A complete guide from a licesened mental health professional.

An anxiety attack can feel like you are completely out of control and without any kind of power. You feel like your worry is consuming you and you can’t get a grip. Unlike a panic attack, anxiety attacks can be more common, and do not have a formal diagnosis in insurance billing.

They are however very real.

This blog will help you determine when you may be experiencing an anxiety attack and how to work through it.

What is an Anxiety Attack?

Criteria for an Anxiety Attack

Defining an anxiety attack is difficult because there is no clear criteria in the DSM5.

What is the DSM5?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is like the bible for mental health. It is put out by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and is the system used in the United States to diagnose mental health disorders. Really, this is just the book that we use to bill insurance. Nonetheless, this book does not have a clear diagnosis for an “anxiety attack”

An anxiety attack may look like:

Being unable to complete your task(s) at hand
Feeling completely overwhelmed by your life
Having so much worry you feel like you can’t take it anymore
Somatic pain in your stomach, head, or shoulders
Feeling like you need to use the restroom more often
Having labored breathing
Feeling overly frustrated and irritable
Having excess worry that has accumulated into a moment

Unlike a panic attack, an anxiety attack may occur and you may be able to go on. I’ve had clients experience these in the midst of teaching, working, parenting, driving and many other tasks that they didn’t necessarily have to stop because of this feeling - but if you were in their heads - you’d tell them to take a break!

A panic attack is when you experience such an intense worry you feel like you may need to go to the hospital.

A panic attack looks like:

Being unable to complete your task(s) at hand

Trembling and shaking out of control
Feeling like you cannot breath and like your chest is tight
Feeling like you may pass out
Intense feelings of dizziness or nausea
Feeling like you may die.
Unable to complete the task at hand

What to do if you are experiencing an anxiety attack

First, get yourself grounded.

The first thing you will want to do is ground yourself. This means you are intentionally planting yourself somewhere and connecting with the earth near you.

I have a whole other blog post on the 5-4-3-2-1 Anxiety Strategy and how this can ground you.

This can look like the following:

Sit down on something safe. This can be a chair, the floor or a bed. Try not to lean on something.
Place your feet flat on the floor. Take your choose off if that helps connect you.
Place your hands firmly out in front of you, or clasp them together. You may also want to give yourself a hug.

Next, try to convince yourself that you are indeed safe.

Everyone has a different sense of safety. Each person is comforted in different ways. Think about what brings on this feeling.

This can look like the following:

Saying over and over “you are safe”
Getting a colleague or loved one to tell you this
Holding an item that brings you a sense of safety {this is often a deeply sentimental item}
Completing a grounding exercise to remind you that you are in a safe place.

Then, try to cool down.

When we get overly worried, our body temperature literally rises. This then alerts our sympathetic nervous system that something is wrong, and produce adrenalynn.

We get ready to run from the tiger.

The problem of course, is that in today's world we rarely need this stress response. Very few modern humans find themselves needing to run from tigers.

Cooling down your core temperature can help signal to the body that you are indeed safe, and slow down the production of some of the stress hormones. Some ideas to do this are:

Getting near an AC unit and trying to get your face cold
Holding an ice cube, particularly to the back of your neck
Taking off a layer of clothing
Taking your shoes and socks off

End with trying to engage in deep breathing exercises.

While we know that taking a deep breath, and trying to practice a brief guided meditation can help us immensely - we rarely draw upon this strategy when we need it most.

My advice is to have a plan ready at all times.

Some ideas to prepare for this are:

Having a bookmarked meditation ready to go. There are tons of free ones on YouTube. Simply bookmark it on your phone.
Practicing breathing exercises on a regular basis. This can include an ongoing practice of yoga or meditation.
Practice your deep breathing during periods of transition. Try to practice while driving, while waiting at the grocery store, ect.

In case you are new to deep breathing, it’s really just exactly what it sounds like. It is connecting with your breath and taking a deep breath in for 1…2…3…4…5 and an exhale for 1…2…3…4…5. Placing your hands on your belly or your ribs can help you to find your breath.

If your anxiety attacks continue, consider getting more support.

While this blog has provided some resources that I hope are helpful in managing your symptoms related to an anxiety attack, these tactics are best explored with a mental health professional.

If you are on the fence about getting therapy for your anxiety, let me be the one to tell you: you deserve it!

The information and resources contained on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to assess, diagnose, or treat any medical and/or mental health disease or condition. The use of this website does not imply nor establish any type of therapist-client relationship. Furthermore, the information obtained from this site should not be considered a substitute for a thorough medical and/or mental health evaluation by an appropriately credentialed and licensed professional.

How to Handle an Anxiety Attack