Anxiety attacks occur abruptly and can have common triggers like getting stuck in an elevator, or before a much-anticipated event but at times it just happens. In ten minutes, the attack would have reached its peak and it lasts for roughly thirty minutes in normal cases. In severe cases, it can last for hours. Those minutes will feel like your last and some people lose control. The bodily symptoms can be frightening and mimic heart attacks.
On a busy day, you want to rush and drop a document on the top most floor of a building and using the stairs is not quite an option. You take the lift and suddenly it jams. It takes close to five minutes and there are no technicians deployed to help you out of the elevator. In a few minutes, you start feeling intense fear, then your heart beating a bit too fast, chest pains, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, hyperventilation, trembling, nausea, and your mind goes blank. At times you might pass out, these are some of the symptoms of an anxiety attack and not a heart attack.
Some of the main causes of anxiety attacks
1. Long-term causes
These attacks start at the beginning of adulthood and occurs mainly in women or people who have an above average I.Q. Some environmental factors can also cause panic attacks.
2. Biological causes
You can get these attacks if you are predisposed to some diseases or conditions like OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), labyrinthitis, PTSD ( post traumatic stress disorder) just to name a few.
3. Situational triggered anxiety attacks
You may experience a panic attack in a specific situation and you will associate that situation with a panic attack. So when you are found in the same position you will experience anxiety attacks.
In case the problem recurs here are some of the tips on handling panic attacks:
1. Be familiar with the symptoms
If you know the symptoms you will be more in control of your own body. The moment that you come to the realization that what you are experiencing is not a heart attack, but an anxiety attack, you can now shift your focus from the symptoms to calming techniques.
2. Relax
You should now relax your breathing by slowly taking deep breaths. Then relax your muscles by starting from the toes then the thighs, then the rest of the muscles.
3. Exercise
During those attacks the body feels as though it is tired and so you might decide to sleep. Try to do some exercises like walking and yoga.
Regardless of what the fear is, one of the key ways of overcoming your fears is confronting it. Talk to a therapist and find ways that will help you fight the fears or join a support group. Courage is not the absence of fear but conquered fear.