We can say that Panic Attack is an issue that many people around the world are uncomfortable with. The science of psychology continues its studies on anxiety disorder and panic attacks day by day. Many psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists work on this subject and apply treatment. First of all, many people have panic attacks many times in their lives.
It is useful to say this because during panic attacks, people often think that they are alone and this situation will not go away. Moreover, during a panic attack, people may think that this time they are approaching death, going crazy, that no one understands them. Yet there is a simple biological and evolutionary explanation for panic attack. Even if people are afraid of dying or going mad in this panic moment, the explanation is actually much simpler.
What Happens During a Panic Attack?
Panic is actually an evolutionary situation. Suppose you run into a real danger. What would your psychology be like at that moment? This danger could be a wild animal, a thief, or something like that. In this time of danger, you first see and perceive the situation. After your brain detects the situation, it gives an answer to it. This response process actually takes place in the amygdala part of our brain. This episode is from our emotional memory and emotional responses. The amygdala, which provides control of our emotions, especially our sense of fear, increases our reflexes and takes part in the formation of our response to danger. In the face of danger, we give a flight or fight reflex. During the fighting reflex, our lungs accelerate to carry oxygen to our brain, our heart accelerates to pump blood to the muscles, our body prepares itself to fight, our warming body cools itself by sweating.
Why Do Panic Attacks Recur? Panic and Evolution
So where do these reflexes come from first? Why does our panic sometimes recur? We find the answer to this question in our ancestors who struggled with wild animals and difficult conditions in ancient times and tried to survive! In fact, we still carry the reflexes they created to survive evolutionarily today. In primitive times, our ancestors managed to survive with the psychology they had in the face of danger and the reactions they gave thanks to this psychology. In panic attacks, the same reflexes that we encounter at the same time of danger emerge. Even if we rarely see a real danger before us in modern life, our daily worries can sometimes push us to panic. But as you can see, this is not because you will go crazy and it will pass after a short time!
What To Do During A Panic Attack?
In fact, there is a lot of information on the internet and in the resources written by various psychologists, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists about what to do in a panic. However, people cannot find much information about "what not to do". In fact, many things we do without realizing it can make our panic moment more difficult. What do we do during panic affects us worse? What can we avoid during panic attacks and steer the situation well? Let's take a look at these together.
1- Don't Pay Attention to Your Symptoms
Don't be afraid of them. Often times, our bodily reactions during a panicked attack can scare us a lot. However, these reactions are again a natural part of our natural mechanism. Your brain just thinks there is danger and prepares your body for it. Instead of getting too scared because of this preparation, turn your attention to other things. This may be focusing on your breath and returning to the present, giving your focus to an activity. With mindfulness practices, you can move your mind to the present and get your focus from your physical responses.
2- You won't go crazy or die
Sometimes there are moments in panic that we cannot understand what is happening to our body and mind. We think we will die or go crazy in a moment of panic. We do not know why, our hearts are beating very fast, walls are coming upon us, our breathing accelerates and we even feel like we are suffocating. Since we do not know the reason, thoughts such as death or going crazy come to our minds. If you are reading this article, now you know the cause of the panic attack. This topic is no longer an unknown uncertainty for your brain, but a natural reaction for which the cause is known. If you experience panic attacks at any time, you can remind yourself of the reasons and think that you will pass slowly. This will help you calm down.
3- Do Not Be In Closed and Airless Environments
When we feel excessively anxious and panicked, our breathing speeds up. We start to feel like we are suffocating. It's like walls come upon us. In fact, as we explained at the beginning of this article, it is a normal reaction to danger and our body tries to meet its need for more oxygen. However, just as we do not engage in an activity to consume this oxygen at the time of anxiety, the oxygen and carbon dioxide values in our blood change. There is no need to be afraid of this because although it may cause some dizziness and numbness, it will go away as our breathing improves. For this reason, it will be good for us to breathe in an open area such as a balcony, and to slow down this breath a little more and try to take it in control. When we slow down our fast-moving breathing, symptoms such as dizziness and numbness will gradually disappear.
4- Don't Think About The Next Attack
When everything is going well and we are in a normal time, we should not be afraid of going into a panic state. This situation only increases our anxiety and causes us to experience more panic. It should not be forgotten that one of the most important causes of panic state is intense anxiety. We are mentally and physically in the now and now. The only moment we live and exist is now. The past has already passed, the future has not come yet. "What if I have a panic attack?" Worrying about questions such as, is to pursue a question that we do not know the answer to, that we do not have an idea whether it will happen or not, and is actually worrying. Instead, it will be good for us to know that we are safe now and now.
5- Don't Be Against Psychological Support
Psychological support is not "going to the mad doctor" as some people do in society. Although this judgment of people has been broken a lot recently and it has been realized that psychological support is necessary for our health like medical support, still sometimes people are afraid to meet with psychologists and psychiatrists. However, there are many therapy methods that have been scientifically proven to work on anxiety, worry and panic attack situations.
These methods are experienced in sessions and mechanisms for coping with panic are provided. If you complain of a panic attack and have not yet received support, you can contact a psychotherapist, psychologist or psychiatrist. You can also do these interviews in the form of online therapy and online psychologists.