• Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    

    MyThirtySpot

    When Girl Meets 30

  • Beauty
  • Fashion
  • Health
  • For The Home
    • Entertaining
  • Family
  • Life
    • Relationships
  • Travel
  • Love for Thirty Project
  • Shop

MyThirtySpot

When Girl Meets 30

Panic Attacks – 8 Ways to Stop and Prevent Them

March 30, 2016 By Erin Kennedy 7 Comments

I had my first panic attack two weeks after my 30th birthday. I fell asleep on the couch and woke up suddenly and my heart was beating out of my chest. I also couldn’t breathe very well and my mind was racing. I had never experienced that feeling before and I didn’t know what was happening. Let’s just say, it scared the shit out of me. Unfortunately, I have had 3-4 attacks since, and my anxiety levels are definitely higher than they ever were. I am not sure if this is something that comes with age, but it seems a lot of my girlfriends have been experiencing a lot more anxiety as we have gotten older. I don’t seem to have a full on attack lately, but I do feel more often that I am on the edge of one and try my best to keep it from turning into a full-fledged panic attack.

There are studies being conducted about hormones and anxiety and their connection. It seems that when your hormones are not in balance it can affect and make you vulnerable to anxiety attacks. Especially if your estrogen or progesterone levels are low. For me this can make sense because I notice that depending on where I am in my monthly cycle, I can really get anxiety when I am flying on an airplane, other times it doesn’t bother me to fly.

Depression, mood swings, low libido and lack of energy can occur in response to hormonal imbalance. These symptoms are also indicative of hormonal imbalances due to menopause, thyroid disorders or early ovarian failure. Anxiety symptoms are also caused by hormonal therapy like birth control pills.

Here are some of the major symptoms of a anxiety or panic attack:

  • Profuse sweating
  • Dizziness
  • Dryness of mouth
  • Inability to comprehend the situation
  • Breathlessness
  • Flashes that alternate between hot and cold
  • Heart Racing
  • Mind Racing
  • Negative thoughts

If you are in the middle of an attack try to remember and recognize that you’re having a panic attack. You’re not really in any danger. You’re not losing your mind.

8 Ways to Stop and Prevent Panic Attacks

Here are some steps to take to control and end your panic attack:

1. Take deep breaths

2. Rub your temples in a circular motion

3. Drinking a glass of chilled water can actually help you get your nerves in order.

4. Force yourself to get your mind involved in a funny television show.

5. If you can’t sit for obvious reasons stand up and watch it and pace around or walk or jog in place until your mind eases.

6. Rational thinking – All kind of negative thoughts pass through your head when you experience a panic attack. These thoughts are unfounded. It can help to shout STOP!!! inside your head to stop your negative thoughts in their tracks.

7. Breathe into a paper bag. This trick really does work. The carbon dioxide helps to slow your breathing down and makes you feel calmer.

8. And my favorite tip, this trick helps me to prevent an attack if I feel one coming (especially helps me on the plane) and if I do have an attack, it ends it sooner. Do Math! Really. Try to get your mind onto something that makes you concentrate. I will start to write out our bills or do them in my head, or I will do multiplication tables in my head, 8×12= 96 and so on. It really helps because I am not focused on the attack but something that I really have to think about. Or, if you are not a fan of math, count backwards from 100 by 3s. Ex. 100, 97, 94, 91, 88, etc.

If your attacks start to be more often consider seeking help. Whatever the reason for your panic attacks, there’s no shame in getting help from a medical doctor or a psychotherapist. Often, it only takes a few therapy sessions to get relief from panic attacks. Or you can get prescribed some anti-anxiety medication to help.

 

photo source

Filed Under: Featured, Health

Comments

  1. Brid says

    October 1, 2012 at 10:17 am

    Breathing is a really useful tool in your arsenal when coping with anxiety attacks. However, it is really diaphragmatic breathing that helps – shallow, rapid breaths taken from the chest will likely accelerate your system and make the episode worse. Deep, measured breaths from your tummy will help your heart to slow down and the rest of you follows. It’s worth practicing this regularly – it makes it easier to draw on when you do start to experience anxiety. This wee video shows how to breath properly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmi6sNG9ttM&feature=related

    Reply
  2. My Thirty Spot says

    October 2, 2012 at 4:50 am

    Hi Brid,

    Thanks for the tip. Breathing is really important when it comes to bringing your anxiety down.

    Cheers!
    xoxo

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    October 6, 2012 at 1:31 pm

    As a professional and licensed therapist who runs panic treatment groups, distraction may help temporarily but actually reinforces the panic cycle in the long run. Check out info on panic on the National institute of Mental Health for great info on

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    November 7, 2012 at 1:56 am

    I second the tip on watching a funny tv show, several years ago while going through a crisis with my son with autism, I experienced my first panic attacks which manifested as feeling like I couldn’t breathe and a rapid heart beat. At first I thought it was just because I’d been crying so hard that I couln’t breathe.

    At any rate, watching old episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond was a godsend. Every night I watched it, it was the highpoint of my day. (Sad, huh?) No I didn’t Lol but it was a temporary distraction.

    Hope yours are under control. I rarely get them anymore. Yay!

    Reply
  5. Betty Pringle says

    January 10, 2013 at 9:25 pm

    I have terrible panic attacks when I am a passenger in a car. If the driver drives too fast, tail gates, changes lanes too often, doesn’t keep their eyes on the road and is easily distracted by adjusting the radio, eating and everything else I am a mess until we arrive at our destination. I’ve been to a therapist and tried all her suggestions and sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn’t. I miss out on a lot of fun trips with my daughters.

    Reply
  6. Priscilla Warner says

    February 13, 2013 at 7:11 pm

    I just found your excellent post through Pinterest, and I’d be honored to send you a copy of my book, if you’d like, Erin. I suffered from panic attacks from the time I was fifteen, and although 6 million people suffer from them, I felt all alone. I recently wrote a memoir, Learning to Breathe – My Yearlong Quest to Bring Calm to My Life, and learned how to meditate my way from panic to peace :-) I write about about a lot of techniques and treatments that I think you’d find helpful. You can check out the book on my website and let me know if you’d like a signed copy: http://priscillawarnerbooks.com I wish you peace…

    Reply
  7. Mevina Sandra says

    March 15, 2014 at 8:52 am

    I don’t know if I have this panic disorder or not, but yesterday when I was in cinema suddenly I feel sooo panic, I don’t have any reason of my panic, my heart beat so fast, and I feel like I’m going to explode.. but suddenly the panic is gone. I just wondering what’s going on with my self? This panic has happened once before.. but thanks for the tips ..

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome

Erin Kennedy is the editor of My Thirty Spot, a lifestyle blog for sharing tips and stories for women in their 30s to live the best 30 lives we can. Read More →

Never miss a post!

Get the latest posts and articles sent straight to your inbox

  • Contact
  • Write for MTS
  • About
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 My Thirty Spot · Implemented by WPopt

Copyright © 2025

7ads6x98y
MENU
  • Beauty
  • Fashion
  • Health
  • For The Home
    • Entertaining
  • Family
  • Life
    • Relationships
  • Travel
  • Love for Thirty Project
  • Shop
Stop Taking Loans & Get Funded for Free with Grants!FREE Resource: 25 Grants That Help Women Entrepreneurs Get Funded

Get Your Free PDF now!

Click Here!

No thanks, I’m not interested!