A panic attack is a feeling of acute anxiety. Sometimes a panic attack can last from 10 to 30 minutes. Some of the symptoms of panic attacks are shaking, nausea, hyperventilation, palpitation of heart, irregular heartbeats, breathlessness or choking, dizziness and sweating, to name a few. During panic attacks, some of us might lose control or feel that we are about to die, but these tips might help you deal with the stressful situation in an efficient way.
Breathe in and out as slowly as can. Inhale deep breaths through your nose and exhale it gently through your mouth.
Try to divert your mind or distract yourself from the panic situation. Here are some tricks you can use: talk to a friend over the phone or someone who is around, counts numbers in the backward order, hum a song or anything that helps you calm down.
Whenever you think you are getting a panic attack, stay put where you are, do not move until the feeling of excessive stress subsides. You might get nervous and would want to run away from there, but try saying this in your mind that it is just a phase that will pass away.
It's ok to feel scared when you suffer a panic attack, but don’t try to avoid that situation. Most of us have the fear of unknown, but if you confront it then you would realize that you can actually overcome that situation.
During a panic attack, it's important to relax your muscles. Some of the important muscles are mouth, jaw, arms, hands, stomach, thighs and feet. Relaxing your muscles would also help you to shift your focus from the stressful situation.