This is panic 6 - fight or flight

Hey everyone, I'm trying to space out posts a bit more so that's why there's been such a break. This post as well takes a slightly different format and look but it's because I'm more asking myself a question than what I normally do.

People call it one of the most basic instincts a human has; fight or flight. When faced with a dangerous situation and the adrenaline's pumping, do we stand our ground or run to the hills? It's a feeling that caused by the chemicals in our head and it's those chemicals that kick off when people have panic attacks.

The thing is, we must face this feeling a lot during our lives and it applies to a lot of things we do. The one thing that I want to attach it to in this case is panic attacks itself. Do you make an effort to fight them or do you let them come and deal with it that way?

I have heard people say that you should do one or the other:

People who say fight are those who want the attack to be overcome with the force of will, an attempt to talk yourself off the edge. The argument is that you should not succumb to these things that have an impact and use your energies to beat it that way.

People who say flight are those who take more of an accepting tone towards panic attacks. Panic attacks actually have little physical impact on you once they are done and on average they only last between 7 to 10 minutes from the first tinglings to a return to the normal breathing state. Also they are a bit traumatic to have as you can appreciate and if you try and fail to stop one you add that on top of it, ergo better to let it run its course.

Personally when I am having an attack it actually ends up being a bit of both. I hate having attacks. Whilst I am accepting that I do have them and I have coping mechanisms and things I do during them to make it all go smoothly, I really hate having them.

I have mentioned before that I have triggers for my attacks, most people who have attacks do. For me it'll be a twinge in my muscles or pins and needles in one of my arms. Those range from the tips of my fingers to the top of my arms. The other main trigger is when I don't catch my breath. When one of these happens I generally go into defense mode.

Defense mode for me means regulating my breathing. Pins and needles are also a side effect of hyperventilation and if you can control your breathing I have found you can ward an attack off that way. I revert back to old breathing exercises learned from singing; deep breath in for 6, hold for 2 and out for 8. If this doesn't work I normally revert to the old tried and tested method of breathing into a paper bag. By paper bag for me, I actually use a large A4 envelope. Paper bags with some level of durability are somewhat hard to come by so the envelope works really well.

The point of the bag is to actually to help even up the CO2 levels in your system. Now I have read in a few places that doing this is actually detrimental to you and you can end up passing out. Having a panic attack itself will never normally make you pass out and if I am honest I have never had any issues with a paper bag. Seeing yourself breathing is the whole point of the exercise and a part of your brain goes "oh look, I am actually breathing". How that would work with something bar a paper bag is the question. I suppose a plastic bag could technically work but no need to add to the sense of impending death with actual death.

Once the paper bag is not really being effective, at that point I let it the whole thing play out. I try and get a glass of water (with rescue remedy if possible but not always) and breath in and out of the bag until I feel that I can breath normally. I also try sometimes to get outside but I tend to move about a lot which is not what I should do and I am now better at just trying to sit down straight backed.

The moral again with all of this is to find what works for you. Ultimately you know your own body and how you react in an attack situation so don't let people enforce stuff on you in a moment like that, it could have a detrimental effect. All I will say is if you're having a period where you're having lots of attacks, be prepared and have what you need to hand. If you are prepared, it is easier to be in control.