For a lot of people, the feeling of unease or nervousness during a class is absolutely normal. It’s perfectly fine to stress and worry. However, having a panic attack in the middle of class is not a normal part of the college experience. A panic attack is the overwhelming feeling of dread or unease, as well as a multitude of other symptoms that can either have no trigger at all, or specific triggers depending on the person. No one wishes for this to happen, and it’s often not something you can prevent. There are, however, ways to calm yourself and deal with panic attacks whenever or wherever they may happen.
Calm your breathing.
It’s easy to begin hyperventilating when you believe that something bad is happening. One of the symptoms of a panic attack is the overpowering feeling that something is wrong, though you cannot pinpoint what. In my experience, calming your breathing is usually the most effective way to bring oneself down from a panic attack. Following the 4-7-8 pattern, breathe in as much as you can for four seconds, hold that breath for seven seconds, and slowly breathe out for eight seconds. Continue to do this until you feel sufficiently calm.
Remove yourself from the situation.
Sometimes people’s panic attacks are triggered by something that is happening in their surroundings. Whether it be something someone said, or the feeling of deja vu, anything could be a trigger. In these situations, it is best to remove yourself and find a quiet, safe place to recuperate. This, coupled with the breathing exercise, can often be an effective way to stop a panic attack. Even if you do not know what the trigger of your panic attack was, removing yourself from the situation is still a good way to calm yourself.
Ask someone you trust to help ground you.
No, I do not mean have someone act like a parent to you and ban you from going out. I mean someone to help bring you back to yourself. Another symptom of a panic attack is the feeling of dissociation, or rather, the feeling that you are detached from everything around you and that nothing is real. When this occurs, people often require something or someone to bring them back to reality. This can be done a number of ways, such as counting objects, identifying things that are familiar to you, and even checking your phone can often be helpful. Having someone to encourage you to do these things, to support you until you come back down, is often the best way someone can help.
These are only a few techniques, and honestly the ones that work best for myself personally. There are a number of other things you can do to stop a panic attack that might work better for you, as everyone is different. However, one thing remains the same, and that is that you are never alone. There will always be someone who understands what you are going through, and who is willing to help you even if you don’t tell anyone that you need it.
