July 10th was Panic Attack Awareness Day, and in honor of that, I think it’s important to talk about it in detail including what it is, common symptoms, and what you can do to help yourself or someone else who may be experiencing one. A panic attack, also commonly referred to as an anxiety attack, is a very sudden and intense feeling of fear. As the definition suggests, it can come out of nowhere, and it often arrives so fast that it’s hard to even get a handle on it before it starts.
My Experience with Panic Attacks
I still remember my first panic attack very vividly. It happened on campus at UMD outside of the Physics building. I was walking toward the building to prepare for my first Astrology exam, and I was so worried I would fail. In the weeks leading up to it, I struggled to understand the material, and my study sessions didn’t make me feel too confident. As I got closer to the building, I felt my chest tighten and I struggled to breathe. Before I knew it, I had tears running down my face as I walked past my classmates who were also about to go in for the same exam. They were laughing and joking around with each other, while I was stressing about failing.
I started sobbing uncontrollably and went to sit on a bench across the street, trying so desperately to shake the thought of failing from my mind. I was so embarrassed as students I didn’t know walked past me throwing glances of pity in my direction, and thinking of this embarrassment made me cry harder. This was the first time something like this happened to me, so I didn’t know what to call it. It wasn’t until later that I realized that I was having an anxiety attack and that this would be the first of many to come. Thankfully, I’ve gotten so much better at recognizing the signs and calming myself in the middle of an episode.
Signs of a Panic Attack
Keep in mind that what you may experience during an anxiety attack can be different from what someone else may experience. Our bodies are all different and respond in various ways. However, some common signs that you may be having a panic attack include difficulty breathing, increasing heart rate, sweating, dizziness, nausea, or discomfort in the upper area of your body (tightness in your chest or a lump in your throat).
Ways to Help Yourself During an Episode
1. The Medical Center at the University of Rochester encourages using your senses to help you when you’re in the middle of an anxiety attack. It can be hard to take yourself out of the panic for a moment, but if you’re able to do so, identify out loud or in your head five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
Using the five senses can really help ground you and calm your mind when it is full of racing thoughts. I like to do this too, but there are times when I can’t pull myself out enough to focus on all of the five senses, so I focus on just touch. I touch each finger with my thumb over and over again and focus on the pressure that I’m putting on each finger. It truly does help bring me back to the present long enough to focus on what is causing me to have anxiety.
2. Pop a sour candy in your mouth! Sounds crazy, I know, but it can help. POPSUGAR, who also posts really awesome workout videos on YouTube, spoke to experts about the effectiveness of the latest TikTok hack. As it turns out, the sourness of the candy will serve as a distraction from your racing thoughts. Your face will likely pucker because the candy is sour, and your mind will attempt to focus on that instead. It will even help you as you identify things with your senses — the one thing you can taste can be your sour candy.
3. Take deep breaths no matter how shaky your breathing may be. When your body is full of fear, it can become very easy to feel like you can’t breathe. This can make you panic even more than you already were before. Taking deep breaths can help to relax your body and allow your mind to understand that you are safe. There are many different breathing techniques you can use, and while I like to breathe deeply on my own without a guide as it distracts me, there’s a common technique that you can use called the 4-7-8 breathing method. You can follow a guide on YouTube that will allow you to practice. It involves inhaling for four seconds, holding your breath for seven seconds, and exhaling for eight seconds.
4. Speak to someone who you love and trust. Sometimes, you just need a comforting and familiar voice to guide you through it, especially if you’ve already tried to handle it on your own to no avail. You’ll want to speak to someone who is patient and understanding of what you’re going through at a time when you may not be able to articulate what is wrong. It’s also important to know beforehand who you can call for help. I lean on Marlon and my mom sometimes. They are the most understanding people on the planet when it comes to my mental health, and they always know just what to say to help me. Whether they have advice or are willing to sit on the phone as I get through it, they remind me in my hour of need that I’m not alone.
5. Get some fresh air if it’s safe and comfortable to do so. Sometimes the weather can help ground you and bring you out of your head and back to the present. The droplets of rain from spring showers hitting your skin, the warm summer sun beaming on your face, a light autumn breeze going through your hair, or the arctic winter wind smacking you right in the face can snap you back to the now. Fresh air may be just what you need to begin feeling calmer or more at peace.
“A panic attack goes from 0 to 100 in an instant. It’s halfway between feeling like you’ll faint and feeling like you’ll die.” – Unknown
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