In any given year, over 2.4 million people worldwide deal with symptoms associated with panic disorder.
Life, in general, can make anyone feel on edge, but panic attacks involve more than feeling anxious. Sometimes it’s challenging to differentiate between panic and normal reactions to living life in a fast-paced world.
What does it feel like to have a panic attack? Read today’s post and explore the symptoms most often felt during a panic attack.
What Is the Difference Between Anxiety and Panic Attacks?
Be aware, people often use the terms panic and anxiety interchangeably, but they’re not the same.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is what clinicians and psychiatrists use to diagnose mental health conditions. While panic attacks may come under the umbrella of anxiety disorders, people with generalized anxiety may never experience a panic attack.
Benchmarks for generalized anxiety disorder include excessive worry and anxiety. For a diagnosis of anxiety, a person must deal with at least 3 physical or cognitive symptoms listed in the DSM.
The criteria for a diagnosis of panic disorder is recurrent and unexpected panic attacks. You could say a person suffering from panic disorder experiences anxiety out of nowhere. Often it does seem like a panic attack drops down on you with no warning.
What Does It Feel Like to Have a Panic Attack?
For people who deal with panic attacks, it’s not a one-size-fits-all disorder. A panic attack can cause multiple physical symptoms, including:
- Shortness of Breath
- Racing Heart
- Sweating
- Feeling Lightheaded or Dizzy
Some people feel tingling or numbness, while others experience hot or cold flashes. Many sufferers experience chest pain so severe they rush to the hospital, worried about having a heart attack.
Panic attack symptoms aren’t limited to physical reactions. One of the most significant markers of a panic attack is intense waves of fear. You may fear losing control, losing your mind, and even dying.
During a panic attack, many people feel detachment. It’s as if they’re not even present in their surroundings.
Staying calm is one of the keys to handling symptoms of a panic attack. We’ll talk about that next.
Panic Attack Recovery
Whether you experience infrequent or daily panic attacks, you need help figuring out how to recover.
Work with your mental healthcare provider on a recovery plan. A plan puts you in control. Remember, fear of losing control is one of the symptoms of an attack. If you can identify when you’re having an attack, it will help you implement your recovery plan earlier.
Deep breathing, focus, and practicing mindfulness all help you stay in the present rather than detaching from your surroundings.
These are only a few tips to help recover from an attack. Your doctor can offer a comprehensive treatment plan.
Feeling Calmer About Panic Attacks?
We hope our short guide helped you gain a better understanding of panic attacks. If you’re still wondering what does it feel like to have a panic attack, let your healthcare provider help!
If you’ve enjoyed reading this post, check out our archives. We’ve put together a collection of inspiring articles to help answer many of life’s questions.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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