Panic Attacks

In my opinion, there are two ways to talk about panic attacks. One way is to describe the symptoms, the practical methods one can use to deal with a panic attack, and finally to recommend seeking professional help. The other way is to talk about the experience—not only of the person experiencing the panic attack but also of their surroundings, because the people around them play a very important role, whether through their presence or absence, in understanding the situation.

Symptoms So, I will not describe symptoms, but rather say just one phrase: “I thought I was going to die or lose my mind. I couldn’t control anything, neither my body nor my mind.” Logic, which otherwise is such a good friend of ours and helps us make decisions and overcome situations, steps aside and loses its power. Emotion overtakes the mind at first, and then this emotion begins to “dictate” thoughts to the mind If I were to describe a panic attack, I would say that it is a massive explosion of suppressed emotions, energy that seeks release and can no longer tolerate being ignored. And this explosion is responsible for the earthquake that follows in both body and mind.

Perception and Panic Attacks
A common misconception about panic attacks is that they happen to “weak individuals” or, even worse, to “weak characters.” The prevailing belief is that strength lies in those who manage to stand tall and push through life’s hardships. The ones who have endured so much yet remain resilient. If that is the case, then those who experience panic attacks are the strongest of all. They are the ones who do not burden others, the ones who provide solutions for others. The ones who suffer but do not make it an issue. The ones who have learned to endure difficulties alone, at least emotionally.

And here comes the great conflict, both internal and external: “I am so scared and helpless. No one can understand how much, and how can I even explain it when I don’t understand how I let this happen to me?” “Come on, you’re strong, it’s all in your head, you can get over it.” No, it is not all in their head, and no, it is not like a flu that will simply run its course with some vitamins and good sleep.

Causes of Panic Attacks
In most cases, panic attacks are caused by deep psychological conflicts, by ignoring or burying situations.

But whatever you hide does not disappear —it haunts you, and the result is anger, fear, and insecurity. Finding out what you have stored away and facing it requires courage; asking for help requires courage; accepting that you cannot do it alone requires courage; stopping fighting the panic attack requires courage—and it is the only way to deal with it.

You must accept that it is a part of you, not fight it when it happens, but try to understand what has been feeding it for so many years. However, to do this, you need someone to help you find the way, because until now, you have learned to fight battles against beasts. Sometimes, though, the way is not to kill the beast but to tame it—after all, it is a part of you too.

Panic Attacks and Anxiety
We have learned that in war, we fight.

When something or someone tries to overpower us, we fight for our right. And yes, the fear of annihilation is one of the “oldest enemies.” But in a panic attack, the more you fight, the more you freeze and become immobilized. The more you try to take deep breaths, the more you suffocate, and the faster your heart will beat, trying to escape your body. The more you say you are losing your mind, the faster the “crazy thoughts” will pass through your head. The more you fear losing control, the more fear will control you.

Panic attacks are born from and fed by anxiety, and who doesn’t have anxiety these days? It can happen to any one of us. Yes, everyone can potentially experience this. But it is crucial not to associate it practically with whatever we were doing at the time it happened. Because then, an obsessive way of thinking will fuel the situation in similar circumstances. And believe me, it was not the situation that caused it, but how we felt. If the panic attack happened while driving, that does not mean that driving caused it.

Panic Attacks and Seeking Help
Seeking the help of a specialist when experiencing panic attacks is the beginning. To learn that what happened to you did not come from outside—it has been your roommate all along, simply waiting for you to notice and deal with it. It had to make noise, to cause some damage. And like all angry children, the solution is to soothe it, embrace it, and make it feel safe. If childhood depression manifests as anger and outbursts, then perhaps a panic attack is a child of our sorrow. A child that, if we do not embrace, will never stop kicking and screaming.