Anxiety and Panic Attacks

“Anxiety was born in the very same moment as mankind. And since we will never be able to master it, we will have to learn to live with it— just as we have learned to live with storms.” —Paulo Coelho

 

Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of worry and fear, which can be mild or strong. 
I think everyone has this feeling at some point in their life, about an event or interview or exam. Feeling anxious is perfectly normal in these kind of situations. For some people, this feeling is persistent in everyday situations and affect their daily lives. Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks).
These feelings, are difficult to control and can last a long time. They could come in repeated places and situations and you may want to avoid those to prevent these feelings. Anxiety can start during childhood, teen years and can be carried into adulthood.
Some anxiety disorders can be: generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety, separation anxiety disorder and other phobias. You can have multiple types of anxiety.

Some common anxiety symptoms:

  • Feeling nervous, restless or tense
  • Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
  • Having an increased heart rate
  • Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
  • Sweating
  • Trembling
  • Feeling weak or tired
  • Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
  • Having trouble sleeping
  • Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
  • Having difficulty controlling worry
  • Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety
Factors that can increase the risk of developing anxiety disorders:
  • Stress
  • Personality
  • Addictions
  • other mental health disorder 
  • Inherited genes
  • traumatic experiences
Anxiety may lead to:
  • Depression or other mental health disorders
  • Substance misuse
  • Insomnia
  • Digestive or bowel problems
  • Headaches and chronic pain
  • Social isolation
  • Problems functioning at school or work
  • Poor quality of life
  • Suicide
How to help yourself:
  • Exercising 
  • Looking after your physical and mental health 
  • Stop any addiction you might have
  • Attending a self-help course
  • Talking to a therapist 
How to help other people that suffer from anxiety:
  • Don’t pressure them into uncomfortable situations, be patient
  • Try understanding what they are going through (ask them about it if they are comfortable to talk about it)
  • Remember that sometimes they are unable of controlling that feeling
  • Support them in seeking help with a specialist
Remember to look after your mental health when supporting/helping someone. A lot of people, try to help others more than themselves and tend to forget about their own feelings.

 

Panic attacks

 

Panic attacks- what do they feel like?

  • racing heartbeat
  • feeling faint, light headed
  • feeling very hot or very cold 
  • sweating, trembling or shaking
  • nausea (feeling sick)
  • pain in your chest or abdomen
  • struggling to breathe or feeling like you’re choking
  • your legs are numb, shaky, feel like a jelly
  • disconnecting from reality
In your mind, they might feel like you:
  • going to die
  • having a heart attack
  • losing control over your own body and mind
  • are fainting
Panic attacks can happen once and after that some people don’t experience it again or some people have them regularly and several in a place of time. They might happen in same place, situations and activities. They normally last between 5-20 minutes but can last a longer period of time (even up to an hour).
How to manage a panic attack?
You can’t stop them but you can manage them with a few methods that might or not work for you.
  • Focus on your breathing
  • Focus on your senses-try focusing on a sense, for example it might be helpful to go in a colder place, hug someone, touch, smell or focus your sight on something
  • Try grounding techniques-they are really helpful if you tend to disassociate during the panic attacks.
After a panic attack:
  • Focus on yourself, what your body needs 
  • Tell someone you trust- they might help you then or next time you have one they will notice and help you
If you’re having lots of panic attacks at unpredictable times and there doesn’t seem to be a particular trigger or cause, you might be given a diagnosis of panic disorder.
via: nhs.uk, mind.org.uk, my therapist ✨👼🏼 and other mental health studies and websites

Next blogs: Depression, PTSD, OCD, Eating Disorders and Anger

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