Panic attack: how to fight on your own?

Sensations, which are typical for a panic attack, are familiar, perhaps, to every person.Many people became lucky and only once after experiencing this state, no longer remember about it.But there is a category of people in whom panic attacks are regular, and with each subsequent time the sensations become more pronounced and frightening.

In a panic attack, the feeling suddenly arises that "the earth is running out from under your feet," and shortly before this state, most people have had powerful stressful situations.Provoke the condition in question can and addiction to alcohol / drugs, and abortion, and the early onset of sexual activity, and painful divorce, and the death of a loved one - any factors that adversely affect the psycho-emotional background.

Everyone needs to be aware of panic attacks, because this will help not only prevent themselves from attacking themselves, but also help a loved one if this condition is already at the stage of attack.

Table of contents: Panic attack risk groups How to cope with a panic attack in the home Help for a loved one in a panic attack

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Panic attack groups

In medicine, it is common to distinguish two groups of people who are susceptible to the condition in question.

Risk group 1

It refers to people of young or middle age, who in the eyes of others look quite safe.They are characterized by reliable, courageous, able to overcome any obstacles in life, make a deafening career, never show their true emotions in public and have an acute sense of responsibility.

Perhaps the listed qualities to someone seem just perfect, but the problem still exists.The fact is that such "courageous / reliable / responsible" accumulate stressful moments inside themselves, the body is tired and its overstrain "dumps" with a fit of panic attack.

Risk group 2

It refers to people who live in "greenhouse" conditions, and in fact they contradict the essence of ordinary life, when you need to constantly develop, move forward and even fight for your "place under the sun."The result of this life is an internal conflict - a person can not fully realize and the body protests with a panic attack.

How to cope with a panic attack in the home

Doctors give clear recommendations, which should be heeded by those people for whom panic attacks are common. They will help you to cope with the next seizure:

1. It is necessary to think that even such an unpleasant state and frightening sensations are not dangerous to health, and the attack will soon end.If the seizures are regular, then you should write something calming on a piece of paper - for example, "This condition will soon disappear, I will cope with fears and panic, nothing terrible will happen to me."This note is desirable to always carry with you and at the first signs of a panic attack just a few times calmly and slowly read the text.
2. You need to try to control your own breathing.Sensation of lack of air, quickening of breathing is just a reaction of the body to fear.But it is the rapid breathing that leads to an increase in the level of carbon dioxide in the blood, which provokes the development of all other sensations characteristic of the condition in question.So, what you need to do:
   • breathe as deeply and smoothly as possible;
   • breathing in on the account 1, 2;
   • then follows to hold your breath for two seconds;
   • exhale is necessarily longer than inhalation and should account for 1, 2, 3.
3. Try to take your mind off the unpleasant sensations for something real.You can count the buttons on the clothes of others, remember the birthdays of relatives and friends( dates), read the name of the store on the contrary.In general, any real action will certainly distract a person from their own condition, and during this time the body will return to normal.
4. Work with the muscles - they need to be alternately relaxed and strained.It starts with the calf muscles, gradually "moving" up the body.It is worth knowing one thing: such relaxation / muscle tension must necessarily be combined with breathing: inhale - tension, exhalation - relaxation.
5. Talk.If there is someone nearby or relatives, then just start a conversation on any topic, if you are in an unfamiliar place, then call someone by phone or ask a stranger for a banal( for example, how to get to a stop).Such a concentration on another task will allow one to distract, soften the symptoms of the state in question.
6. For yourself, create maximum physical comfort.If the heat begins, then wash with cold water or take a cool shower, if there are cold sensations in the limbs, then put on warm socks, take a hot bath or drink a cup of hot tea.
7. Try to control your thoughts.Determine the cause of the attack and change the situation - turn on the TV, leave the room, move away from the surrounding people.
8. Return to business.They can be quite ordinary - start cleaning in an apartment / house, wash your shoes and so on.At first, these activities are unlikely to distract from a panic attack, but do not throw it off - plunging into the matter, the body will return to normal.
9. Stand in front of the mirror and smile.At first the smile will look like a terrible grin, but as the movements recur, the muscles will work better and the mood will certainly rise.You can even just curl in front of the mirror - the work of the facial muscles will distract from the unpleasant sensations characteristic of a panic attack.

If attacks of panic attack occur regularly, it is worth considering the correction of the regime of life, nutrition.Doctors recommend more frequent outdoor activities, include lean meat, fatty fish, vegetables and fruits in your diet.Very positively affect the health and exclusion of alcohol, an excellent option for preventing panic attacks are considered and relaxation techniques that help get rid of stress.

Helping a loved one with a panic attack

When you are near a person who has started a panic attack, you can and should make some efforts to help him cope with the problem. What you need to do:

1. Stand opposite the person, take his hand and calmly, without saying a raise, say to him: "I'm near, the state is not dangerous, it's all over now."Do not let go of a person until the attack of panic attack is over.
2. Ask him to adjust his breathing.Let a person breathe deeply and calmly, you can do it with him and by count - inhale "one, two" / exhale "one, two, three".Let the person in a panic attack utter.You can not interrupt him, take him to another place, or simply throw him alone.It is extremely desirable to maintain calm and confidence at the same time.

Note: if a panic attack occurred with a loved one, then in no case should you worry, worry and be nervous - this can increase the attack, worsen the patient's condition.After the panic attack is over, it is advisable to talk with the patient and explain the need for seeking qualified medical help.

As a rule, a panic attack is a "complex" of biological and psychological factors.Therefore, this problem will have to be addressed first to the therapist, and he will give a referral to a narrower specialist - a neurologist, a psychotherapist, a cardiologist.Only with the help of special techniques will it be possible to undergo really effective treatment.Unfortunately, independent treatment of the results will not.

Tsygankova Yana Aleksandrovna, medical reviewer, therapeutist of the highest qualification category