Dear heart Support,
So tonight I was on the phone with some friends and two of them struggle with this mental disorder that kinda scared me. After they told me about it more. I was more calmed down. But after I got off the phone I started thinking about it and it was freaking me out. My heart started to race and I felt like I was about to have a panic attack.
How can you keep clam when something scares you and you feel like you’re gonna panic?
Hi friend,
I hope that you are doing great.
When I feel like panicking I personally try to focus my attention on something else. My technic is quiet weird I admit it. When I feel it coming I am starting to count the objects I see around me, and I don’t end counting until the panic attack is gone.
Then, I try to get back to it and see things with an other point of view.
If this disorder is scaring you, you can tell your friend that you d’ont feel really confortable with talking about it.
I hope that you are doing great,
Stay safe
one strategy is to deal with it by giving yourself more information, so that you’re not driven by fear and not knowing. maybe you can find some valid resources online that are designed for those whose loved ones have that disorder. Search for something like “how to support a friend or child with x”, “x symptoms and treatments”, etc.
Look for universities, hospitals or government agencies, or even maybe institutions that specialize in x, these will give you a good scientific understanding of the disorders, if you’re able to read up more on them.
It sounds like you have a lot of empathy for those friends, and perhaps you are a highly sensitive person as well. Sometimes the question comes to mind, “could this happen to me?”
Panic is a survival mechanism which has become maladaptive in today’s world. That’s why so many people deal with anxiety and panic issues. Now that we are usually not being chased by carnivores, or encountering other physical threats, panic isn’t as useful as it once was. These days, it has more to do with not knowing what will happen next.
The kind of things that lead to anxiety and panic, require calm and clear thinking in order to resolve them. That’s the maladaptive part of panic and anxiety.
There is a lot of information available online that discusses how to restore a feeling of calmness. There are special breathing exercises, and calming meditations. I will look at a candle flame, while focusing on slow and deep breaths. If the anxiety persists, consider seeing a therapist.
It sounds like your friends have a good friend in you, as you care a lot about them.
Hey @Legacylex somethings that help me when I feel panicky or scared is to do something with my hands. It just helps get the energy out. Another thing that helps me is listening to calming music and just doing things I enjoy. I hope you feel better l
Thank you this is very helpful
From: ManekiNeko
I hope you’re going well! How have things been going for you since this experience? Panic attacks are definitely a huge burden to work through. It feels like you can’t function sometimes. Have you been able to use some good techniques?
From: Micro
Hey friend, it’s good to hear that some responses were helpful! Panic attacks can really drain all of our energy and it’s really hard to rationalize during that kind of time. When this happened to me from time to time, I try not to call myself out for struggling nor to force myself to be rational because it makes things worse and more frustrating. Grounding techniques that involve physical senses tend to be pretty effective to calm down, make your heart beat slower and just shift your focus on something different, something tangible. One that you can try no matter where you are is to look around you, choose one thing/object/element and to describe it out loud with as many details as possible. Then check in with yourself for a little bit to acknowledge how you feel, and keep doing it with another object if necessary, and so on.
On a different note, our community came up regularly with techniques and things that help them to calm down and relax when they experience anxiety and stress. I’d encourage you to have a look at it! : HeartSupport Community Resources - Google Sheets
With practice and patience, you’ll get there and regain more and more control over these stressful times. I hope that the anxiety has calmed down since your last post. You are loved and cared for. <3
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