What are panic attacks?

Definition of a panic attack: 'A sudden feeling of acute and disabling anxiety.'

Panic attacks are part of the flight or fight system as I mentioned in a previous post titled 'What is Anxiety?'. Panic attacks arise due to the rush of adrenaline that you get due to the fight or flight system that we face in an fearful situation and we have this system due to our time as cavemen. When we were going to be attacked by a bear for example, we would have the choice to fight or run and this is what the adrenaline is for. It gives us an extra push to perform the actions we need to do to survive. However, for many anxiety sufferers this fight or flight system arises even when there is no danger at all. For example, you could be in a crowded place, or about to take part in a big event and you feel overwhelming anxiety. This situation you are in poses no threat, yet your body sends a rush of adrenaline. Many people may now be asking, 'well, what's the problem with that?' Often panic attack sufferers will end up not being able to breathe, feeling sick, light headed, crying, and eventually really tired due to the exhaustion. For many panic attack sufferers, their senses highten and for others they become quite confused. As with anxiety in general, each symptom depends on the person. Panic attacks drain all of your energy and can make sufferers feel quite ill. This sickness feeling comes from the digestive system slowing down due to the adrenaline. 

Panic attacks can last for a few minutes to many hours. They can also be on and off. 

Panic attacks tend to prevent some people from doing what they love as they are afraid that they will experience a panic attack whilst out and about and this again is very disabling for a person. The reason why people think this way is because the flight and fight system often repeats itself and forms a pattern in your reactions. For example, if you had a panic attack in a Mall, the next time you visit, it is highly likely that you will experience another one, even though there was no danger present at either time. 

As always, thanks for reading.

What is Anxiety?

Definition of Anxiety - 'A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.'

You will have heard many of your friends and family talk about being nervous or anxious before a big event, such as an exam, driving test or first date. It is completely normal for a human to experience periods of anxiety before such events. Sometime during the event and by the time the event is over, the anxiety will have disappeared. However there are some people who tend to be in an almost permanent state of anxiety. These are the people like you and I who suffer with anxiety as a condition. The anxiety may be triggered by specific places or events such as school, going to a shop and meeting friends.

Anxiety can come in different severities too, from mild to severe. People who suffer with mild anxiety can still get on with their lives and tend to only experience anxiety before big events. But as we move down the scale, the worse the anxiety gets until we reach severe anxiety. Severe anxiety can result in not being able to leave the house, not being able to go on public transport and not even having the ability to talk to someone on the phone. It stops practically everything you want to do. I have experienced this severity of anxiety.

There are many different symptoms which come with anxiety including: loss of appetite, dizziness, sickness, tender stomach and lack of sleep. No person is the same. Not every symptom will be present in each person and its severity will differ from person to person. An additional symptom can be depression which is caused by the anxiety. This can also go from mild to severe. 

Anxiety is based upon what is known as the 'fight or flight' system. This fight or flight system comes from when we were cavemen. This system will tell us whether to run, or fight the situation and the person will tend to have a lot of adrenaline in order to deal with what they are facing. The difference with an anxiety sufferer is that this adrenaline tends to be present in almost every situation, even if the situation presents no threat.

It is also important for an anxiety sufferer to get lots of sleep. I understand that it's very hard to sleep when you are suffering with the condition, but whilst you are sleeping you undergo REM (rapid eye movement) which is essential in order to relieve your anxiety, as it is the body's way of getting dealing with the stress from that day. 

Some sufferers will have an anxiety disorder for many years, others for a few weeks or months and recovery has no time limit. Personally I believe that I am at a good stage in my recovery. It has taken me over a year to get where I am today and I hope that this post has improved your understanding of anxiety. If there is anything else I can help with or you need me to explain further, let me know. I'm here to help!