The latest research indicates that over 35 million people in America have dealt with panic attacks. This problem continues to plague people of all ages and races. By learning the key signs of an anxiety attack before the onset of one you can start to diffuse these attacks before they reach peak intensity.
People who suffer from panic attacks or anxiety often report feeling entirely “normal” even minutes before an episode. With very little warning they can slip into a full blown panic attack. An awareness of the symptoms of anxiety can help diffuse an anxiety attack before it overtakes a person.
The garden variety anxiety attack has a duration of between 1 minute to 30 minutes. Occasionally a person with a history of panic attacks will succumb to one lasting more than an hour. In general a person who experiences a panic attack lasting more than two hours should seek medical attention.
The following are the three most common symptoms of an anxiety attack. By identifying these symptoms early a person can learn to disarm the panic attack before it escalates.
Rapid Heart Beat - A panic attack causes an elevation in the resting heart beat. By the time a panic attack has fully set in the heart may be beating as fast as it would had the person just ran for a distance of a mile.
As your heart rate begins to escalate you can counter the sensations by taking slow and deliberate breaths. It could take as many as fifteen minutes for your body to return to normal levels.
Feeling of Disconnectedness - One of the other most commonly reported symptoms of a panic attack is a sense of separateness. The person will describe how they feel apart from their mind and body and unable to process information or think as clearly as usual.
This disconnect is often brought on by the flood of adrenaline into the body. The best approach is to calm the heart rate down by focusing on the breathing exercises described in the paragraph above.
Feeling that One is in Danger - An anxiety attack is a very scary thing. The person suffering from the anxiety attack will often feel that their life is in danger because they can not catch their breath and their heart beat is thundering rapidly. Many individuals have even reported having a near death experience as a result of a panic attack.
The important thing to remember is that you are not going to die or damage your body. While an anxiety attack is very stressful to undergo it is actually a normal flight or fight reaction that the brain is generating and you will calm done and return to normal after a few minutes.
Often times a panic attack will present other symptoms instead of or in addition to the three mentioned above. Still, a keen eye on the lookout for these symptoms can help stop a panic attack before it overtakes you.
Filed under Anxiety by Bryan Enderson

