In the case of a panic attack, the trigger may be known or the panic may appear out of the blue. Typically there are intense feelings and body sensations such as palpitations, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, choking, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, unreality (derealisation), detachment from oneself (depersonalisation), going crazy, dying, tingling and chills or hot flushes. Under other situations, these kinds of experiences would signal extreme danger.
Dealing with a panic attack can be exhausting. We quickly learn to avoid situations that our mind tells us could lead to another panic attack. For many, this avoidance strategy can come at a personal cost and impact our freedom, relationships, social participation in study, work and getting about. We may worry about potential future panic attacks. We may constantly monitor our body for signs of a panic attack starting. We may restrict our life to minimising exposure to situations that might trigger a panic attack. The mental energy invested in in worrying, monitoring and restricting, can leave us tired, isolated and feeling down.
