenly weighed a thousand pounds and my chest would get really heavy. It literally felt like something was pulling me down. I would usually have to head home immediately. I would then experience foggy vision where itactually looked like there was fog in the air. I also experienced double vision and parts of my bodylike my neck or one arm or one entire side of my facewould go totally numb.
In addition to the emotional turmoil and the physical manifestations that Caroline and Kirstie describe panic attacks can cause palpitations, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate sweating trembling or shaking sensations of shortness of breath or smothering feelings of choking chest pain or discomfort nausea or abdominal distress feeling dizzy, unsteady, light-headed or faint chills or overheating numbness or tingling feelings of unreality or being detached from oneself fear of losing control or going crazy and fear of dying.
Isolated attacks are bad enough. But when the attacks recur in a short period of time or when the fear of another attack is so strong that you begin to avoid situations, places, and people that may trigger an attack, you may be diagnosed with panic disorder.
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