Anxiety Attack: Symptoms, and Causes
Anxiety is the ongoing feeling of fear, nervousness, worry, and apprehension toward a situation. Unless someone starts experiencing a disproportionate amount of it, it is a normal and healthy emotion. Eventually, they become medical disorders, which lead to attacks of anxiety.
How to identify if my anxiety is normal or a medical disorder?
To differentiate between them ask yourself these questions:
- Do you feel constantly worried, anxious, or fearful?
- Are you afraid or fearful of irrational things and can’t get over them?
- Does this constant fear interfere with your daily lifestyle, work, etc?
- Do you suddenly feel your heart pounding?
- This fear makes you want to do things a certain way, or else the situation might get worse in your head?
- Would you rather avoid such situations that give you such anxiety?
If the answers to these questions turn out to be yes, then your anxiety might be a disorder instead of being a healthy emotion. These could lead to an anxiety attack in the future.
What is an Anxiety Attack?
Anxiety Attacks are episodes of intense fear or distress caused by prolonged feelings of anxiety.
These are short episodes of peak 10 minutes. The terror of a specific emotion or situation is accompanied by extreme breathlessness during this time.
An anxiety attack might occur before an interview or when facing the examiner for a viva, for instance.
How long does an Anxiety Attack last?
An attack usually means a short episode. It may peak last for 10 mins, which could extend up to 20 mins rarely. During this time a person may be agonized facing terror and lose control over oneself.
Anxiety Attack Causes:
It is mainly caused by traumatic life incidents which act as triggers. Some common triggers being: social situations, stressful jobs, drug withdrawal, driving, withdrawal from alcohol or smoking, etc.
It may also be caused due to medical conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, uneven bowel movements, asthma, medications, and supplements. In some cases, it is also inherited.
Symptoms of Anxiety Attack
Anxiety is caused by distress, excess worrying; the other major symptoms are
- Surge of panic
- Dry mouth
- Sweating
- Breathlessness or choking sensation
- Palpitation, hyperventilation
- Hot flashes or chills
- Nausea, dehydration, abdominal pain
- Trembling or shaking
- A feeling of detachment or unrealness
- Dizziness or feeling like fainting
- Numbness or tingling sensation.
It is important to seek medical help if any of these symptoms are continued for a prolonged time.
How to Calm Anxiety Attack?
One cannot stop an attack like this, but various practices can be done to avoid a situation like this.
- Acknowledge what is happening to you.
- Try taking slow and deep breaths, this helps reduce heart rate.
- Don’t panic or enter denial.
- Practice mindfulness- It is a way to suppress your present thoughts, reducing the chances of excessive outbursts or reactions. One can practice this by actively noticing the emotions, sensations without reacting to them.
- Try relaxation techniques.
- Yoga, meditation, and exercise can also reduce anxiety.
- Medications are prescribed by doctors if the anxiety is uncontrolled.
