How to Reduce Panic Attacks
The Panic Attack
The room was spinning. There were hundreds of people. Intelligent, impactful people. As I stood on the platform in front of the crowd, everything went blurry, out of focus, as though I was being sucked into a vortex. Blood rushed to my head and I couldn’t think. I couldn’t speak... something had to come out, but language evaded me. I leaned into the microphone. I tried to conjure up a string of words that would make sense, anything, just to release me from this state of panic. I desperately wanted to escape, as though it were a night terror that I was helplessly trying to snap myself out of; only I knew waking up wasn’t an escape, I was already awake, I could feel everything too vividly. There was no way of getting out, I was stuck in the mess.
The Backstory
This was one of many panic attacks I personally experienced over several years. I’m not sure when they first crept into my life. I’ve always been a bit shy around people I don’t know, but I’d done plenty of public speaking over the years, which I could handle fine. But, the day when I stepped up to the microphone to accept a business award, I was riddled with stress - it was a hideous experience. Anxiety simply had gotten the better of me.
I had been thinking about that awards night all day. It was a constant tug of war in my mind, wanting to win our business category, but dreading the idea of an acceptance speech on stage. Looking back, it’s easy to see the stress I had all around me - some of it I can stem back to key events, like when my 4-week old son went into emergency heart surgery, and the PTSD that followed. And for whatever reason, I can also be just a bit of an anxious person - I like to be perfect, but never meet that lofty standard. That night, in that season of my life, the two of those things well and truly collided and formed a lethal combination, breeding panic attacks that were becoming more regular by the day. Claustrophobia of the mind. You freeze. You're stuck. You can’t go backward, you can’t go forwards. There’s nothing you can do about it... at least, that’s what I believed at the time - that I was simply at the mercy of this malicious mind which showed up as it pleased. It was becoming more regular, and it was a lonely place. Most of all, it was a scary proposition living with the thought of future panic attacks - I became anxious about panicking, and it felt stupid! So you go to what comes naturally and avoid situations prone to giving rise to panic, which resulted in missed opportunities and not living our my goals and dreams in life.
The Advice
I remember the conversation vividly. My wife and I were attending a course for families who had suffered from significant stress as a result of their child’s chronic heart condition. In a private conversation, I asked the psychologist hosting the course whether there’s anything you can do about panic attacks. I was surprised by how succinct her answer was. She simply said I’d advice you start with two things. Dial down your daily life stress, and, breathe.
Running too High
Here’s the thing. If your general stress/anxiety levels are running at a 9, and your mind decides to hit that big red panic button, there’s not a whole lot of room until it gets to a 10 - panic territory. A speech, a social situation or facing something which caused trauma in the past. You think the event is the problem, hence you begin to avoid it. But if you take a good hard look at where your general stress levels are running at in life, and you work on dialling it down just a notch or two, you have wiggle room. Sure, your anxiety will still spike, but in my experience, not usually to the point where panic attacks reside.
Dial Down Life’s Stress Level
Hyperventilation
And Breathe. It’s so simple, but it’s one of the only things we have control over, and it makes a massive difference. Put simply, we breathe short quick breaths when we stress, it’s our bodies natural way of getting more oxygen to our muscles, ready for flight or fight. This comes in handy when we’re being challenged by a big, scary whatever. But when there is no real threat, just our mind wreaking havoc, we can manage panic by controlled breathing. The exhale is particularly important, as it counteracts the panic state where rapid inhalation saturates our bodies with oxygen. The longer outward breathe relaxes the body, activating your parasympathetic nervous system. My go to is in 4 counts, hold 7 counts, out 8 counts.
Practise Deep Breathing
The Come Back
Fast forward a few years…
The auditorium was full of people. It was Father’s Day and I was speaking on a Q&A panel. It was about 3 years since the night I’d experienced that panic attack at the awards night. But… I was exercising regularly. Meditating. Sleeping regular hours. Slowing down. Being kinder to myself. And importantly, I’d been slowly exposing myself to public speaking… facing the giant villain in my head. This combination of lifestyle choices and gradual exposure reduced my stress levels down to a 7… 8 tops. Yes, I was packing myself, but I needed to do this. I knew I could do this because I had a game plan. The physiology behind a panic attacks wasn’t so foreign to me and made more sense. I went for a run that morning, and 10 minutes before I went down on stage I breathed.
In 2, 3, 4. Hold 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Out 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8. I repeated this until I walked down onto the stage.
I’m not exactly sure what happened that day, but it’s as though everything just flowed seamlessly. I spoke without panic. I joked. I shared what I believed was important about life as a Dad. I was me, and it felt so good to share that. It’s hard to describe the high I was on after the panel… I liken it to the moment I landed on the ground after jumping out of a plane, parachuting for my 40th birthday. I was OK - no regrets.
What results in a panic attack for you? Common examples may be:
Speaking in front of others
Medical appointments such as going to the dentist
Seeing a particular person
A certain sound, smell or sight
Being in small spaces
Being in crowds
Panic attacks are terrifying. Period. But panic attacks can be physiologically explained. Likewise, they can be physiologically managed and reduced. Don’t judge yourself. Don’t avoid. Gradually expose yourself to that which is freaking you out. Reduce your general life stress down a notch or two. And as trivial as it sounds, remember to breathe. You got this.
Recommended Listening
Dr Emily - Managing a Panic Attack
Reflecting on an episode with comedian Luke McGregor, in this episode Dr Emily talks about panic attacks. What they are, why we get them and what to do when they show up and scare the hell out of us. Listen