What are Panic Attacks?
If you are asking yourself the question "what are panic attacks?" then the chances are you have recently started having panic attacks yourself or you are trying to better understand a friend or family member who experiences them. A panic attack is where excessive stress and anxiety reach a climax resulting in extreme and frightening physical sensations. It is an inappropriate activation of the bodies fight or flight response to a perceived danger that isn't actually there. FEAR! False Evidence Appearing Real!
Many people who experience a panic attack for the first time are convinced that they are having a heart attack. That is how intense and frightening panic attacks symptoms can be. But the good news is that nobody has ever died from having a panic attack. It is important to understand that a panic attack can’t harm or kill you. That knowledge can help reduce the power that a panic attack has over you. It can be reassuring to know that what you are experiencing feels far worse than it really is.
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It can be very difficult for your loved ones to imagine or even understand what you are going through when you are having a panic attack. They may lose patience with you, tell you to “get over it”, or think you're faking it. Some people can be completely oblivious as to what are panic attacks and this can be very distressing to those that experience them as it can make them feel very isolated and misunderstood.
The particular situations that trigger panic and anxiety vary for each person that experiences them. Panic attacks symptoms whilst similar for all sufferers will still vary. Different people may experience different bodily sensations for example. What's important to realize is that panic attacks are very real to the people who are having them and they should never be pushed off to the side.
Panic attacks don’t always get triggered by threatening situations or environments. Even being in a safe place with no obvious trigger can bring on a panic attack out of nowhere for some people. Even in the safety of their home the four walls of their living room can feel like they are closing in on them. Feeling of breathlessness and the fear that they are dying may ensue.
They may step outside for some fresh air and began deep breathing exercises. Their symptoms will eventually go away, but leave them wondering why exactly they had that attack. There was no obvious reason, no stressful situation, and no indicator that a panic attack might be impending. That's the strange thing about panic. Sometimes your mind can play tricks on you. FEAR! False Evidence Appearing Real!
Even when you think you're in no danger of having a panic attack, your brain might be feeling differently. That's the scary part. The good part is that you can learn how to stop panic attacks and cope much better when you find yourself in that situation.
Having answered the question "what are panic attacks?" you might like to read an example of what a panic attacks feels like from the point of view of somebody who is actually having one.
What Does a Panic Attack Feel Like?
