Draft:Anxiety Attacks

• Comment: More sources needed. Significa liberdade (she/her) (talk) 02:47, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

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An anxiety attack is a physical response in the body that typically occurs when someone is stressed or has too much on their plate. They can also be caused by many mental disorders, or they could be a response to a trigger. Everyone experiences anxiety attacks differently, but some of the most common symptoms include lightheadedness, sweating, heart palpitations, uncontrollable/racing thoughts, feeling like you can't catch your breath, panic, excessive worry, and many more. Anxiety attacks are very similar to and often misinterpreted as panic attacks however there are many differences between the two.

Anxiety Attacks vs Panick Attacks

While the two can have many of the same symptoms, anxiety attacks come in all different degrees of intensity while panic attacks are always highly intense. Anxiety attacks are generally an intense worry or fear that you can't get out of your mind, this fear might take over all of your thoughts triggering a fight or flight response in your mind. Your mind will try to fight itself, knowing there is no physical danger present while also believing you are still in danger. However, during panic attacks, it is much more difficult for your brain to process that there's no physical danger. These attacks are typically more sudden: one second, you're doing the dishes, and the next you're sitting on the floor crying. During panic attacks, it's likely that you won't really know what's happening, you might forget where you are, what you're doing; your brain is processing everything as an attack and telling you that you aren't safe. Anxiety attacks are often less severe, sometimes you can feel them coming, but not always. With anxiety attacks you will still be aware of your surroundings, knowing where you are and what you're doing, though your thoughts may be scattered, and you may feel some disorientation.

How to Cope

Anxiety and panic attacks are extremely scary to go through, most people don't understand what's happening to them at first. Once you're able to realize what's going on, it becomes much easier to calm yourself down. The best ways to manage an anxiety or panic attack are to redirect your thoughts by focusing on something else. For example, the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 technique. This technique is a form of grounding, look around you and try to count 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. There are many other ways to cope of course, different techniques work for different people, and getting through one anxiety attack will not prevent future ones from happening. If you continue to have severe anxiety or panic attacks, reach out to a professional for help. They can give you tips on how to manage an attack before it gets too intense. They can also prescribe medicine to help prevent future attacks.

How to Help

If you notice someone near you might be having an anxiety or panic attack, there are a few things you can do to help. First, be sure to stay calm, if both of you are panicking it will only make things worse. Try to get their attention and have them focus on you, maybe try having them count with you or mimic your breathing pattern. Always be sure to ask them what you can do to help first, this may not be their first time experiencing them so they might have a specific technique that works best for them. Try to remind them that they are okay and that they are safe, sometimes being reminded that they are not in any danger helps reboot their mind allowing them to calm down. Always do your best to help, even if you just sit with them while they regain control, just knowing that you're there and that you care could be all the help they need to feel safe.