During the past few years, panic attacks have been part of my life.
In general, I have an average of two or three per month, although I have spent months without having any and usually take place at home. When you start at home, I know that I can have access to my lavender essential oil, my cover and my medicine if I need it.
Within minutes, my heart rate decreases and my breathing normalizes.
But having a panic attack in public? That is a completely different scenario.
I am known for experiencing panic on airplanes, which is a fairly common place of panic in general. But they also happen in totally unexpected places, like the grocery store when I'm overwhelmed by the crowded halls and crowds. Or even a dolphin watching cruise when the waves became unbearably choppy.
In my mind, past public panic attacks stand out because they felt more intense and I was not prepared.
Dr. Kristin Bianchi, a psychologist at the Maryland Center for Anxiety and Behavior Change, believes that public panic attacks pose their own unique challenges.
"It tends to be more disturbing for people who suffer panic attacks in public than at home because they have easier access to calm activities and people in their homes than in a public place," he says.
"Also, at home, people can experience their panic attacks" in private "without fear of another person noticing their anguish and wondering what could be wrong," he adds.
In addition to not being prepared, I also had to deal with the shame and humiliation of having a panic attack amid strangers. And it seems that I am not alone in this.
Stigma and shame, Bianchi explains, can be an important component of public panic attacks. She describes clients who reveal that they fear "getting attention or" making a scene "during a public panic attack.
"They often report that they are concerned that others think they are" crazy "or" unstable. "
But Bianchi emphasizes that it is important to remember that the symptoms of a panic attack cannot even be noticed by other people.
“In other cases, the anguish of an individual may be more obvious to an outsider, but that does not mean that the [stranger] jumps to terrible conclusions about [the person experiencing the panic attack]. Observers may simply think that the victim is not feeling well or is upset and has a bad day, "he adds.
So what should you do if you find yourself having a panic attack in public? We asked Bianchi to share five tips for navigating in a healthy way. This is what she suggests:
1. Keep a "calm kit" in your bag or car
If you know you are prone to panic attacks that occur outside your home, come prepared with a small mobile kit.
Dr. Bianchi recommends including items that can help you reduce breathing and connect with the present. These items may include:
smooth stones
essential oils
a bracelet or bead necklace to touch
A small bottle of bubbles to blow.
coping statements written on index cards
mints
a coloring book
2. Get to a safe place
A panic attack can make your body feel paralyzed, so it can be difficult to get out of a crowd or go to a safe and quiet place. When this happens, do your best to move your body and look for a place that is relatively noise free and has fewer stimuli than a large public place.
“This could mean going outside where there is more space and fresh air, sitting in an empty office if you are in a work environment, moving to an empty line on public transport or putting on headphones with noise cancellation if it is not possible to find them. a quieter space in any of these configurations, "Bianchi explains.
When you are in that new space, or have your noise canceling headphones, Bianchi also recommends taking slow and deep breaths and using other management tools to handle the panic attack.
In general, I have an average of two or three per month, although I have spent months without having any and usually take place at home. When you start at home, I know that I can have access to my lavender essential oil, my cover and my medicine if I need it.
Within minutes, my heart rate decreases and my breathing normalizes.
But having a panic attack in public? That is a completely different scenario.
I am known for experiencing panic on airplanes, which is a fairly common place of panic in general. But they also happen in totally unexpected places, like the grocery store when I'm overwhelmed by the crowded halls and crowds. Or even a dolphin watching cruise when the waves became unbearably choppy.
In my mind, past public panic attacks stand out because they felt more intense and I was not prepared.
Dr. Kristin Bianchi, a psychologist at the Maryland Center for Anxiety and Behavior Change, believes that public panic attacks pose their own unique challenges.
"It tends to be more disturbing for people who suffer panic attacks in public than at home because they have easier access to calm activities and people in their homes than in a public place," he says.
"Also, at home, people can experience their panic attacks" in private "without fear of another person noticing their anguish and wondering what could be wrong," he adds.
In addition to not being prepared, I also had to deal with the shame and humiliation of having a panic attack amid strangers. And it seems that I am not alone in this.
Stigma and shame, Bianchi explains, can be an important component of public panic attacks. She describes clients who reveal that they fear "getting attention or" making a scene "during a public panic attack.
"They often report that they are concerned that others think they are" crazy "or" unstable. "
But Bianchi emphasizes that it is important to remember that the symptoms of a panic attack cannot even be noticed by other people.
“In other cases, the anguish of an individual may be more obvious to an outsider, but that does not mean that the [stranger] jumps to terrible conclusions about [the person experiencing the panic attack]. Observers may simply think that the victim is not feeling well or is upset and has a bad day, "he adds.
So what should you do if you find yourself having a panic attack in public? We asked Bianchi to share five tips for navigating in a healthy way. This is what she suggests:
1. Keep a "calm kit" in your bag or car
If you know you are prone to panic attacks that occur outside your home, come prepared with a small mobile kit.
Dr. Bianchi recommends including items that can help you reduce breathing and connect with the present. These items may include:
smooth stones
essential oils
a bracelet or bead necklace to touch
A small bottle of bubbles to blow.
coping statements written on index cards
mints
a coloring book
2. Get to a safe place
A panic attack can make your body feel paralyzed, so it can be difficult to get out of a crowd or go to a safe and quiet place. When this happens, do your best to move your body and look for a place that is relatively noise free and has fewer stimuli than a large public place.
“This could mean going outside where there is more space and fresh air, sitting in an empty office if you are in a work environment, moving to an empty line on public transport or putting on headphones with noise cancellation if it is not possible to find them. a quieter space in any of these configurations, "Bianchi explains.
When you are in that new space, or have your noise canceling headphones, Bianchi also recommends taking slow and deep breaths and using other management tools to handle the panic attack.
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