| How Do I Explain My Panic Attacks? | Feelings | How Do I Explain My Panic Attacks? | <div class="ExternalClass8E6D9A2EE8924D97A78088EA51F45580"><p>I have been having panic attacks lately and I don't know what is triggering them. Is there a way I can figure that out? Also with that, my mom does not believe me when I say that I do not know what my panic attack is about. What do I say to her?<br></p></div> | <div class="ExternalClass0C68DD46D9CD41BB8D68265D6B8BF210"><p>Thanks so much for emailing in. Panic attacks can be difficult to deal with. They can hit at the oddest times – even when you think you are relaxed or you are doing something you love. They are hard to explain to others who have never experienced them. They do not always have an explanation as to why they are happening and can be contributed to a number of things, so you might not even know why they are happening. </p><p><a href="/Pages/anxiety.aspx">Anxiety</a> can arise when you are worried about something, have too many things on your plate and are over scheduled, when you are doing something you are not comfortable doing, when you lack sleep, when you are under the influence of a drug, when you have no control over something, if you have too much caffeine in your system, when you have been through something traumatic, and more.<br></p><p>It can hit people in a variety of ways, but typically you have both an emotional and a physical response. Both your mind and your body races so it can be hard to bring yourself to a calm. You might have a thought you cannot get rid of, your hands may sweat, you might feel dizzy, your heart rate speeds up, and it just gives you a sense of not having control over your own body which can be scary. YES, it is important to try to identify why you are having the attacks, so that you can problem solve through it.<br></p><p>It also is important to find out what <a href="/Pages/coping-skills.aspx">coping skills</a> allow you to help yourself calm down, lessen the intensity and frequency of these panic attacks, and get you back to feeling at ease most of the time. Here are some tips/articles that you might find helpful. Anytime you try a new strategy, you have to keep practicing it and give it a few weeks to get in the habit of using it and give it enough time so you can track if you are feeling better or worse. If you find some tips that work for you, share them with your Mom. Even let her know how she can help you when you are experiencing an attack. It might be just to sit down and breathe with you or let you lay your head on her shoulder. It might be to not ask questions. It might be to change the environment for you whether that means getting outside, or going to the solace of your room.<br></p><p>If you do not know what is triggering them, at least tell your mom when it first started, describe what happens to your body when it hits you, and again tell her how she can help and what you are going to do to try to make them go away. Know that you can reach out anytime if you need to talk through it or even get additional tips.</p><p>Thanks again for emailing in.<br></p><p>Laura, Crisis Counselor<br></p></div> | 13 | | |
