Understanding and stopping a panic attack, even when you feel you can’t breathe.
“If in doubt, breathe out.”
If you can remember that rule and know how to use it then you will already have the skills you need to stop a panic attack in its tracks, however far into it you are.
I remember one night getting a call from a young relative at 2 in the morning, she was desperately gasping for breath trying tearfully to explain her issue.
“Are you having a panic attack?” I asked.
She gasped a barely audible “Yes.”
“Then breathe out with me” I instructed.
“Don’t worry about the in breath you need to just focus on breathing out. Follow my breath.”
I guided her through gently blowing out her breath for as long as she could, then letting the in breath follow easily and naturally through the nose.
Within 3 breaths she was already much calmer, a few more and the whole event was over.
So what actually happened here and why did breathing out work?
During a panic attack like this the sufferer keeps trying to breathe in.
FORGETTING TO BREATHE OUT!
The brain is telling the body to prepare for fighting or fleeing, redirecting a greater blood flow to the muscles for the activity required, increasing its perceived demand for oxygen.
It is perceived because she was not running or fighting, but her body was changing physiologically as if she was.
The more she feels she can’t breathe the more the brain is telling her to breathe in, but there is nowhere for that breath to go because she hasn’t emptied the last lot yet.
Now she is gasping for breath, panicking more, this is a matter of life or death.
Except it’s not.
This was a worry stuck in a loop in her head that led her to hyperventilate.
The fight and fight response
We have an amazing ability to adapt in a split second to the demands of staying alive. That is after all our main priority.
The fight and flight response is innate within all of us, it is our Sympathetic Nervous System SNS going into survival mode.
All those weird and not very wonderful sensations you get when you are anxious are all signs that your defence systems are on high alert and are busy protecting you (should you come across a sabre tooth tiger.)
If you really were in danger and having to fight your way to freedom or run as fast as you can, then you wouldn’t notice these changes:
- You’d be too busy
- They would be just what you needed to enable you to do this.
The last thing you need at 2am when you want to sleep is your body going into fight and flight!
If in doubt, breathe out
There you go, just another reminder!
When we breathe out our Parasympathetic Nervous System PNS is triggered.
This is otherwise known as rest and digest or safe and socialise. It is basically your safe state, one where you can relax, focus on the things you enjoy and sleep peacefully at night.
A PNS state is a calm state, if you want to calm down you need to create a calm state. You can’t do that with your mind at times of high alert as thoughts are not the language of your unconscious mind.
Your unconscious mind is what controls the nervous system activity, taking its cues from your senses.
And it is saving your life, remember!
Your breath is the fastest means of communication with your nervous systems.
As I already explained, the out breath naturally triggers the PNS, which will in turn tell the brain you are safe and switch off the fight and flight response.
There is a breathing method called 7/11 breathing. Breathing in for 7 and out for 11.
When you are already panicking, trying to breathe to a long count like this is likely to increase the feeling that you can’t breathe, especially if you are not familiar with the technique.
Focussing only on slowing the out breath down is far easier, simpler and therefore more effective.
Try it now:
- Blow out through pursed lips as if you were blowing on a candle but you don’t want to blow the flame out.
- Blow long and slow until you feel all the air has gone out of your lungs.
- Allow the in breath to happen naturally but always through your nose and down to your belly (there is a whole science as to why you should breathe in through your nose, but that’s for another blog.)
- Repeat a couple of times.
If you are having a bit of fun with this you can sing this out like a choir boy, hum or Om it. Whatever you do, learn to feel comfortable and maybe a little amazed in how long you can actually do an out breath for.
Prevention is better than cure
No one wants to experience a panic attack, but simply knowing you have the ability to stop it in its tracks, may be enough to stop your anxiety spiralling into panic.
Panic is ultimately a fear of fear, the more out of control you feel the higher the fear…. You know what happens then.
Tops tips for prevention:
- Gently checking in on your breath throughout the day, especially if you are starting to feel stressed, then taking a long slow out breath, will reset your nervous system.
- Using breath work recordings, meditations and relaxation will help you to feel comfortable with your breath and give yourself time in your PNS. Again making the likelihood of ever getting into a panic state much lower.
- Get help to deal with the underlying stressors as it is ultimately these are causing the problem.
Â
There is nothing worse than feeling out of control, luckily there are many ways that you can regain control of your body mind and life.
If you would like to find out more then please feel free to contact us at the clinic to see how we can help, or subscribe to our blogs for more fast and effective techniques to enhance your health and happiness.
Thanks for reading my blog.
Alexa x