Anxiety and Panic Attacks

The Idea of the Week

One difference between anxiety and panic attacks is that “anxiety attack” is not a medical term, while “panic attack” is a medical term. Healthline shares more about the Difference Between a Panic Attack and an Anxiety Attack.

While “anxiety attack” is not actually a clinical term, it is a useful term for people’s spectrum of experiences. This 5-minute read from Verywell Health shares the definition of an anxiety attack, the symptoms and causes, and a few self-care strategies to help with anxiety attacks, including:

• Get adequate sleep
• Practice mindfulness and meditation
• Practice progressive relaxation
• Build your social support system
• Practice yoga
• Practice deep breathing
• Use mantras
• Use positive visualization. 

Practice of the Week

Dr. K from HealthyGamerGG shares What Do You Do When You Have a Panic Attack (a 34-minute video) by first sharing an overview of panic attacks and panic disorder, what happens during a panic attack, and then what we can do when we’re experiencing a panic attack. 

Dr. K notes an important distinction about panic attacks: we assume panic attacks and anxiety are related and that the origin of a panic attack is mental in nature, but this is not necessarily the case. Panic attacks are physiological in origin. 

Dr. K also shares that it is appropriate to seek emergency medical services when you’re experiencing a panic attack because “it’s not your job to differentiate between cardiac arrhythmia and a panic attack.” If the panic attack passes and you didn’t seek emergency services, then the next day or the following days, you may want to seek a medical evaluation. 

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The Thought of the Week

Wishing you a peaceful week!