Anxiety vs. Panic Attacks: Understanding Key Differences and Solutions
We all experience anxiety from time to time. It’s a natural response to things stressing us out, like before a job interview or a presentation at work.
However, when anxiety becomes ongoing or chronic, it can have a lot of negative impacts on a person’s life.
Most people have heard of a panic attack and have a general idea of what that means. But when they hear the words anxiety attack, they assume it means the same thing. However, anxiety attacks can be viewed as something different than panic attacks.
Panic attacks can happen suddenly and out of the blue. And there aren’t often indicators that one will occur until the symptoms manifest themselves. Whereas anxiety attacks slowly build up over time. They are often marked by a racing heart, feeling clammy, and breathing shallow. The symptoms of an anxiety attack slowly build up, meaning they don’t come on full blast like they would in a panic attack.
Anxiety and panic attacks are related to fear and nervousness, but it’s beneficial to know some of the unique differences between them:
Duration and Intensity: Anxiety tends to be a more long-lasting feeling of unease or worry that persists over time, whereas panic attacks are typically shorter-lived but more intense episodes of fear or panic.
Triggers: Anxiety can be triggered by various situations, thoughts, or events, while panic attacks can often occur in what seems to be sudden and without any apparent trigger or warning.
Physical Symptoms: Panic attacks are usually accompanied by a range of physical symptoms, such as heart palpitations, sweating, trembling, and difficulty breathing. While anxiety can also cause physical symptoms, they are usually milder and more long-lasting, such as muscle tension, fatigue, and headaches.
Control: Anxiety can be managed with various coping techniques, such as mindfulness, relaxation, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Panic attacks, on the other hand, can feel overwhelming and out of control, making it difficult for individuals to manage them without professional help.
It is also worth noting that panic attacks can be a symptom of anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder. In contrast, anxiety can be a symptom of various mental health conditions, including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Thankfully, there are ways to calm an anxiety attack before it worsens. Here are just a few.
Grounding Techniques
Does it seem as if your thoughts are all over the place? Do you feel scattered and unable to focus? If you answered yes to either of those, these signs indicate that an anxiety attack could be coming.
One of the best things you can do in moments like this is to practice a grounding technique using your senses. It forces you to take a moment and focus on something unrelated to what you are experiencing in your mind.
Using your five senses, identify the following:
5 Things You Can See
4 Things You Can Hear
3 Things You Can Touch
2 Things You Can Smell
1 Thing You Can Taste
Going through this list will force your brain to distract itself from the anxiety it is starting to feel.
Breathing Exercises
As we mentioned earlier, a sign of an anxiety attack is when breathing patterns shift. Using this logic, you can force your body to breathe differently, clearly, and very methodologically.
Our meditation and mindfulness coach has written a few blogs on the topic of the breath that we encourage you to read. There are also hundreds of videos on the internet that you can look up. But one of the most simple ones you can do is:
Take a deep breath in for 5 seconds and hold
Breathe deeply out for another 5 seconds
Repeat 1-2 another five times
By doing this, you are naturally calming your body down.
Find Ways To Relax and Combat Stress
When an anxiety attack builds up, it is often due to external factors stressing us out. For example, maybe the last few weeks have been challenging at work, or a lot is happening at home or in your personal life.
While these things are easy to manage by taking them day by day, it can lead up to a build-up of anxiety that is boiling underneath the surface.
When you are going through stressful periods or situations, trying to find small moments to relax is essential. Even if you only pick up that book for 10 minutes daily, those 10 minutes can significantly affect your overall stress levels.
Talk To Other People
We’ve all been there. Life gets stressful and hectic. Sometimes we aren’t sure how we are going to get everything done.
One thing that helps with managing anxiety is to remind ourselves we are doing enough. We are doing the best we can. Remembering to say little affirmations like this throughout the day can help tremendously.
It is also helpful to talk about these issues we are facing. Instead of letting them boil on the inside, you send your worries into the world. Many of your friends and family will know exactly what you mean when discussing what’s happening.
If nothing else, don’t hesitate to contact us for help with anxiety therapy. We can help you find ways to manage your symptoms and find relief.