Soul Care #19: Panic Attacks

Anxiety continued

Panic attacks are another manifestation of anxiety. They are a real physiological phenomenon that feels like a heart attack. They usually look like raised blood pressure, increased heart rate, feelings of breathlessness, tightness in the throat, sweating. It is the body's reaction to significant stress, not usually from a direct trigger but a past one. It is the result of a build up that the body can't physically taken anymore. It usually lasts 5-6 minutes, and then it's over. It is highly embarrassing for them because they truly feel out of control of their own body.

A minor example of this is like what happened when you pushed yourself in college during finals. You put up it as long as you need to, and afterwards you get sick. The body cannot avoid eventually reacting to pent-up stress in some physical way.

To help a friend in the middle of an attack, get them to breathe with you slowly. Acknowledge their anxiety. Help them relax, close their eyes, think about restful places. Later on when they are able to talk, don't be afraid to discuss it openly with them. Sometimes people who have had attacks panic about future panic, become reclusive and pull away so they won't be embarrassed again. When you speak it outloud, it doesn't have the same overpowering effect. You can help them think about what a previous triggering event to the onset of stress may have been.