A therapist explains panic attack symptoms and what to do in the moment when they happen.
Plus, tips on how to prevent them from occuring.
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And the number of people experiencing panic attacks has drastically risen too, according to new statistics.
One in threethats pretty startling.
Seiler explains that a panic attack is an intense surge of fear.
Lana Seiler, MSW, LCSW, is a therapist and the associate director of clinical operations at All Points North Lodge, which offers telehealth counseling and in-person treatment for trauma, addition, or mental health work.
Often, it feels like youre having a heart attack, she says.
Theyre very real and terrifying.
But panic attacks can seemingly come out of nowhere, she says.
Its your bodys way of telling you that you better take care of yourself, she says.
Is this always easy?
If you do experience a panic attack, identifying it as such is whats most important, Seiler explains.
This is crucial, she says.
First, take deep breaths toslow your breathing.
This sends the message to our body that were not actually in danger.
Something else that can help is doinggentle stretches or movements, Seiler says.
Managing panic attacks requires action thats both in-the-moment and ongoing, so unfortunately, theres no shortcuts here.
We cant control whats going on in the worldcertainly not the pandemic.
But we can control how we take care of ourselves in the midst of it.
Panic attacks are just another reminder of how important that is.
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