Prevalence of Panic and Anxiety
This article contains some information about the prevalence of anxiety and panic attacks, my professional experience with people who experience chronic anxiety and panic attacks, as well as strategies to gain control of them. There are also a few links below from Amazon which have some gift ideas for people who suffer from anxiety and panic disorders.
In my over 20 years as a therapist and social worker, anxiety and panic attacks are some of the most common symptoms and diagnoses that I encounter in my practice. Arguably, anxiety is the most prevalent mental health disorder across the world, fact check Google.
Very often anxiety and panic attacks are symptoms of other mental health disorders such as PTSD or can occur during an adverse life experience such as intimate partner abuse. Anxiety often develops from heightened stress which may develop during a particular time in one’s life, it could be related to school, or a major life event such as buying a new home, a growing family, financial stress, change in job, divorce, moving, the end of a significant relationship and so on… you get the point.
Anxiety is classified as a mood disorder and panic attacks often coincide with anxiety as an intense anxious response. Our environment and life circumstances as well as the strategies we employ to address the anxiety can have a major impact on the degree to which we experience those symptoms. Learning the strategies to help us manage and cope with the anxiety will help you live a life of more complete wellness.
Just because you are struggling with anxiety and/or panic attacks presently, does not mean that it is a life sentence, as a very wise man once said, be the master of your destiny (Darth Vader?) and take control of your anxiety and thereby your panic attacks.
Approaches
We live in an anxious world, there is no avoiding it unless you live in some far-flung corner of the world without the internet and little to no world news. Anxiety and worry are all around us and I don’t see that changing anytime too soon, which is why I believe it is better approached from a maintenance standpoint versus an eradication standpoint. Some of you might disagree with that statement, and I welcome comments and other perspectives to be shared in the comment section below.
I do, of course, always hope that we can completely get rid of something like panic attacks or anxiety, however, I am a realist and there are no guarantees in life, at all. The future is a big unknown, therefore as a therapist and social worker, I see it as my job to arm people with information and strategies that will bring confidence the next time they are confronted with a challenge, any challenge, mental health or otherwise.
I often talk with my clients, at some stage, about acceptance of the anxiety and panic that they might endure, helping them to recognize it, when it is happening and how to work with it, rather than trying to push it away. I always encourage note-taking and documenting the circumstances around the panic attack. An example of a data collector that you can use is available here.
After all, you are the expert on you, your anxiety, your feelings, and your experiences, collecting this data and putting it in one place can help you find the connections to be able to pinpoint why you might be having these sudden panic attacks and help you understand the circumstances in which they are occurring. And once you know “the why”, you can begin to work on “the what” and “the how“, this will help you outline the plan and steps you might consider to create change and thereby minimize your symptoms.
Panic attacks are one of those things that have the potential of creating more anxiety during an episode. A person will very often recognize that they are experiencing a panic attack which will trigger increased anxiety and therefore more intense symptoms during the attack itself.
Some of these symptoms include a tightness in their chest or difficulty breathing, it is also very often mistaken for a heart attack as I have met many people in the Emergency Rooms of hospitals once a heart attack is ruled out. I should note that it is always important to seek medical advice or consultation if you are concerned about a medical issue, a heart attack is a serious health concern and should always be addressed with urgency.
If it is indeed a panic attack your doctor will be able to recommend treatment and or might be a good avenue to seek out therapy. The other benefit to ruling out medical issues is that in my experience, health concerns are a big part of the worry or anxiety for people, again ruling this out can put one’s mind at ease and help them to address the mental health aspect of their symptoms and underlying causes.
What to Do if You are Having a Panic Attack.
- As I mentioned earlier, don’t fight it. It is a feeling or a sensation and it will go away. The less energy you put into it, the quicker it will end. Do your best to keep doing what you are doing and regulate your breathing (more on that below). If you need to remove yourself from your environment and can do this safely, do so, sometimes taking a bathroom break where you have privacy can help. The idea of being a “spectacle” can again, further ignite the anxiety response or panic attack. If you are in school, sometimes the nurse’s office is an option.
- If you have a trusted friend that can accompany you in these moments, that can be reassuring. It might, however, be good to talk to your friend about what you are experiencing as this will help them to better support you when needed, it will also help them to not feel caught off guard, furthermore, asking for their help and having their permission will also help to preserve the relationship, (more on that in a later post). If the panic attacks are new for you, you may yourself be caught off guard, however, if you are reading this post, you have likely already experienced something that resembles a panic attack, so mystery solved there. Regardless of whether or not you are well versed in the experience or a newbie, it can be very scary and whatever you are going to find most comforting to you, that is available at the moment, is advisable.
- Focused, regulated breathing is one of the “go to’s” when experiencing a panic attack. Taking slow deep breathes, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Some people like to count slowly while doing this, in three and out of three and others might prefer more of a visual image, the “triangle breathing strategy” is one such example, as seen below. I found this diagram on a great website, www.copingskillsforkids.com. Although this is identified for kids, it works just as well for teens and adults.
Weighted Blankets
Some people find that using a weighted blanket helps reduce anxiety (as well as sleep challenges), which can, in turn, reduce panic attacks, and since we know that one leads to the other, I have included a few links below for reference. The items I have listed below and have proven to be effective in reducing anxiety. Many of my clients have found weighted blankets to be beneficial. Choosing a product is an individual decision and I would encourage you to read the reviews for yourself and decide if this is the right blanket for you. It is recommended that you not have a blanket that is more than 10% of your body weight.
A variety of weights are available and somewhere in the midrange in terms of cost.
If you have a little extra spend this also has great reviews and options for different weights as well.
If you are looking for an option for kids, you can check this one out, also
What’s Next for You
Collecting data about your symptoms and frequency is a valuable way to being to target the challenges and issues that you may be confronting. My data collector, available here, is one such way that you may be able to start thinking about and analyzing your anxiety and the issues with panic that are creating challenges for you in your life. This information will not only be beneficial to you personally but will be helpful information to bring to a therapy session. Together with your therapist, you will be able to look at the data and identify patterns and discern what works for you. I once worked with a man, on and off for several years who suffered from intense panic attacks. One of his top strategies was cold water, either a pool or a shower or a cool cloth on the forehead. Through trial and error, he found that this worked for him, similarly collecting this data will help you identify what works best for you. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to panic attacks and experience is the best teacher.
If you are not in therapy and interested in connecting with a therapist, I would recommend you contact your primary care physician for a referral, your health insurance company can also help give you referrals. Schools, EAPs (Employee Assistance Program), and community health centers are also very helpful resources when looking to connect yourself, or a family member to a therapist.
I know that finding a therapist these days can be challenging which is why I have partnered with an agency called Online Therapy that aims to bring therapy to people virtually from anywhere in the world. You can access this service with my affiliate link where you can get 20% off their service for the first month. If you have access to technology and don’t need to use insurance this may be a great option as a starting point towards creating the changes you want and need for a healthy well-balanced life.
Information gathering regarding your own individual patterns can provide you with the answers needed to gain control of panic attacks so that you can live a life of wellness that will leave room for hope and optimism. Panic attacks can be terribly uncomfortable and depending on the moment, awkward and even embarrassing but learning what does and doesn’t work for you will help you get through them and minimize the impact, social or otherwise, as they say… it will get better… deep breath and a step forward….
Thank You For Reading This Article!
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