What Is Panic?
Panic happens when you feel a sudden and intense rush of fear seemingly out-of-the-blue, sometimes called a “panic attack.” These attacks usually last several minutes, and you might feel overwhelmed and out of control. Often, the intense rush of fear is accompanied by physical symptoms like: stomach distress, sweating, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, shaking, intense fear, and shortness of breath.
When you experience panic, you may feel really afraid that you will faint, have a heart attack, “go crazy,” or even die from the attack. We call these “catastrophic thoughts.” It is important to know that panic can be very frightening and extremely uncomfortable, but it is not dangerous.
Some people start to worry about the possibility of experiencing panic again in the future. You may even start to change your behaviors to avoid panic triggers, such as by avoiding exercise to keep your heart rate low or by avoiding places where you experienced panic in the past.
These avoidance behaviors will reduce panic sensations in the moment, but they can actually make you more likely to have panic attacks in the future because they reinforce the fear of having another attack. So a critical first step to reducing your panic attacks is reducing avoidance of panic triggers.
What Causes Panic?
Panic is related to the body’s “fight-or-flight” response. When you sense danger, your body automatically starts to prepare you to deal with that danger. This means that your heart rate and breathing might speed up so you can try to run and escape the dangerous situation. Your muscles might tense up so you can fight the danger if needed.
During a panic attack, your body’s fight-or-flight response activates as a “false alarm.” It is triggered even though no physical danger is present. What this means is that your body is fully prepared to respond to an emergency that never arises, so you experience many strong sensations as part of this preparation.
What Causes All The Different Panic Sensations?
When your body’s fight or flight response is activated, your body prepares itself to respond to an emergency situation. Many physical changes happen in the body, and each has a specific role in preparing your body for the threat. Below, we review each of the physical changes that occur, their purpose, and the physical symptoms that you feel as a result.
What Are The Risk Factors For Panic?
Panic can affect anyone, but these factors might increase the risk that you’ll experience panic:
- Genetics or family history of panic attacks
- Having severe stress, like the death of a loved one or divorce
- Experiencing traumatic events, like assault or abuse
How Do I Know A Panic Attack Is Coming?
One of the most frustrating things about panic is that it can be difficult to figure out what is triggering it. The attacks may seem to come out of nowhere and can happen at any time. However, it is important to remember that panic attacks are not dangerous. So if you start to feel the sensation that a panic attack is coming, there isn’t anything that you need to do to stop it.
Often, reminding yourself that the panic attack will be over in just a few minutes, that the attack is not dangerous, and allowing the sensations to run their course is the best way to respond when a panic attack comes on. If you can respond to your panic attacks this way rather than trying to stop them from happening, this will actually reduce the frequency of your attacks over time.
What Can I Do To Get Better?
The most effective treatments for panic are changing how you think about panic, reducing avoidance, and practicing mindful breathing. You can work to reduce your panic with a combination of these interventions.
One common method for managing panic symptoms is through breathing exercises that slow your breath down. For example, Prospera has a mindfulness exercise that will help you bring your attention to your breath and practice non-judgemental awareness of your panic sensations as they occur.
Your coach will also help you to think about panic and its consequences differently, like by changing the thought “I am going to have a heart attack from this panic attack” to “I have experienced panic before and I have never had a heart attack.” You and your coach will also identify ways to reduce avoidance of panic triggers. For example, if you don’t drive, or you avoid exercise because you’re afraid to panic, your coach will help you slowly approach these activities to help you start living your life more normally.