What should you do if someone is having a panic attack

I've had a fair share of my panic attacks in public places and have seen all kinds of reactions. I know seeing a person in such a distressed state is not pleasant. It can be scary, it's most definitely awkward and can feel pretty bad if you don't know what to do. Today I wanted to tell you what are the best most appropriate reactions that I've gotten from people and what I would generally advise you to do if you face such a situation.
Every panic attack is a unique experience and it's very different for someone who knows what they are and have had them before and someone who has never experienced anything like this before. We'll talk about them both.

Things I didn't know about panic disorders

I've been battling anxiety and panic attacks for more than half of my conscious life and yet I still manage to discover some new things that are related to my panic disorder.
Learning more about my anxiety has significantly improved my mental health. If you are reading this because you struggle with similar issues, I hope this article will be of some help. If you are reading this in the hope of understanding someone else that might be going through this, thank you for your effort, you are making an impact even by being aware of those issues.

The most effective ways to decrease your anxiety

If your anxiety is interfering with your everyday life, making you feel isolated and completely defeated, you need to seek professional help. I'm not going to trick you into believing that there is some miracle cure. There are situations in life when you need the help of another person. Mental illness is a very serious issue and it shouldn't be ignored.
However, if your anxiety is not life-threatening and seems manageable, I do have a few pieces of advice on how you can decrease anxiety not in the moment, but in the long run. I have lived with intense social anxiety for as long as I can remember and for the first time I actually think I'm succeeding at battling it. I really hope this article can help you too.

Flying with anxiety

Flying triggers anxiety for many people. Airports and airplanes are stressful environments where you have to rely on others, be cautious and organized, follow a set of strict, but not always clear rules and trust others with your life and safety. Even the most resilient of us might feel nervous in places like this.

 

A big part of my anxiety is triggered by transport. Cars, subway, buses, boats, planes – you name it. I’ve had panic attacks in them all. However, I am a wandering soul, I love to travel, see the diversity of our world and the richness of different cultures. Avoiding transport is simply not an option. In fact, I strongly recommend you to face your triggers as much as possible and not let them influence the choices you make.

I can’t cure your anxiety or rid you of your fears but I hope the information I’ll share with you today will make flying easier for you.

Suomenlinna the fortress island (crazy travelling edition)

Our last full day in Finland. We can't leave Helsinki, because next morning we have an early flight. At the same time, we owe it to ourselves to see as much as possible because God knows when we'll be back. Of course, possibilities are endless, and you will always find something that suits your taste.
Somewhere between breakfast and packing, I was scrolling through touristic destinations within the area and instantly fell in love with Suomenlinna.
First of all, islands. Second of all, fortress. Nature and great distances to walk, but also lots of bathrooms and occasional museums. And it involves a ferry boat, which is always a plus in my book.

Days in Finland (crazy traveling edition)

This is a story about one of the most beautiful places I've visited yet. It kicked off our 'tradition' of exploring Europe little by little every time we fly to see my family, stole our heart and left us speechless.
And did all of that in under 3 days.

How to fly with a 2-year old

About 2 years ago I posted a similar article that listed a few things you need to consider while flying with a baby. It would still be relevant for those of you who has a baby of 1 year and under. However, traveling with a kid who is 2 and a half years old is a whole other thing, therefore today I want to give you some tips about those unpredictable loving-and-hating semi-independent guys and most importantly on how to keep them happy during a flight.

What a panic attack feels like

Continuing with the subject of anxiety, I wanted to talk about what panic attack actually feels like for anyone who is trying to figure out if that’s what they just had or for someone, who knows people with panic disorder.

As always, keep in mind that everybody is different, so someone else’s panic attack might feel completely different from mine or only resemble parts of it. For a complete list of signs of a panic attack, please visit a verified medical page. I will link a few useful sites down below for you to check out.

How I deal with my panic attacks

I started having panic attacks in high school (as you do) at the age of around 15. At the time I wasn’t really good ad describing the feeling and wasn’t smart enough to google it immediately, so I just went on with my life, hoping that it would somehow stop on its own. I was anxious most of the time, never even realizing that it’s not a normal state to be in. And all of that I blamed on puberty, insecurity and my introverted personality. Needless to say, my panic attacks lasted very long, frightened me and were truly awful. My anxiety, unnoticed by me, was making me feel uncomfortable in my own skin and my own life.

That until I stumbled upon a video of one of my favorite youtubers – Zoella – where she described what panic attack is, what it feels like and what can you do about it. Suddenly, everything became very clear. Now it had a name that I can type into my browser and find hundreds of people with the exact same problem, sharing tips and asking questions. That moment, I believe, was a big contributor to my happiness, because it made me realize that everything I was feeling wasn’t coming from healthy happy place and was actually seriously damaging my sense of self-worth.

I’m definitely going to talk a lot more about my anxiety in the later posts, but today I would really like to share what helps me with my panic attacks and what I would definitely recommend you to try if you have a panic disorder. These are not tips by any means, because some of those are pretty self-explanatory, but I hope that they still might shed some light onto how to master your anxiety.

Tips on how to deal with overwhelming situations

I was a quiet shy kid for as long as I can remember. I preferred to be alone and tried to avoid speaking up because it felt safe. I was then and still am pretty insecure about myself, introverted and often anxious. However, I have been quite successful at not letting fear control my life and I want to share a few tips that might be useful if you're experiencing something similar.
Let's talk about dealing with overwhelming situations, not letting insecurity stop you from doing the things you want and enjoying the new scary things that frighten you.

It's ok to not be ok sometimes

I think everyone is familiar with the feeling of not being able to get things done, when the fear or anxiety, or even simple laziness stops you from doing something you want and then it just piles up and the more time passes the harder it gets to start again. It seems easier to give up and make peace with this feeling of uselessness.

My anxiety has stopped me from doing many things. But more importantly, it is stopping me from being the person that I really want to be. Since I’ve lived my whole life being introverted, unsocial and very shy it became so normal that it’s almost comforting. I’m not going to lie, I absolutely hate this part of me. I envy all of those people that can walk into a big crowd and feel comfortable, I envy those, who can speak up in public and not lose it, and, finally, I envy those, who can face their fears instead of running away from them.

They always say: “Don’t fight your anxiety, it will only make it worse”. It makes perfect sense. I know exactly what I need to do to feel better. But how can you possibly embrace something that you resent? How can you let it happen if all you want is for it to pass and never come back? Well, I don’t have the answer to this question yet.

The thing that I wanted to tell you here is: there are some things that you can’t control and it’s ok if they happen. They might make you feel angry, depressed or helpless, but just know that it’s ok to not be ok sometimes. Life is never going to be just ‘good’ or just ‘bad’. And what your life is now can either depend on you or not. Either way, the shitties, worst days in your life are important too. In fact, they are the things that shape you as a person.

Don’t compare yourself to others, you never know what they have to deal with in their life. Measure your days by only your own progress, your productivity, your bravery and your happiness. After all, the only person you should answer to is yourself.

Right now, I’m not having the greatest week, to be honest. I want to do so much and there is absolutely nothing that is stopping me, but yet I can’t do them. Instead of giving up on myself and hate my life I’m going to suck it up and start little by little. I know that I only need to make the tiniest step towards my goal and it will get easier. Writing this is part of this step.

I guess, what I want you to remember after reading this is: you are not alone, there are many people that are facing the same obstacles and are battling same fears as you are. It is ok to feel bad for a little while. Just a little though, because if you let yourself give up, the negativity will swallow you. Coming back from that is much, much harder. But one day of eating chocolate and crying in the bathroom is fine. Just one little break before you get back up on your feet. And if your family or friends, or your loved ones don’t understand what you are going through, it doesn’t mean that they have never had those days themselves. Every one’s struggles are just different.

Start doing little things. Maybe if you’ve always wanted to move to another place, start checking other cities or even countries. Just for the purpose of doing something. It is not a big hard thing to do, but it is a step towards something. Worst case scenario it will take your mind off of your sadness, best case it will inspire you to do something awesome!

Little steps towards a big dream. Little wins are all it takes to find a ground underneath your feet.

Stay brave, stay happy. Love y’all.