This Is What Happens After The First Panic Attack

What happens after the first panic attack opens a before and after in the life of any person. Those terrifying experiences that seem to come out of nowhere are experienced with a wide range of physical symptoms. So much so, that it is common for everyone who suffers them to have the clear feeling that they are about to die, that their heart is going to collapse from one moment to the next.

Anyone who has never experienced a panic attack on their own may have biased ideas about these conditions. Thus, it is common to think that these realities only affect insecure and even fearful people. Furthermore, it is also common to assume that attacks arise in very specific situations where one suffers from uncontrollable fear, such as speaking in public, getting into an elevator or plane, etc.

Now, something to understand about panic attacks is that they can arise at any time and without a specific trigger. Some people wake up in the middle of the night in an alarming sense of panic, firmly believing that they are about to have a heart attack. There are also those who suffer them for the first time while talking on the phone, having dinner with friends or being in the supermarket shopping.

There is also another important aspect that we must understand. Any of us can have a panic attack. Because we believe it or not, these experiences do not understand personality, age or circumstances, they understand anxiety. And anxiety is something that a good part of the population suffers and therefore, it is advisable to know what happens and what we should do when we suffer these episodes for the first time.

What happens after the first panic attack?

We all have numerous techniques and resources at our fingertips to manage anxiety. However, there is one fact that often fails: information. We fail to recognize the symptoms and evidence that anxiety leaves in our body and in our mind; We do not know the consequences and how it manifests itself when the limit is reached.

This means, for example, that many people do not really know what a panic attack is. Somehow, in our ideology, it is that which only happens to others or that experience that we have ever seen on TV and that people resolve by breathing in a paper bag. It is therefore necessary to have more data, reliable information and a certain culture of psychological disorders to be able to intervene as soon as possible.

So let’s see what happens after the first panic attack.

We went to the emergency room and were surprised by the diagnosis

When a person suffers a panic attack for the first time, fear grows exponentially because they do not understand what is happening ; thus, anxiety is triggered by ignorance and uncertainty. Tachycardia, shortness of breath, dizziness, muscle tension … Thus, it is common to go to the emergency room believing that we are suffering a heart attack.

When doctors give us the diagnosis, some are even more puzzled. Thus, having someone tell you that what you have just suffered has a mental rather than a physical origin sometimes causes some embarrassment / denial. The experience is so physical that many people do not hesitate to ask for a second opinion, to have tests and check-ups. On average, it is common for a person to be prescribed anxiolytics for a limited time, and to be discharged.

The circle of fear begins

Panic attacks are the product of a development, even if they begin to manifest themselves abruptly. They are the physical trigger of an adverse emotional state maintained over time. Thus, and on average, those who end up suffering from these experiences have accumulated a great burden of anxiety over many months and even years.

What happens after the first panic attack is that secondary anxiety appears. It is about that state in which we end up developing an intense fear of experiencing a new attack; that intense symptomatology and the loss of control terrifies us. All this causes us to end up feeding back fear, leading to a vicious circle that further intensifies this situation.

Helplessness and the quest for help

Another aspect of what happens after the first panic attack is that of seeking help. There comes a time when the person is aware of their helplessness. Sooner or later you realize that you are losing control of your life. The anguish of suffering a new attack in the place and the most unexpected circumstance, makes them take a first step to deal with their situation.

However, it is not always done in the right way. There are those who go to yoga, who think that relaxation and meditation techniques will help them reduce these situations. However, it doesn’t always work. And it does not do so because anxiety is a complex and elusive enemy that has been attached to the patient’s life for a long time. Hence , more specialized strategies are needed, those and specific ones that only specialists can offer.

Psychological therapy is the only means that will help us reduce panic attacks and the emotional reality behind these manifestations. Little by little, and with our commitment, we will regain control to shape a more fulfilling and satisfying life.