5 Ways to Know You are in Danger of Having a Panic Attack

Stressful situations happen every day. Work deadlines, raising kids and strained marriages are just some of the things that plague us every day. Any one of these things can weigh on a person, causing them mental and emotional anguish and possibly triggering a panic attack.

When all these stressors happen at once, it can easily become a problem. Suddenly, it can feel as if your whole body stops functioning normally. Your heart races, you cannot catch your breath and it feels as though you are having a heart attack. Although these symptoms are scary, it may not be your heart, but rather a panic attack.

Panic attacks can happen suddenly. It can feel like butterflies in the stomach or like riding a roller coaster, except you are standing still. Physical symptoms of chest or back pain can also result. Managing panic attacks can be difficult.

However, how can you manage something if you are not sure you are even having a panic attack? What causes someone to have a panic attack?

Signs of high anxiety

Cannot catch your breath

If, suddenly, you find yourself struggling to breathe, even if you have not been overly active, you may be struggling with extreme anxiety. Thankfully, there is an easy solution to this. Our bodies struggle with anxiety because they are constantly on the go. They are not getting adequate mental rest to help detach from issues in everyday life situations.

To combat this, sit quietly in a low-lit, quiet environment. Ideally, identify a place in your home or a place outside to help get away from any outside distractions. Furthermore, noise pollution can contribute to anxiety.

Find a place to sit in silence. Observe silence for an extended period if you can. Concentrate on your breath. Inhale in and count to ten. Take a deep breath, allowing your lungs to fill with as much air as possible. Hold that breath for ten seconds. Count slowly. Exhale slowly to the count of ten. Do this for at least ten repetitions. Your breathing will eventually slow, and you will feel your body de-stress.

If time allows, make this a part of your regular schedule. Do not wait until there is a problem with your breathing. Incorporate silence and deep breathing every day, as a part of your mental hygiene.

Racing heart

Just as difficulty catching your breath may be a sign of anxiety, so is a racing heart. Sometimes they feel like palpitations. Other times it may simply feel like a heart pounding out of your chest.

Try exercise. If your heart continues to race, pray. Bring whatever stressful situations you may be encountering to the Lord. Ask the Lord to carry this heavy burden for you. Pray aloud or in your mind. Speaking aloud to the Lord feels like you are not alone. It identifies the issue you are dealing with and gives hope that you do not have to deal with it alone.

Lack of sleep

A good night’s rest is vital to our body’s overall health and well-being. However, severe anxiety can lead to lack of sleep. A lack of sleep may involve one or two hours a night, or we may miss an entire night’s rest. Sleep not only allows our bodies to rest, but it also allows our minds to rest. However, when the brain does not get the R.E.M. (rapid eye movement) cycles of sleep it demands, it can wreak havoc on our mental health.

If racing thoughts, overthinking situations, or waves of panic plague you, it is important to not allow these things to affect your sleep. Taking melatonin or another sleep aid can allow for an undisturbed night of sleep. You should consult your doctor with any questions before trying this, though. Try to take a sleep aid with natural ingredients to prevent addiction. However, if a stronger medication is required, your physician can guide you.

Change in eating habits

The way our bodies handle stress varies from person to person. Anxiety may trigger both overeating or under-eating. Some people use food as a coping mechanism to help manage extreme stress. Other people’s bodies manifest anxiety through nausea or an upset stomach. This prevents them from eating.

Going for prolonged periods without any nutrition can be detrimental to both your physical and mental health. Humans’ brains need certain nutrients to keep functioning at an optimal level. Additionally, nutrition helps keep blood sugar levels stabilized, which will prevent other physical illnesses such as diabetes, and ultimately, stroke or heart attack.

If overeating helps you cope with stress, watch what you eat. The body craves high-fat, simple carbohydrates if eaten for a prolonged period of time. However, by changing your diet to include complex carbohydrates and foods low in fat, it can rewire itself to no longer have cravings and only want good, healthy food.

Conversely, if a lack of appetite is the problem, find foods that you find palpable to eat so you can keep your blood sugar and other levels stabilized. Not eating at regular intervals can cause blood sugar spikes, which in turn cause other health abnormalities.

Irrational or repetitive negative thoughts

Humans’ minds may be their biggest enemy when it comes to anxiety. Part of the battle the body must face is the battle taking place in the mind. Yet, God gives us a solution to this as well. Joshua 1:8 says, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Christians are sometimes confused or reluctant about meditation. Yet, this verse in Joshua tells us to meditate on the Law. Christian meditation is not only allowed; it is commanded in Scripture. Christian meditation is different from some of the secular types of meditation.

In Christian meditation, not only does a person empty their mind, but they empty their mind of negative thoughts. Instead of merely emptying it and allowing Satan to fill it again, you then fill your mind with the truth of God’s Word.

In this verse in Joshua, it says to meditate on the Law, meaning the word of God. If you are anchored in the word of God, those verses will come springing to mind. People must empty their minds of the lies that the enemy tells them or any negative thoughts that may be hindering their mental health. We are to fill our minds with the word of God. Therefore, have something to meditate on when emptying your mind of Satan’s lies.

Meditation is a wonderful way to maintain mental well-being. Educate yourself on the difference between Christian meditation and other forms of meditation. Christian meditation, when you meditate on the Word of God, is essential for healthy mental well-being. If Jesus chose to use this method when he was physically weak in the desert during Satan’s temptation, we can certainly adopt this as a practice as well.

Dealing with panic attacks

Although panic attacks can happen suddenly, they normally are the culmination of anxiety that has not been resolved effectively. When people feel anxious, scripture commands us to cast our cares onto the Lord. When we rid ourselves of our anxious thoughts and replace Satan’s lies with the truth of the Word, we can resolve anxiety before panic attacks start.

However, even with the best strategies, panic attacks can happen. If a panic attack happens to you, seek medical attention through the emergency room, a psychiatrist, or another mental health professional. If you currently do not have a psychiatrist, see your general physician, and ask for a referral.

Panic attacks need to be dealt with in the same way as any other health-related issue needs to be resolved. However, if people deal with anxiety before it becomes a full-blown panic attack, they can save themselves the physical, emotional, and mental toll anxiety can take on them, and give themselves the quality of life they deserve.

Reaching out for help

If you believe you may be struggling with severe anxiety or are prone to having an anxiety attack, please reach out to our offices today. We will connect you to a counselor who can walk with you on a journey to improve your stress and anxiety levels.