How to Use Mindfulness For Panic Attacks
If you have experience with panic attacks you know how debilitating, overwhelming and extremely terrifying they can be. A sudden, short-term abrupt surge of intense fear floods your body and you feel like everything is completely out of control.
You feel like you are dying.
If you’ve never experienced this yourself, chances are you know someone or you will meet someone who might be going through this very intense experience. It can be very difficult to manage a panic attack while you are in it, or help someone through one, but the good news is that mindfulness techniques can help. Today I’m going to share how you can better manage a panic attack for yourself or for others so that you can feel more in control, reduce the symptoms quicker, and find a greater sense of ease.
What Is a Panic Attack, Anyway?
The amygdala is the part of our brain that is constantly scanning for danger. It’s an extremely helpful part of our consciousness because its main function is to keep us alive. Most of the time you don’t recognize it doing its job. But when there is a real threat to your existence, you can thank it for springing into action to ensure you are safe.
When there is a known external threat to your existence, that is fear. When my dearest friend’s son was almost a year old, I remember playing with them in her backyard on a gorgeous sunny day. I was standing closest to the back of her property near the woods, while she was standing closer to the house and her son was in between us. When I saw a look of terror on my friend’s face, I turned to see a giant bear and her cub strolling out of the wood line toward us. I didn’t pause and think, “Ok, let’s see … What is the best plan of action here?” The sense of fear caused me to jump into action and immediately scoop up the baby and race into the house to save not only myself but him as well.
Anxiety is a generalized response to an unknown threat. It’s more like a car engine revving at a red light. It’s a low grade vibe in the background that many of us experience on a regular basis.
Panic is an intense spike of anxiety. It’s when the scanning for danger function of the brain becomes completely flooded. Think of it like an intense wave of emotions that rushes in and peaks within minutes. The amygdala goes into overdrive, the prefrontal cortex turns off and you get completely swept up by the wave, which will immediately turn off your ability to self-soothe. It can feel like it comes out of the blue and the physical and mental symptoms are extremely scary.
Triggers and Symptoms
Panic attacks can be triggered by many different things. Some generalized triggers include:
Life stressors
Traumatic situations
Genetic disposition to anxiety disorders
Reaction to certain medications
Receiving a difficult health diagnosis
Caffeine
Social situations
Financial concerns
Public speaking
Personal triggers like a smell, or song or place that brings up a memory where you felt unsafe.
When a panic attack comes on, the “fight/flight” part of your nervous system completely takes over and you might experience some or many of the below mental and physical symptoms, such as:
Feel like you are dying
Rapid heart rate
Trembling or shaking
Sweating
Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Nausea
Dizziness
Feeling detached
Chills
Tightness in your throat
Headache
Since panic attacks are so intense and seem to come out of nowhere, you might think that there’s nothing you can do to better manage them for yourself or someone else. But, if you can begin to recognize what is happening in the moment, you actually turn on the prefrontal cortex of your brain (or help someone else turn on theirs), which can reduce the symptoms and allow you to be with the intense feelings as they rush in and fade away.
The more familiar you can be with your triggers or the symptoms of a panic attack, the more you can develop a sense of confidence that you will be OK, or that you can support someone else when they are feeling that sense of panic or dread.
Ways To Better Manage Panic In The Moment
In Buddhist philosophy, the two wings of mindfulness, wisdom and compassion, are key for dealing with panic. The first step is to name what is happening - having the wisdom to recognize what’s going on. The second step is to explore how you can be with it - have compassion for what is happening.
Wisdom - Name it
When you feel a panic attack coming on, try to simply name it. Sometimes just saying “I’m having a panic attack” out loud can shift your experience and turn down the intensity of the sensations. If panic attacks are new to you, you may not be able to quickly recognize what is happening. However, you may be able to ask yourself, “Is this familiar? Have I experienced something like this before? And, if so, did I get through it?” Just asking these questions will turn on your prefrontal cortex to move you into “thinking” mode instead of “reacting” mode.
If you are in public when you feel symptoms or recognize a trigger it can be hard to announce what is happening because of how others may react. It’s helpful to remember how people react has nothing to do with you - it has everything to do with their response to your panic and how they are trying to soothe themselves. Their comments may not be helpful, but it’s a reaction to their own anxiety and not your well-being. In these situations, it’s important to give yourself permission to get exactly what you need at that moment and say out loud, “I feel like I’m going to be sick - I am going to be OK but I just need …” to be alone, a little bit of space, a glass of water, etc. Remember, once you understand what is happening, you can learn how to reduce the symptoms.
And then, whether you are alone or in public, ask yourself, “How can I be with this?”
Compassion - How to be with it
One of the best ways to be with your panic is to focus on your breath. AND - at the same time I’ll add that for some people, especially those having a hard time catching their breath, bringing their awareness to the breath can be very triggering. Again, having the wisdom to know what works best for you in the moment can be extremely helpful.
Below are a few techniques that you can practice and then use in the moment to help you simply be with the intense experience of panic.
Steady, Even Breaths - Focus on the tip of your nose with your eyes open. This gives your scattered mind something to do. Inhale through the nose to the count of 4 and then exhale to the count of 4.
Longer Exhale Through pursed lips - Focus on the tip of your nose with your eyes open. Inhale through the nose to the count of 4 and then slowly exhale out your mouth through pursed lips, like you are about to whistle, to the count of 8.
Contract/Relax - Close your eyes and feel the palms of your hands. Bring them into fists and squeeze really, really tight and then release and relax the palms. Notice how your awareness goes right to the palms and there is a sense of softening and letting go.
Cold Sensations - An ice cold glass of water or a cold towel to the face or back of the neck can reduce the sensations.
One-Pointedness Techniques - Use one of your five senses (sight, touch, smell, sound, or taste) to focus on an object. Notice the intimate details about that object and get very curious about everything you see, smell, hear, etc. Then move on to a second object and do the same thing.
If you are with someone that is experiencing a panic attack, remember that this person does not necessarily need you to fix them - they just want you to be there with them and help normalize the experience. When you notice the triggers or symptoms in someone else, you could simply ask, “Are you feeling ok?” and then share that you understand what they are going through. Then ask if they would like to try a technique you know to help them through it. If yes, share one of the above with them and even practice it with them.
The good news is that there are so many ways to treat panic attacks, including cognitive therapy, medications, somatic therapy, etc. Although I am not an expert in panic disorders, there are many resources available where you can find exactly what you need. What’s important is to remember that at some point, each person on this planet will experience some level of stress and suffering. The wisdom of knowing this allows you to be more compassionate toward yourself and others during these intense waves of fear and panic. And, the more compassion you can cultivate, the more control you will feel, which will help to reduce the symptoms quicker and give you a greater sense of ease and grace.