Was that a heart attack or a panic attack you just had?
Most people with anxiety tend to take a trip to the emergency the first
time they have a panic attack because they think they just had a heart
attack. This makes sense because the symptoms are so similar people
just can't tell the difference. The strange part is not only do the
adults who are at risk believe they had cardiovasular problems so do
some young adults and teens.
When you have a panic attack you feel like you can't
catch your breath. You start feeling numb and sharp pains in your hands
and other parts of your body. In addition, you start to feel dizzy or
like your going to pass out or just drop dead from your racing heart
beat. Finally, the fast heart rate clitches it idea into a panic attack
sufferers mind that they are not having any kind of panic attack.
Unfortunately, most people don't know about panic
attacks. They rush to the ER to find out nothing is physically wrong
with them. Panic attacks can be just as bad as a heart attack except
much less dangerous physically. Mentally, they can cause turmoil and
depression.
You have to learn how to differentiate between the two
very different events and realize that a panic attack can not
physically harm you. To stop panic attacks you can relax, use
visualization, or breath into a paper bag to catch your breath. These
strategies will help you relax during an anxiety attack, but you need
to do more work on yourself and figure out what is really causing
anxiety.
