For people with a panic attack, the worst case scenario is having that attack in public.
You feel bad enough because of the attack, but having strangers witnessing your most vulnerable moment may plunge you into deeper panic.
You are afraid they will look at you and think that you’re crazy. You are afraid you will do something stupid and get humiliated. You wish all of the people can disappear, oryou can disappear. You know that panic attack can be more intense in public places.
What you don’t know is that panic attack in public is not something embarrassing. There are ways to deal with it cleanly. You just have to know how to stop a panic attack in public. If you don’t know where to start, here are fifteen know-hows to stop a panic attack in public.
1. Breath Slowly
One of the symptoms of panic attack is hyperventilation or breathing too fast. This happens because your body is preparing to either fight or flight from the stressful situation you are in. When you hyperventilate, usually you will feel suffocated. Don’t worry, because you are not short on oxygen, you just inhale too much of it.
This is how to stop having a panic attack: stop your hyperventilation by regulating your breathing. Hold your breath so you will stop inhaling too much of oxygen, and the suffocating feeling will disappear. You can also slow your breath rate down.
Again, the goal is to stop inhaling too much oxygen. Finally, you can try breathing into paper bag. This way, you can inhale the carbondioxide you exhale to limit your oxygen intake.
This is one example of slow breathing. It is called 7-11 technique. First, inhale the oxygen in seven seconds. Hold it for three seconds. Finally, exhale the carbon dioxide in 11 seconds. The key in this exercise is to make your exhalation longer than your inhalation, so you will stop breathing too fast.
2. Regain your awareness
This is another answer for how to stop having a panic attack. Another common symptom of panic attack is lightheartedness. It happens because your brain switched its default thinking mode into survival mode. In survival mode, your body rely on your instinct rather than your thinking, so you will lose your ability to think as rational as usual.
Don’t worry too much, and stop this symptoms by regaining your awareness toward your condition and your surrounding. Recognize that you are not losing control but simply giving your control to your instinct, and you can regain it back later after the panic passes.
Once you feel your awareness is slipping away, remember this word: you are not losing control. Recognizing this fact will make you feel less terrified and can calm you down. Next, remember that your instinct is the one holding your control for a while.
It does that for survival purpose. Your instinct will bring you to safety. Understanding this will make you accept the panic instead of resisting it. It will help you calm down.
3. Ground yourself
Panic attack happens because you are triggered by a condition or surrounding that you unconsciously think as dangerous. To counter this, wake your consciousness by forcing yourself to look around and sense your surrounding.
Look around and count how many trees are around, how many people are there. Look at what colour is the sky and the building around you. Notice the smell in the air and the weather today in your skin.
When you start recognizing your surrounding, you’ll slowly switch from your instinctive mode to your sensing mode. You will regain your sense of control and your panic will lessen. This is another answer for how to stop having a panic attack.
For the next list you can go to the source HERE
You feel bad enough because of the attack, but having strangers witnessing your most vulnerable moment may plunge you into deeper panic.
You are afraid they will look at you and think that you’re crazy. You are afraid you will do something stupid and get humiliated. You wish all of the people can disappear, oryou can disappear. You know that panic attack can be more intense in public places.
What you don’t know is that panic attack in public is not something embarrassing. There are ways to deal with it cleanly. You just have to know how to stop a panic attack in public. If you don’t know where to start, here are fifteen know-hows to stop a panic attack in public.
1. Breath Slowly
One of the symptoms of panic attack is hyperventilation or breathing too fast. This happens because your body is preparing to either fight or flight from the stressful situation you are in. When you hyperventilate, usually you will feel suffocated. Don’t worry, because you are not short on oxygen, you just inhale too much of it.
This is how to stop having a panic attack: stop your hyperventilation by regulating your breathing. Hold your breath so you will stop inhaling too much of oxygen, and the suffocating feeling will disappear. You can also slow your breath rate down.
Again, the goal is to stop inhaling too much oxygen. Finally, you can try breathing into paper bag. This way, you can inhale the carbondioxide you exhale to limit your oxygen intake.
This is one example of slow breathing. It is called 7-11 technique. First, inhale the oxygen in seven seconds. Hold it for three seconds. Finally, exhale the carbon dioxide in 11 seconds. The key in this exercise is to make your exhalation longer than your inhalation, so you will stop breathing too fast.
2. Regain your awareness
This is another answer for how to stop having a panic attack. Another common symptom of panic attack is lightheartedness. It happens because your brain switched its default thinking mode into survival mode. In survival mode, your body rely on your instinct rather than your thinking, so you will lose your ability to think as rational as usual.
Don’t worry too much, and stop this symptoms by regaining your awareness toward your condition and your surrounding. Recognize that you are not losing control but simply giving your control to your instinct, and you can regain it back later after the panic passes.
Once you feel your awareness is slipping away, remember this word: you are not losing control. Recognizing this fact will make you feel less terrified and can calm you down. Next, remember that your instinct is the one holding your control for a while.
It does that for survival purpose. Your instinct will bring you to safety. Understanding this will make you accept the panic instead of resisting it. It will help you calm down.
3. Ground yourself
Panic attack happens because you are triggered by a condition or surrounding that you unconsciously think as dangerous. To counter this, wake your consciousness by forcing yourself to look around and sense your surrounding.
Look around and count how many trees are around, how many people are there. Look at what colour is the sky and the building around you. Notice the smell in the air and the weather today in your skin.
When you start recognizing your surrounding, you’ll slowly switch from your instinctive mode to your sensing mode. You will regain your sense of control and your panic will lessen. This is another answer for how to stop having a panic attack.
For the next list you can go to the source HERE
