One of the worst times to have a panic attack would be in public. It is bad enough when you’re at your home and something sets you off, but to be around a bunch of people that you likely don’t know, and experience a panic attack in public is especially bad. The anxiety, stress, and sometimes the terror when the attack is bad enough seems that much worse. This is another where I haven’t experienced the worst of these attacks, but think that hopefully these three tips may help to remedy the situation and get things under control.
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To begin with, and this is getting repetitive at this point, I would really suggest getting your breath under control. The breathing techniques I mentioned in the very first post on the site may work especially well here. Whenever I am having difficulties, even if I’m not experiencing anxiety, I always fall back into my timed breathing (well, it’s not really my technique, but I wrote about it here.
Even if I’m just stuck in traffic and getting frustrated, I can dial myself back pretty quickly. One point I’ve noticed is that when I’m feeling really anxious, my focus is just wrecked. A panic attack can make you feel like you’re moving at a snail’s pace, while the world is whizzing around you. Getting your breathing under control can help to focus you and get back in the “game” that much quicker.
This is best if you do the second tip: find a place to sit down and relax a bit. If you’re around one, sit on a bench. Get yourself into a good mental place with some breathing or other lower level meditation technique and just relax a little bit. You’ll look like you’re just waiting for someone or people watching.
Even better, hopefully if you can relax a touch, you will go from looking like a nervous and angst ridden wreck (that’s how I imagine I have looked in these situations), to someone just enjoying the day. Calm, relaxed, smooth.
If you have got something with you to drink, then drink it. Stopping off for a bottle of water or a cup of tea if there is a shop or stand near by can help you to have something to do while you calm and refocus your mind. It is especially helpful to get a little something past the dry mouth that often accompanies panic and anxiety attacks.
This may help all on its own, and is one of the remedies I’ve used. However, it is often a compliment to the above steps that were listed above this one.
A panic attack in public feels like a major nightmare. In some cases, they can be really, really awful. Nobody is gonig to lie and act like they’re something you just shrug off and move along with, but they can be managed. These tips may help you to get through the tough times and move past those panic attacks til you can get to a more calm place at home or wherever you are headed.
Do you have specific fall back techniques you like when you’re dealing with panic attacks? If you do, leave a comment and let’s talk about what works for you and what may help other readers.
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