“Suddenly I feel dizzy and in pain, with rapid heartbeat and breathing, trembling all over, dry mouth. My legs are buckling, and I'm afraid I might fall and lose consciousness. I might have a heart attack or even a brain tumor, and it feels like I might die right now.” This is the inner reality of a person suffering from panic attacks.

Panic attacks are characterized by episodes of acute fear, they begin suddenly and last for a short period of time. The first time symptoms often appear due to fatigue, emotional overload, or lack of sleep amid constant stress. The anticipation of the next panic attack causes fear, and the so-called anticipatory anxiety arises. Gradually, the personality and character of the person change. Panic attacks develop into a more severe condition known as "panic disorder."

Symptoms of Panic Attacks. Panic attacks manifest on physical, emotional, mental levels, as well as in behavior. Physical reactions include tachycardia, hot flashes, sweating episodes, trembling, tingling, numbness of hands and feet, dry mouth, dizziness, etc. On a cognitive level, the predominant feelings are fear of death, going crazy, or losing control, etc. From a behavioral perspective, there is a tendency to avoid situations that triggered the first panic attack. The listed symptoms appear suddenly, without a preceding external trigger.

What causes "panic disorder"? It all stems from a stress-weakened nervous system. Stress hormones are released into the blood, primarily adrenaline. But this alone is not enough to develop the disorder. When this happens in an inappropriate situation where the person feels helpless (in an elevator, in an unfamiliar place, in a closed space, etc.), it can become genuinely terrifying. The person is engulfed in fear not only because of the unpleasant symptoms but also the horror that no one will be able to help.

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This fear remains in memory forever. And when a person ends up in a similar situation, riding alone in an elevator or in a stuffy room, etc., their brain can automatically remember everything and trigger panic again. Adrenaline is released into the blood again, causing heartbeat, rapid breathing, trembling, fear, etc. Neither the heart, nor the vessels, nor the lungs are damaged, it's just that adrenaline forces them to work at full capacity. And so it turns into a vicious circle - the fear of physical reactions causes a panic attack, which in turn causes fear again, and so on.

To understand how your imagination triggers physical reactions and can provoke fear, follow this exercise, it will take no more than 5 minutes.

Exercise: imagine there is a table in front of you, and on the table, there is a cutting board and a lemon. Next to the board is a knife. The lemon is ripe, yellow, and juicy. Pick up the lemon and cut it. You catch the tangy smell of lemon, and the juice flows onto the board and your fingers. Pick up a slice of lemon and bring it to your mouth. Now bite a piece. Do you feel the sour juice in your mouth? Are you grimacing?

Now you understand how thoughts and imagination affect our body. Of course, thinking about a lemon is not dangerous, but panic attacks are another matter, however, the good news is that you can learn to control your fears and change your thoughts, and thus combat panic attacks.

Panic disorder is one of the most easily treatable mental disorders, the illness is treated with medication and psychotherapy. Unfortunately, these two methods do not work well alone, but together they significantly increase the chances of recovery.

So, if you or your loved ones experience a panic attack, then:

1. Distract yourself with some simple and rhythmic activity, such as walking quickly, counting your steps.
2. Use breathing techniques in combination with movement, the so-called abdominal breathing (2 sets of 10 breathing cycles: slow inhalation through the nose to "inflate" the abdomen - hold for several seconds - slow exhalation through the nose or mouth until all the air is exhaled)
3. Shift your attention from your body to the objects around you, often focusing on panic symptoms prolongs and intensifies them, so you need to occupy your mind with something else, for example, find all objects of one color, etc.

In the periods between attacks, it is useful to take care of your physical health, balance nutrition, add sports. This will help harmonize the nervous system, make it more resistant to external stimuli, and meditation will help you learn to control your emotional reactions.

And it is important to remember that a panic attack indeed causes a feeling of fear, but this happens only in your imagination.

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