Having a panic attack is never pleasant. Hangovers are also not pleasant. We feel exhausted and often do not know how to get out of the circle of fear. In some cases the fear having a panic attack triggers the “fear of fear”. This leads the individual to have a real panic disorder. The symptoms are now well known: sweating, throbbing, tightness in the throat, just to name a few. But how come we feel this way?
The fight-or-flight reaction during a panic attack
Our body activates a response to the danger called fight-or-flight response (fight or flight reaction). The fight-or-flight reaction has developed over time to prepare our body to fight a predator or to run away from it. Its functions were first theorized in the early 1900s by Walter Bradford Cannon, an American psychologist and neurologist. It has been found that the brain activates this reaction when it feels in danger, even if there may be no threats. We therefore feel full of tension and adrenaline: our body is ready to fight or escape. Knowing how our brain works, we can apply this trick to relax.
Walking to get out of a panic attack
While it sounds very mundane, walking is enough to get out of a panic attack. Precisely because during the fight or flight reaction our brain yells at us to fight or run, we can trick it by pretending to run away. By leaving the house and walking at a brisk pace for about fifteen minutes, our body will think that we are actually running away from our danger. Consequently, we will slowly emerge from the ongoing panic attack.
During the walk, it is advisable not to dwell too much on wanting to drive away the sense of panic. Instead, we try to focus on our breathing, just as if we were doing a jogging session with friends. This remedy is simple and effective and can be applied even if we cannot or do not want to leave the house. Just use all the rooms of the apartment or even the stairs of the condominium.
