Panic Attacks.

Panic attacks aren’t fun and they can happen at any time, no matter where you are, when you least expect them to surface. Fortunately, I haven’t had a panic attack for quite a long time, until last week, when I had two in the space of one 40 minute run. Luckily, I had my boyfriend with me so he could help calm me down, but it has happened before when I’ve been alone. It can be scary, and at first I didn’t know what was happening, which made it even scarier, but now I am able to recognise when one is happening. They don’t however get any easier to manage, but here are the simple steps I take. 

What to do? (From my own experience)

• Stop! If you’re running, stop. There is no need to try and keep running, because that won’t help diffuse the situation and may make it worse. Step onto the side of the road or off the treadmill, so you aren't in any danger. 
• Deep breaths. Try and slow down your breathing and get your breaths as deep as possible. For me, when a panic attack is surfacing it feels like each breath stops at the very top of my throat. It feels extremely hard to get any air in and this only makes me panic even more. Trying to slow down the breaths can help calm me down and open up my airways further. 
• Focus your thinking elsewhere. A lot of the time before a panic attack, I find myself thinking about something that stresses me to a very intense level. My mind whirls round and round in circles, like a Roll-a-coin collection box, over the same one thing, until it drops down the middle and the panic attack sparks. Therefore, I have to work in the moment to redirect my thoughts. This is the other benefit of deep breaths, as you can switch your focus onto your breath in order to stop your mind spiralling and the panic attack progressing. 
• Speak to somebody. If you aren’t with anyone at the time, give a relative or friend a call. Whoever can help calm you down. Listening to another persons voice and having them refocus your mind, will help calm you down and allow you to stabilise yourself. 

These are a few things I do to try and get my breathing under control and get my airways to feel fully open again. What do you do? I would love to hear your tips.