What to do if you’re having a panic attack.

If you’re having a panic attack right now, I’m so sorry. It’s truly horrible. I have survived over 1,000, so I’d like to share some tips that have helped me. They may or may not work for you, but anything is worth a go, right?

This article is aimed at people who know that they suffer from panic attacks and have ruled out other medical conditions that may be causing their symptoms. If you are unsure, please see your GP.

Try to relax physically.

The chances are your body is really tense right now, and that is only going to fuel the anxiety. The first thing to do is tackle your breathing because there’s a good chance you are over-breathing (probably without realising) and that leads to hyperventilation which can cause some of the nasty symptoms you might be experiencing, e.g. chest pain, dizziness, being unable to catch your breath, heart palpitations, feeling sick, tingling etc. These symptoms are real and alarming, so no wonder you’re freaking out. But there is a physical reason behind them and it’s not that you’re dying.

There are lots of breathing exercises out there, but the one I find easiest to remember and do in these situations is to try and breathe out for two seconds longer than you breathed in. This will increase the CO2 in your blood and reduce the symptoms of hyperventilation. You can achieve the same effect by breathing into a paper bag, but honestly who ever has a paper bag on them?! (Top tip: airplane sick bags are awesome for this if you happen to be mid-flight).

At the same time, do whatever you can do relax the muscles in your body. Your shoulders are probably up around your ears right now. Drop those shoulders! Massage your face! Stroke your ears. Whatever works for you.

Remove any constricting clothing. I’m talking bra, ties, that kind of thing.

A weird thing I like to do is go to the bathroom (my place of refuge in these times), wet some tissue with cold water and dab it on my forehead and back of my neck. The coolness works wonders.

I also find drinking peppermint tea really helpful. For a start, you can’t hyperventilate when you’re drinking — it’s physically impossible. Also it’s really settling on the stomach, which can shut down when you’re stressed. If you don’t like peppermint tea, then drink water, or anything decaffeinated. I find being dehydrated can bring on symptoms too.

Next, tackle your mind.

Once you’ve started to tackle the physical symptoms (and you will need to work on this continually — keep those shoulders down, slow that breathing!), you need to be really kind to yourself and talk to yourself in a gentle and reassuring voice and say things like:

I am fine. I am going to be fine. This will pass. I feel like hell but it’s okay. I will get through this. I will be okay.

And repeat. And you really have to try to believe it. Easier said than done, I know. But practise. You’ll get better at it.

Another thing you can do is distract yourself. Preferably with something mundane that occupies your brain in a mindless way. Like counting bathroom tiles, counting backwards from 100, going through the alphabet and trying to think of animals or countries or foods etc that start with the letters. Do anything to take your mind off your symptoms.

If you find you really cannot cope.

If you really feel desperate and scared, and trust me I completely understand this, you have a couple of options:

• get checked out. Get a GP appointment, or call the NHS non-emergency number, 111, which is a 24 hour service and they will advise you accordingly. Try to avoid going to A&E if you can. I know it feels like a life or death situation, but if it’s really a panic attack, there’s not a lot they can do for you. If you feel it’s really urgent, try the techniques above for at least an hour to see if you can improve by yourself first.
• accept your death. It sounds ridiculous but after I got to about 1,000 attacks I just thought, oh sod it, I’m so bored of this, just do your worst. And incredibly the panic pretty much dissipated. It doesn’t work every time but honestly if you’re going to die, you’re going to die — there’s no point tensing up about it.

If you’ve been suffering from panic attacks for a long time.

If you find yourself in this joyous club, please don’t despair. You are not alone, and you can learn to manage the condition and enjoy a fulfilling life, even if you carry on having attacks.

I expect a lot of people reading this article will be shocked to read that I have this problem because I don’t really talk about it. — not because I’m embarrassed, but because there’s really no need to. I don’t let it limit me or guide my decisions (though this wasn’t true at the beginning) and I can handle life just as well as the next person. I would hate for anyone to treat me differently. But I wanted to ‘come out’ because I know it’s something that affects a lot of people and it’s really distressing and if my experience can help in any way, then it’s worth it.

Anyway, here are some great things you can do to manage your panic attacks long-term:

• There are some fantastic apps for reducing anxiety mid-attack. My favourite was Panic Attack Aid but I’m not sure if it’s still maintained, and there’s a more recent one which is kind of like a game with a ship which is kind of fun — called Flowy. (Forgive me for only posting iOS links here). I suggest you google ‘panic attack apps’, try a couple and see which ones work for you.
• Get counselling. Cognitive behavioural therapy was a real turning point for me. It helps you recognise your triggers and tackle the vicious cycle of physical symptoms and anxiety egging each other on. It’s also good to try and address any underlying stressors in your life because if you let them build up for too long, one day your cup overflows and your body flips out. You can cope for years and years, and then all of a sudden (usually when you feel fine — you can be just sitting on the sofa) you find yourself in a full blown attack. So look after yourself mentally. Talk to yourself nicely. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Get stuff off your chest.
• Get physically healthy. This is really such dull advice, I loathe to include it, but I have found that eating well and being active does help — although be warned, post-exercise aches often trigger attacks for me — it took me ages to work out what it was!

If you’re early in your panic attack career.

As I said earlier, if you’re unsure if you’re having panic attacks or not, get yourself checked out medically first to make sure it’s not something else. That way you’ll have a better chance of believing yourself when you’re trying to reassure yourself. I do know what it’s like trying to believe doctors when they say there’s nothing wrong though.

I hope this helps anyway. I’d love to hear your feedback. And if you need support and want someone to talk to, I’m here. I might not be able to message back straight away, but I’ll try to come back to you eventually.

Hugs, health and sympathy. You will get through this.
Frances xxx