#panic attack tips

[glowettee]

hey i am new to your page...but i absolutely loveeee and adore it!!

this happened to me a few days ago. I had an economics A exam. i suck at economics and have been trying to improve since last year. i studied the entire night but had a panic attack in the morning. I felt as if I was dying. decided not to go for the exam. had a huge fight with my parents over this—they yelled and scolded me for not giving the exam and I just couldn't stop crying. I was on low sleep and high panic. My professor is one of those teachers who will taunt your entire life if you don't do well in his subject, i never performed well in his class and now I didn't give the exam. What do I do? I feel really scared and guilty.

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: when panic attacks derail your plans (you're not a failure) :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

hi sweet angel!

first off, welcome to my little corner of the internet! i'm so glad you found me and that you love it here 🤍

now, let me start by saying something really important: you are NOT a failure. you didn't "give up" or "quit" ~ you had a medical emergency. panic attacks are real, they're serious, and they're not something you can just push through with willpower. my dream is to become a psychiatrist so ANYTHING related to mental health especially panic attacks are VERY important to me. i am SO sorry you had to go through that.

i need you to hear this, missing an exam because of a panic attack is the same as missing it because of a broken leg or food poisoning. it's a health issue, not a character flaw.

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆ let's address the panic first ⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

panic attacks are absolutely terrifying, especially when they hit right before something important. that feeling of dying? completely normal for panic attacks, even though it's scary as hell.

your body went into fight-or-flight mode, probably from the combination of: ⋄ sleep deprivation ~ this makes anxiety SO much worse ⋄ academic pressure ~ especially with a subject you're already struggling with ⋄ fear of judgment ~ knowing your professor's tendency to be harsh

your nervous system basically said "nope, we're not doing this today" and shut down. that's not weakness! that's your body trying to protect you.

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆ dealing with your parents' reaction ⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

i know their reaction hurt, and i'm sorry they responded with anger instead of concern. parents sometimes react badly when they're scared or don't understand what's happening.

they probably saw it as "giving up" because they don't understand what a panic attack actually feels like. that doesn't make their reaction okay, but it might help explain it.

when you feel ready, you might try explaining: "i didn't choose not to take the exam. i had a panic attack and physically couldn't function. this is a medical issue that i need help managing."

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆ next steps ⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

talk to your professor ASAP ~ i know he's intimidating, but you need to address this head-on. be honest: "i experienced a medical emergency on exam day and couldn't attend. is there a makeup option available?"

get documentation if possible ~ if you can see a counselor or doctor who can document your panic attack, that helps legitimize your absence

contact student services ~ most schools have accommodations for mental health emergencies. they might be able to advocate for you

don't let fear make decisions ~ the longer you wait to address this, the harder it becomes

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆ managing the shame and guilt ⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

that guilty feeling? it's lying to you. you didn't do anything wrong by having a panic attack. you wouldn't feel guilty for missing an exam because of the flu, right?

the shame is probably coming from:

feeling like you "should" have been able to push through

fear of judgment from your professor and parents

internalized beliefs about mental health not being "real" health

all of these feelings are understandable, but they're not based in truth.

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆ preventing this in the future ⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

address the underlying anxiety ~ consider talking to a counselor about test anxiety and panic management strategies

change your study approach ~ all-nighters often make anxiety worse. try shorter, more frequent study sessions instead

practice panic attack management ~ breathing techniques, grounding exercises, having a plan for when panic hits

get academic support ~ tutoring, study groups, or different learning strategies for economics

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆ reminder ⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

you studied all night. you TRIED. you wanted to succeed. the fact that your body couldn't handle the stress doesn't negate your effort or your worth as a student.

one missed exam doesn't define you or your future. i promise you, this feels much bigger and more catastrophic right now than it actually is.

you're dealing with a lot, academic pressure, unsupportive responses from family, a intimidating professor, and your own mental health. that's genuinely a lot for anyone to handle.

be gentle with yourself right now. focus on taking care of your immediate needs, sleep, food, hydration, and addressing the exam situation when you feel more stable.

you're going to get through this, angel. 💕

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

xoxo, mindy ♡

[whitegoldtower]

Just wanna let my panic disorder and somnophobia folks know that it’s okay if you’re a grown ass adult and still need to hop in bed with your mum/dad/parent.

For me personally, I cannot sleep alone. Luckily I’ve found a way around it: weighted blanket, electric blanket, body pillow, background ambience of people, audiobook. This works for me, but it might not work for you.

Before I figured this out, I’m literally over 20 and my brother (6 years younger than me) would laugh at me because every night between 1 and 3AM I would run into my mother’s bedroom and get into bed with her because my panic attacks convince me that something is seriously medically wrong with me, that I’ll die painfully in the middle of the night or stop breathing in my sleep and that nobody will be around to help me.

He stopped laughing about it when he came into my room when I was already asleep (moments before a panic attack woke me up - he came in at 1AM roughly because he wanted his water bottle and I’d nicked it) and saw that I was thrashing around and making sounds of extreme distress.

The only way to calm me down would be to wake my mother up, get her to check my pulse/temperature, reassure me that my symptoms are just a panic attack and then have her hold me until I would fall asleep.

It’s a fucking nightmare and it’s embarrassing as hell, but you have to do whatever helps, and if that means being a grown man who still needs to be cuddled to sleep by his mother then so be it.

[solhwellness]

Insights and Tips for Managing Panic Attacks | Solh Wellness

A panic attack is an unplanned, rapid onset of intense fear or discomfort. Bewilderment, a sense of impending doom, a pounding heart, shortness of breath, shivering, shaking, and perspiration are among the symptoms. It can appear to be too much. Occasionally, people may worry that they will become insane or lose control when having a panic attack. These anxious bouts can last anywhere between a few minutes and an hour. Although panic attacks seldom put a person's life in risk, it's important to keep in mind that they can still be terrible and have a big impact on a person's daily life.

For efficient coping and assistance, having a set of ready-to-use panic attack management techniques is essential:

Keep in mind that panic attacks are transient and will end. Recognise that this phase of extreme anxiety is passing quickly.

You might be able to regain control during a panic attack by using deep breathing exercises. Regularly taking deep breaths can help you to relax and slow down your breathing. Practising 4-7-8 breathing or concentrating on relaxing hobbies can also be beneficial.

To relax and feel grounded during panic episodes, choose soothing smells like lavender. Consider bergamot orange, chamomile, or lemon if you'd like an alternative to lavender.

Locate a quiet area to block out outside distractions and enable you to concentrate on coping mechanisms. It is simpler to utilise soothing techniques and helps to cleanse the mind when one removes themselves from busy or stressful settings.

When having a panic attack, concentrate on one thing only. It can help to deflect attention from disturbing ideas by drawing focus to its specifics and characteristics.

Use the 5-4-3-2-1 method as a grounding technique when experiencing panic episodes. To engage your senses, name and describe the five objects, four noises, three textures, two scents, and one taste in your immediate environment.

When you have panic attacks, repeat a mantra or a comforting word to yourself. Comforting affirmations like "This too shall pass" can help to deflect attention from anxiety.

Take a stroll or perform a little exercise while controlling your breathing. Exercise has long-term advantages and can lessen panic attacks and anxiety.

When having a panic attack, try to picture a serene setting or your favourite spot. To feel calm, try to picture the sights, sounds, and sensations of this location.

If using prescription medicine is advised for treating panic attacks, do as your doctor advises. 

If you frequently get panic attacks in specific locations, tell a trustworthy person. The sympathy and kindness of others may provide you comfort and enable you to cope with the situations that follow.

Find out what makes you anxious so you can manage or stop panic attacks when you can. The frequency and severity of panic attacks can be decreased by identifying and dealing with triggers.

Conclusion

It takes knowledge, preparation, and the use of effective coping skills to treat panic attacks. By being aware of the symptoms, exercising relaxation techniques, getting treatment, and giving self-care a high priority, people may handle panic attacks bravely and regain control over their wellbeing.

At Solh Wellness, we give you access to a variety of self-help resources as well as trained specialists that can help you deal with and manage panic attacks. You may find a number of resources and professional advice to help you improve your mental health on our website. Given the difficulties, we are committed to giving you the tools and professional advice you need to properly manage panic attacks since we are aware of the challenges they create.

[pidgeyshouse]

panic attack tips

from your mom with anxiety

1: breathe. I know this gets said a lot but if you take slow, deep breaths, and focus solely on breathing, you will calm down faster

2: if someone else is having a panic attack DO NOT TOUCH THEM

this is something I have had to explain several times to the confused faces of my relatives. If you touch the person just about nothing good will happen. their brain is already on overload, you’re just going to trigger their flight, fight, or freeze response, and let me tell you, you don’t want to do that. Just leave them be, and maybe offer them some water

3: sit up, sit up, and look for a distraction, fiddle with something until your brain is too busy focusing on that to keep you panicking

4: identify the source of the panic attack and remember to avoid that thing in the future

5: eat snack

6: You’re going to be tired afterwards, make sure you can accommodate that

7: put on some light hearted music, it’s way better than wallowing in self pity for six hours, which makes everything worse.

I hope this helps

[maybe-missdaisy]

The Do's of Assisting With Panic Attacks

As someone with anxiety, panic attacks are a common occurrence in my life. This is helpful for me because it reminds me that I’m not beyond help during my attacks.

[whitegoldtower]

Panic attack tips from someone who has them pretty much every day, and is currently having one:

- wash your face with cold water. Wash your hands and your feet. Put something cold on the back of your neck.

- Take a shit. No, seriously. Take a shit and tell yourself that you’re shitting out the panic. It’s disgusting but if/when you do take a shit, it’s probably going to be loose, and isn’t gonna look like a normal shit. This is fine, it’s just because your body is telling you that you’re in danger, so you’ve gotta evacuate your guts so you can run quicker.

- Sip ice cold water.

- if you get chills, grab a hot water bottle and cuddle it. Grab a person and cuddle them. If you have a pet, pet them. If you have other people in your house, there’s no shame in needing their company. There’s also no shame in waking them up if you have them at 3AM (as I usually do).

- Inhale for six, exhale for six, hold for three or four.

- if you feel sick, sip water and/or take a stomach settler like omeprazole.

- Relax your shoulders, unclench your jaw.

- gently tap your face with your fingertips. Gently scrape your chest outwards. Rub your stomach clockwise. Rub your feet against the bedsheets.

- Pick a colour and count every object you can see in that colour.

- Brush your teeth / use mouthwash. Strong mint taste usually helps bring me out of an attack.

- Sometimes it’s best to just lay down and shake for a bit. Just let it happen, as scary as it seems. If you feel really restless, just shake your fucking leg. Shake it like a polaroid picture.

- Acknowledge that it’s just a panic attack. When you feel one coming on, don’t start googling your symptoms. You know it’s just a panic attack. You know your brain is being goofy. When I feel my pulse about to spike, I press my fingers to my pulse and go “it’s nothing to worry about. Watch now; it’s going to go up.” And when it does go up, “See? There it is. And now my chest is going to start hurting.”

- Make it funny. Your body is shitting itself and being fucking goofy as hell. I picture cartoon skedaddle sounds when my pulse goes up and explosive fart sounds when my brain tries to convince me I’m dying. I look off to an imaginary camera like I’m having a fleabag moment.

- Remember that a panic attack won’t kill you. It’s scary as fuck and feels horrific, but it won’t hurt you. You’re okay.

- Keep yourself occupied. Do something that requires you to think, so that your brain doesn’t get the chance to make you worry about your symptoms.

- The pain in your chest isn’t a fucking heart attack. You’re not dying, you’re just panicking. That sense of impending doom? Yeah, that’s part of the panic attack. You’re fine, you’re safe.

- It’s okay to go to sleep. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. If you feel really scared, have someone sleep next to you. If you’re alone and it’s unbearable, go to the hospital, or just somewhere with other humans that you feel comfortable taking a nap: humans generally tend to rush to help each other, so if anything bad does happen (which it won’t), someone will help you.

- if you’re struggling to relax, hit your brain with ye olde factory reset and watch a show you used to watch as a child. It is a fairly common occurrence to see me (a fully grown man) shaking like a shitting dog, rubbing his feet together, cuddling a pillow and watching that little blue twat Iggle Piggle dancing around on screen with ya boy Makka Pakka.

[littlerosetrove]

As someone who has enough experience with panic attacks (0/10, do not recommend), I hope my tips on how to stop a panic attack helps someone.

Taking measured and even breaths. Counting in your head, inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds. I know this is hard to do once you're in the middle of a panic attack, but it's still something to work towards.

Go to a less stimulating and quiet area if you can and/or need to. Hopefully you can take however long you need to recenter yourself.

Once you're more "under control," focusing on the present in small ways helps. This can mean finding and identifying objects around you. So internally your conversation may sound like, "I see 5 baskets on that shelf. There are three books on this table. I like the purple cover. The wall in front of me is white, and the wall behind me is green" and so on and so forth.

Drink water.

If I'm around other people and I'm okay enough to continue to be around them, having them continue on as normal is best for me at least. Personally I've almost always had my husband by me, so I'll ask him to let anyone else know to continue on as normal. For me, having anyone point out or linger on the fact I just had a panic attack is not helpful. As well, like me you may not be able to participate in the conversation going on, which is okay, but again having those around me continue on as normal helps.

For me at least, after a panic attack I remain on a hair trigger, so to speak, for a period of time, which means the smallest and seemingly most innocuous thing can cause me to panic again. Thus, the points above aid me in steering away from another panic attack.

It's also common for me to be unable to talk leading up to a panic attack (which can happen very quickly), when I'm in the middle of one, and for a period of time afterward. My husband is familiar with this. When this happens for me, I will either write what I need to say on paper (if available) or just text my husband.

If anyone has any other tips they'd like to pass on, please feel free to add on.

[joyceee1995]

Hi. It's my 1st time here in tumblr. My cousin recommended this social media app where she told me I can find so many posts or forums about anxiety and panic attacks. I am experiencing it again after 2 years of no "attacks" at all. 2015 when I started feeling of being anxious and thinking I was about to die because of having heart attack like symptoms but found out that I was having anxiety when I'm gone for a check up and laboratories. ECG is normal. Thyroid tests is normal. 2015-2017 I suffered almost everyday having these heart attack like symptoms. I was in a BPO company by then and almost everyday I go to the clinic to have my bp and heart rate checked. That's horribly and embarassing it was for 2 years. But thankfully, our doctor and nurses in that company were so kind and understanding of my situation. Actually our Doctor, she was the one who diagnosed me of having anxiety. She even did a counselling for me. There were times that we are just talking for about an hour. Laugh. And cry. I am very thankful to that Doctor because I begun to manage my anxiety. After 2 years, I feel better and didn't had any symptoms or being anxious. I felt free and so happy. That finally I can breathe and live a happy life. But just this 2020, it trigerred again. It starts with the shrimp. Yes shrimp. There's this one day I ate shrimp and felt dizzy after so I checked my bp and got surprised I had 160/100. That is the 1st time I had that one. Normally, I had 90/60 - 120/80 bp. Then after that day, it all started. I began feeling anxious, had palpitations and checked my bp everyday and it went on a high bp result. So, I decided to go to a doctor again and had a check up. Again, Normal ECG. Normal thyroid tests. So they are ruling out it's my anxiety again. ( this is a different doctor. I told her about everything. That I had anxiety 2 years ago and been okay for 2 years and now I am feeling anxious again since I checked my bp after feeling dizzy when I ate shrimp ). So she gave me propranolol for the palpitation. And we are gonna be doing further laboratories for us to say that I was being hypertensive or having a hypertension. But, she was ruling out that it was my anxiety again. Is there anyone here that had the same experience with me? Please help me. I am so scared. I have a 2 years old daughter and I don't want to die.