Symptoms of Panic Attacks

Millions of people around the world experience symptoms of panic attacks in their lives. Over the last million years or so, the human mind and the body used anxiety and panic as a form protection and self preservation.

This natural primal level hard wiring has evolved over all these years to serve as a protection mechanism. This protection mechanism prepares our bodies to take an action of some sort to increase the chances of our survival. These actions are to fight or flee.

These actions manifest symptoms of panic attacks in our bodies such as a faster heartbeat, feeling edgy and faster breathing. These feelings can be triggered instantly as the logical (rational) part of our mind is bypassed and the emotional part of our brain is triggered instantly without the logical part of the mind being able to fully “figure it out”.

Even though many of these responses are not really called for in the situations in this day and age, we still feel these same symptoms of panic attacks in our mind and bodies. Are bodies are still wired for a time that doesn’t really exist anymore.

However,  we still need this protection mechanism for this day and age too. We need something to quickly spring us into action for survival. For example, if a car is coming at us, we need our mind to instantly feel certain emotions to motivate us to stay alive. This will then instantly activate the major muscle groups needed to protect ourselves and get out of the way of the oncoming car.

Now let’s come back to everyday life. Although these situations happen very rarely in our lives, many of us still have symptoms of panic attacks and background anxiety in our minds and have the symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks come up at the wrong times.

Sometimes they are constantly lingering on in our mind and body throughout the day, when in reality there is nothing to feel anxious or afraid about in the present moment.

Physical symptoms of panic attacks include:

• Feelings of dizziness and feeling light headed

• More rapid heartbeats

• Feelings of the “butterflies” in our stomach

• Dryness of the mouth like there is no saliva there

• Sweating and increased heat in our bodies

• Shallow and fast breaths high in our chest

• Jittery and jumpy feelings

Mental symptoms of panic attacks:

• Self consciousness

• Fear of embarrassment

• Fear of being out of control of ourselves and some aspect of our lives

• Simulating fearful situations, thoughts, experiences, scenarios and outcomes in our mind, which are either about the future or the past.

• Not in the present moment and not in tune with the ‘reality’ you are in at that present moment.

Panic attacks and anxiety behaviors

• Obsessing about the future or the past about something that hasn’t happened yet or something that did happen.

• Avoiding situations where you may be judged, criticized, or rejected.

• Using food or other distractions to try to distract ourselves from feeling our feelings.

• Looking for the approval of others.

• A negative downward spiral of limiting thoughts.

• Not being able to focus on the task in hand and instead thinking about your own emotions and feelings.

These are the main symptoms of panic attacks that many people experience in their lives, or sometimes in their daily lives.