How to manage panic attacks when they happen, per psychologists

• Mental health experts recommend distraction, good posture, therapy and more
• About 11% of people in the US experience a panic attack each year
• Anxiety is the most common mental health concern, affecting 40 million adults

Hyperventilation, chest pain, sweating, and a pounding heart are just a few of the frightening symptoms of a panic attack.

1 in 10 Americans will suffer 1 in 1 this year alone. Cleveland Clinicand about 1 in 50 suffers from multiple symptoms.

Many patients say they feel like they are dying, having a heart attack, or are “crazy,” while others say they feel like they have lost control of their bodies.

But DailyMail.com spoke with three psychologists about how to prevent seizures naturally without drugs, and how best to deal with them if they do occur.

4:6 format

According to University of Colorado psychologist Ian Stanley, M.D., banal instructions such as “take a deep breath” may sound banal to those experiencing panic attacks and panic disorders, but they actually do. is said to be effective.

he recommends Exhale a few seconds longer than you inhale. when you start to wake up Try counting 4 breaths to 6.

Inhalation is associated with the sympathetic nervous system, which activates the “fight or flight” response. Axel in a way.

Exhalation, on the other hand, is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system, which affects our body’s ability to calm down.

Automatically prolonging your exhalation time emphasizes the aspects of your nervous system that provide rest and relaxation.

“It just trains the body to slow down and provide physiological feedback, and the threat isn’t so immediate as to make someone think a panic attack is,” Dr. Stanley said.

rainbow technique

Dr. Carolyn Rubenstein, a psychologist based in Boca Raton, Florida, recommends sharpening your senses to something external to distract you from your physical and emotional panic.

“Thinking about rainbows is a creative thing to do, so what I really want to encourage people to do is…

‘ and consider looking for three red ones. [in the room or your surroundings]three orange ones, and three yellow, green, and blue ones.

‘And you can even extend it to look for gold and silver, white and black, and really engage with it.

“It’s very helpful for releasing tension because it keeps you engaged and takes a little time.

“And it really has to broaden your perspective and get you out of your body for a few minutes so you can calm down.”

Other distractions include listening to soothing music, immersing your face and hands in ice water, and breathing fresh air.

Identify Your Panic Attacks

For many people, just identifying an impending panic is reassuring.

In many cases, simply telling yourself calmly and detachedly that your body’s response to external stimuli is a miscalculation can often relieve panic.

Dr. Rubenstein said: You are coming from a place of control, not the symptoms controlling you.

“It’s a mental trick we use that doesn’t just bring logic and control our emotions.

“Labeling is very important to regain control. It allows you to get back in the driver’s seat for a while, which is very helpful when you feel like you’re completely out of control.”

Panic attacks themselves are not fatal, but experiencing one can make you feel like you are going through a heart attack or even dying.

Symptoms vary and vary from person to person, but may include chest pain, dizziness, nausea, shaking, sweating, heart palpitations or hyperventilation, and a deep fear of losing control.

They usually start quickly and can last anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes.

After a panic attack, the period when your body and mind are recovering can feel like a terrible hangover.

inflate the chest

Dr. Karen Lynn Cassidy, managing director of the Anxiety Treatment Center in Greater Chicago, tells DailyMail.com that people who are prone to panic attacks should maintain correct posture and sit up straight.

Breathing changes caused by bad posture induce and exacerbate levels of anxiety.

“Both humans and animals, when under chronic stress, adopt this fear posture, making it difficult for the body to breathe naturally and suddenly exhaling large amounts of carbon dioxide.”

Standing or sitting in a confident posture with a puffed chest and broad shoulders provides a psychological boost that boosts confidence, mood and energy levels and reduces stress, anxiety and depression.

slow down breathing

The 4:6 method can help you hit the brake pedal during a panic attack, but Dr. Cassidy warns against taking deep breaths during a panic attack.

Many people suffering from panic attacks can recall the advice to take deep breaths to stabilize their heart rate. exacerbate the problem.

This is because hyperventilation occurs when you breathe very quickly and deeply, expelling an abnormally large amount of carbon dioxide and causing the dizziness and other headache symptoms characteristic of a panic attack. These symptoms simulate a feeling of suffocation, setting off a vicious cycle of breathless panic.

Dr. Cassiday said: Try to be as quiet as possible and breathe slowly and gently through your nose so that you can barely hear it in the back of your throat.

try therapy

Anxiety is a common illness, and psychologists and licensed social workers are trained to guide people through it.

There are many treatments for panic attacks and panic disorder. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, often called talk therapy or psychotherapy, is the first line of treatment for panic disorder and panic attacks.

CBT enables patients to better modify their thought processes and behaviors to confront and disarm the intrusive thoughts that lead to panic attacks.

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Therapy can not only help you better understand what to do when you have a panic attack, but it can also help you modify the behaviors and thought patterns that may lead to panic attacks in the future.

Dr. Karen Lynn Cassidy said panic attacks are “like when you were a kid and someone’s brother was holding his head in the pool and didn’t think he’d make it to the surface.” rice field.

“Having four or more of these symptoms is really overwhelming. That’s why so many people think I’m having a stroke, I’m going crazy, I’m dying, something is horribly wrong with my body. And in fact they are right, it is none of the things I just mentioned.

Many people dealing with panic attacks face a constant fear of being caught off-guard by a panic attack while performing normal life functions such as shopping for food or driving.

Some people never experience panic attacks. Many people experience it once or twice in their lives. Unfortunately, 4.7% of Americans have panic disorder, a chronic anxiety disorder that includes frequent panic attacks.