How To Help Someone Who's Having A Panic Attack?

Do you ever feel a situation when you start panicking? You cannot breathe, there is a heaviness in your chest and you start sweating even if it is the month of December! Coupled with this, you may feel like you are having a heart attack. But eventually, after some time you are normal as if nothing has happened!!! Well, In the language of medicine, this is called having a panic attack. Furthermore, panic attacks can affect you physically as well as mentally. Meanwhile, panic attacks can occur when you are having anxiety. Overthinking, over worrying about any incident, or over-fearing about things can lead you to anxiety. Similarly, if you are anxious about anything you may end up having several panic attacks. 

Is Having a Panic Attack Normal? 

Well, some people have three or four panic attacks in their lifetimes and that is normal. Furthermore, others panic whenever they are over-stressed or overly worried about anything. That state is normal if the problem goes away later. Meanwhile, panic attacks are not life-threatening. However, if you are facing panic attacks more often, it is better to take some steps. You can talk to any therapist or psychiatrist and get rid of it with the help of medications and prescribed medicines. 

What Causes Panic Attacks? 

Overthinking or over worrying about certain things can lead to panic attacks. For example, if you have social anxiety and you are supposed to present a seminar, you may have a panic attack moment before attending the seminar. Similarly, when you are worried about your results you may have a panic attack a night before your results get declared. In this situation, it is normal to panic for some time. Anxiety, depression, and other types of mental illness can lead to having panic attacks. 

Symptoms of Panic Attacks 

• Difficulty in breathing 
• The heartbeat becomes faster. 
• Shaking in your body 
• Sweating 
• Numbness in your body 
• Fear of dying 
• Nausea 
• Dizziness 
• Chills 

How to Help a Person Suffering from a Panic Attack? 

The main reason for anxiety and panic attacks is overthinking or over worrying. Meanwhile, without us realizing it, a lot of things can result in getting a panic attack. Furthermore, it is necessary that if you are suffering from a panic attack, you should reach out for help. On the other hand, if you see someone else having a panic attack you can try many ways to calm down the person. 

1. Stay calm. Do not allow the scenario to overrun you. Your low-key behavior may be a model on your friend and allow them to realize everything's OK. 
2. Stick around. The fine factor you may do to help with a panic attack is to live and help your friend experience it out. Most panic attacks ease up in 20 to 30 minutes. 
3. Do your pleasant to be understanding, positive, and encouraging. Ask what the purpose of your friend's panic is. That can allow them to take a step back and think about the scenario more rationally. 

What To Do When You are Facing a Panic Attack?  

• Deep breath: Keep breathing no matter what. 
• Drink some water: People feel thirsty while having a panic attack. Make them drink some water. They can have lemon juice too as it provides energy. 
• Distraction: When someone is panicking about anything, try to divert their mind from that thought. Moreover, they can try to listen to music. Similarly, they can watch their favorite show that cheers them up. You can also try to talk to them about different topics to distract their mind.  
• Do meditation: Meditation and yoga have proven to be a tremendous help for the one suffering from panic attacks. Daily medication helps anyone stay calm and reduce stress. 
• Get some fresh air: Help the person to get some fresh air. Meanwhile, staying alone may make the person more panicked. 
• Do not overthink: The more someone thinks about it the more panic they become. Let the person know that they are strong and they will be all right. 
• Read or write: Build a habit of reading and writing. Every time you feel panic, try to pick your favorite fiction, and forget about your worries. Apart from that, if you make a habit of writing, you can vent out your feelings and fears in the pages of your diary. This helps you feel tons better. 
• Most importantly, let the person know that they are not alone in this. As overthinking is all about a person's mind. The more they think the situation can get worse for them. 

A Better Approach 

Having panic attacks or anxiety is a sign that you are having some mental health issues. Furthermore, having panic attacks is normal and can be cured. But sometimes it becomes tough for the person and there are a lot of reasons for this. Firstly, in our society, there is still not enough awareness about mental health and its importance. Similarly, those who suffer from it are afraid of sharing it in public. They carry a fear of being judged by society. Additionally, they decide to fight with it alone. As a result, it may end up creating serious issues for them. Moreover, if you are facing mental health issues like panic attacks, all you need to do is ask for help. Talk to the people about it. It depends on your mind and how you control it. Meanwhile, yoga and meditation help in relaxing your mind. You can try talking to therapists if you are having panic attacks regularly.