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Panic Attack Symptoms and Causes

It can be very difficult to explain to another person the shear terror that you can experience when having a panic attack, and it can also feel like you are completely alone and have no one to turn to. Fortunately you are not, and you should know that many people have dealt with and continue to deal with issues of anxiety; including the kind of social anxiety that can cause a panic attack to happen.
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Because of their extreme symptoms on the person who is experiencing them, many people mistake an anxiety attack as not only just a heart attack but also a mental breakdown.

It is neither of those, but in fact a build up of elements that you can be experiencing which can trigger the result an episode of mental and physical panic.

Common Panic Attack Symptoms

There are many symptoms that people can experience when having some form of an anxiety attack, but usually it is a combination of things. Below is a list of any number of physical sensations or thoughts and feelings that can combine to make the world feel like it is closing in around you.

  • dizziness
  • shortness of breath
  • rapid heart beat
  • increased sweating
  • weak sensation in knees
  • thoughts of total despair
  • hyperventilation
  • increase in pulse
  • the desperate need to escape a situation
  • negative thinking towards own mortality
  • shaking
  • blurring of vision
  • feeling detached from yourself or others
  • Noticeable pressure in the head
  • feeling extremely hot
  • numbness
  • tingling
  • tightening of muscles
  • pain in chest

There are also many more symptoms that a person can experience in their own situation, but as you can see from looking over those list that these conditions can make a person feel as though they may be having a heart attack when they are actually not.

What Causes Anxiety and Panic Attacks?

There are a number of factors that can lead to this kind of episode. Many people will experience these types of feelings right after having gone through something very epic in their life.

Going through a major life’s change such as a stressful career change, adjustment to post college life, or losing someone who you loved very dearly can cause these instances to pop up later.

However, many people deal with anxiety on a day to day basis for years and are quite familiar with having a panic attack from time to time.

Social stress is a big one. I personally dealt with this for many years and had to find ways to slowly clear it away. I would get out in a social situation that would suddenly feel overwhelming to me and would have to disappear into a bathroom or some place private before I could regain control.

A very common problem that comes from having previously had a panic attack is the fear of having another one, especially in a situation or environment where you know that you could be vulnerable, and for many people this can be the number one trigger of an anxiety attack.

Yes, anyone can psych themselves into having a break down out in the open, and the interesting thing about this is that it can happen very quickly. In fact, many attacks come up fast within about ten seconds, and the symptoms start stacking on fast to the point where a person experiencing this can become disconnected with everything and feel as though they have lost control over themselves and basic functions of their body and mind.

What Can Be Done?

For some people it has taken years to find something that works for them, while others find a solution quite easily.

I personally, strongly believe in maintaining a balance which does take practice. One problem that many of us have is that we do not have an escape from ourselves nor our lives.

It is very important to detach yourself from work, and time and time again it has been shown that poor sleep can greatly agitate these problems.

The Health Elements

Sleep, good nutrition and expression of body and soul are extremely important. One suggestion that I will make is to find some form of exercising that is slow moving and puts extra emphasis on proper breathing.

Exercises

Yoga and Tai Chi are excellent for this. Some people might think that this isn’t the answer to their problem, but because breathing is a basic human function, we forget about it and neglect it. If you start consciously focusing on your breathing more, you will notice just how shallow it is probably going to be in the beginning. Its important to exercise those lungs which feed oxygine to the brain, which can help trigger the release of important inhibitors and nuero-inhibitors.

Supplements

Its also very important to educate yourself about supplements as they can help you balance everything.

Calcium tablets, magnesium and most importantly – vitamin D will not only help you sleep, but keep your mind
stable. There are also things that you can take if you don’t wish to get involved with a SSRI anti-depressant,
such as L-tyrosine and GABA, which can be found at any health food store.

Do not be afraid to ask the clerks openly about what things you can take, because these people are usually quite knowledgeable, and that helped me educate myself a lot as well.

Dealing With Social Situations

This is something that no doubt terrifies a lot of people. Becoming comfortable in social situations and beating panic attack episodes can be done however.

Its important that you take baby steps when doing this as not to overwhelm yourself. Though it may seem like a cop-out answer, its really not, as these are things that I had done to help myself as well.

Start small by being with people, without having to interact with them on a grand scale too soon. A walk in the park, or going for a walk on a bike path is good exercise, good breathing, and healthy smiles as a stranger passes with no stress.

Then, as you make a weekly habit of doing something small like this, try your best to add on something else. Get a friend or a loved one to go with you to a restaurant that is not too loud or busy.

A movie theater on a week day is also a good way to not be stressed out by too many people, but still get that social interaction.

A writing group or any kind of small meet up group would be a possible next step, as you would be surprised at how many people are making this journey with you by using this outlet.

It takes work. There are times when you don’t want to get into your car, don’t want to be seen or see anyone, but you have to nudge yourself a little, and eventually its important to not rely on a “safe person” to go with.

I can’t tell you how many inspirational people that I have seen grow themselves over time in this way, who no longer deal with any kind of panic attack symptoms or social anxiety, are always relaxed when meeting new people and have found a deeper love for themselves and have made strong connections with others.

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