Panic Disorder

Panic attacks can affect your body, thoughts, and behaviours.

Body signs:

Breathlessness or tight chest.

Racing heart.

Dizziness or shakiness.

Sweating or feeling sick.

Feeling disconnected from your body.

Thoughts:

• “I’m losing control.”
• “I’m in danger.”
• “I might faint or die.”
• “What if this happens again?”

Behaviours:

Avoiding school, social situations, or being away from home.

Withdrawing from things you used to enjoy.

These can create a cycle of fear that makes panic attacks happen more often.

*Remember panic attacks are frightening but they are not dangerous! We can find ways to manage them*

You can learn to manage panic attacks with practice. Here are some things that can help:

Find a calm space – or imagine one in your mind.

 Control your breathing – breathe in for 5, out for 5.

 Use your senses – 5 things you see, 4 hear, 3 touch, 2 smell, 1 taste.

 Remind yourself:

• • “This will pass.”
  • “This is just anxiety.”
  • “I am safe and in control.”

There are some strategies you can use that help to recognise and understand anxiety:

 Talk about your panic attacks. The most powerful way to control panic attacks is by talking about it with a trusted person like a parent, friend, teacher or counsellor.

Write down or keep a diary of how you feel when you have a panic attack. Write what you notice in your body, what your thoughts are, and what you do.

 Make a worry box. Writing down worries and putting them in a worry box where they can be ‘held’.

 Have worry time.  You can set aside some ‘worry time’ during the day when you can discuss all your worries.

 Draw your anxiety. Drawing your anxiety can be helpful as an outlet, especially when it’s hard to put it in words.

Sometimes if you are in a panic, it can be because you feel like you have a lot of problems. There are some strategies you can use to help solve problems:

You can think about whether there is anything that is making you feel anxious. Anxiety can happen due to problems with friendship, schoolwork or a relationship with a family member. It can also be a combination of things. Are there any changes that you or others can make to help you cope with the challenges or make things easier?

 Find and try out solutions. Write down as many solutions as you can think of. Then write down the advantages and disadvantages of each solution. You can then choose one or a combination of the solutions and try it or them out.

Ask for help. Sometimes worries are outside of our control and it is important to ask for some help from a trusted person. If you are unsure about how to manage your worries, it is also good to speak to someone about them.

There are some coping strategies you can use to manage your anxiety:

Relaxation 

You can do meditation, mindfulness, or deep breathing. There are many free apps that can help with this:

  Smiling Mind, Calm, Self-help for Anxiety Management (SAM)

• Take a deep breath. Breathe in slowly through your nose and hold the air in your lungs. When you are ready to release the air, put your lips together and pretend that you are blowing through a straw.
• Stop and listen. Spend a few minutes just listening to the sounds around you. What sounds do you hear? Are they loud or soft? Pay special attention to interesting sounds you have never noticed before.
• Imagine your favourite place. Think of a place where you feel calm, comfortable and happy. It may be a beach, a forest, your bedroom, or somewhere else. Imagine what this place looks and sounds like and imagine how good you feel when you are there.

Self-soothe box 

You can fill up a self-soothe box with items that help you manage anxiety. This can include fidget toys, photos, scented oils, positive quotes, toys, colouring sheets (e.g. mandalas). You can find out how to make a self-soothe box. 

Write a happy ending 

When feeling worried, it is common to imagine the worst-case scenario. Try writing a positive ending.

Activities 

Things that can also help you to feel calmer:

Exercise.

Listen to your favourite music.

Practice a hobby.

Write in a journal. 

Talk to friends.

Thought Challenging 

There are some strategies you can use to help you to challenge anxious thoughts:

• Think about it. When you feel worried, you probably imagine that bad things happen/things go wrong. Think about what actually happens.
• Fact or opinion. Sometimes we tend to interpret thoughts as if they are facts. You can challenge your anxious thoughts by asking ‘Is it an opinion or a fact?’ Look for concrete evidence.
• Challenging your assumptions. Feelings are not based on events but how we interpret, or understand them. You might assume that an event is bad or threatening and this makes you anxious. You might help your anxiety if you take the time to consider whether the assumptions you make are correct, or whether events are less worrying than they first seem.