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You might have heard the terms panic attack and anxiety attack frequently and interchangeably. It is understandable, given that they share similar symptoms such as elevated heartbeat, shortness of breath, and dizziness. However, panic and anxiety possess different features, and health professionals use these terms to identify specific symptoms and disorders.
Panic attacks are an abrupt surge of intense fear or discomfort accompanied by other physical and mental symptoms. However, anxiety is part of the emotional and protective response within the human body. If you have or are experiencing either, it is essential to understand the differences and similarities to act appropriately.
What Is a Panic Attack?
The onset of a panic attack is typically sudden; panic embodies a feeling of terror, fear, or discomfort, accompanied by several other mental and physical symptoms. Symptoms are often extreme; they cause disruption, and these symptoms can characterize panic. From the mental side of things, you might experience “unreality” and detachment from yourself, like losing control and the fear of dying. You might experience heart palpitations or elevated heartbeat, excessive sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, chills, and hot flashes from the physical aspect.
Additionally, panic attacks typically occur out of the blue, and less often is there an obvious trigger to identify it with panic. Sometimes they are caused by the fear that is stemming from a phobia. Panic attack symptoms generally peak at ten minutes before they begin to subside. However, in some cases, attacks can occur in succession, and it can be hard to determine when one ends, and another one starts. In the aftermath of an attack, it is not uncommon to feel stressed, worried, and “out of sorts” for the remainder of the day. It is a form of residual energy created in the nervous system.
What Is An Anxiety Attack?
Anxiety attacks tend to operate more slowly, intensifying over some time. It directly correlates with excessive worry about a potential danger, whether real or perceived. When you anticipate danger, your stress response within your nervous system builds until it reaches a high level of stress to the point of being overwhelming. It might feel like a panic attack; however, there are varying symptoms to differentiate.
During an anxiety attack, you might experience difficulty concentrating, irritability, and restlessness. These feelings occur because while you might not be aware, your mind is continuing to process the stressful thoughts. You are likely to experience fatigue, muscle tension, disrupted sleep, increased startle response, elevated heartbeat, and dizziness from the physical side. While some symptoms are similar between the two, the feelings associated with anxiety are usually less intense. However, unlike a panic attack, anxiety attacks may be persistent over days, weeks, and even months.
Determining a Diagnosis
Determining whether you have an anxiety or panic disorder begins with evaluating each of their symptoms. Do they come on fast? Do they linger for weeks? Then, it may be time to seek professional help. A psychiatrist or psychologist can help you determine whether or not a mental health diagnosis is present. Answering these questions can better educate health professionals when evaluating your anxiety or panic.
It is also essential to understand your medical history. Has anyone in your family has experienced such symptoms, and was there a diagnosis? All of this information lends clues that help you and your doctor considers or rule out anything else that might be contributing to your anxiety or panic.
Additionally, seeking therapy helps to explore further what you are feeling from an emotional perspective. Think of it as taking “emotional inventory.” Therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), meditation, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and mindfulness can help you uncover the source of your worry. For example, does anxiety or panic intensify when you think of a memory? Or, is there something in your present-day causing your fears, such as the pandemic, loss of a job, etc.
When it comes to your health, you can never ask and try to answer enough questions about yourself, your environment, and your emotional responses. Additionally, you can keep a journal to help write down how you feel when you feel it. Tracking your emotions enables you to take in your surroundings when experiencing panic or anxiety. It can help you find additional clues and sources that are stressing you.
Anxiety and panic attacks disrupt your day and get in the way of recovery and life quality. Trying to manage each on your own can create further exhaustion, hopelessness, and isolation from the support around you. If you find that anxiety or panic attacks occur frequently, then it may be time for you to take that first step towards getting help. At START UP RECOVERY, we understand that anxiety and panic can occur at any point in life and occur to even the strongest people – this is because life continues to place challenges in front of us. However, the good news is that START UP RECOVERY functions upon the ability to help people transform from within, creating the confidence to overcome challenges. Sometimes the confidence to overcome a challenge is the confidence and security to know when you need help. At START UP RECOVERY, you will find support from a network of motivated and supported individuals ready to help you achieve your best success. To learn more, call us today at (310) 773-3809. Transformation begins with START UP.