Panic Attack

[CTCAD]

Any strategies to help my daughter when she is in the midst of a panic attack

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Help her with breathing slowly in through her nose out through her mouth. Wishing you all the best!!! XXX

[Calm_mama]

Yes. My daughter has panic attacks frequently. Sometimes it looks like your standard somatic panic attack with wide eyes, hyperventilation, and her verbalizing that she feels like she is dying. She is a teen, but she becomes child-like, "mommy something's wrong. I need to go to the hospital." then she starts grabbing her arm (b/c of the shock-type sensation down her arms), feeling her pulse, etc. These are the easy ones to spot and I do the following:

Smile gently and remain calm. I repeat, remain calm! You may need some practice with this. I know I did

"It's just panic honey- a little adrenaline. Remember? It's normal to feel this way with a little adrenaline in your system."

"Breathe- ease into it. Let it come. Don't fight it. Your anxiety just got confused and spit out a little adrenaline at the wrong time."

"It's the same as when you do something thrilling, like bungee jumping, or riding a roller-coaster. Some thrill-seekers WISH for this feeling all the time- they LIKE it!"

"Breathe- Think about how interesting it is that your body can do such amazing, weird things."

"Focus on one thing in the room- that clock. Tell me what you see. Make it detailed."

"Don't be afraid of the panic. It's nothing to fear. It happens to people all the time. It's NORMAL in a way, and it won't hurt you AT ALL"

Then there are the panic attacks that are more situation-based, and she presents more angry and distressed. An example is when I was taking her to a job interview the other day and she was terrified. Crying, screaming, etc. These are harder to pinpoint b/c they appear more like a temper tantrum- like a teen just flipping out about something. But once I pinpoint it I handle it like this:

Smile gently and remain calm

Talk very little- it just agitates her

An occasional "just breathe honey" is helpful

An occasional "focus on one object in the room/car etc and describe it" can be very helpful

An occasional, firm, "No avoiding- you know that. We're going. Let's show your anxiety that it doesn't need to protect you from this." is helpful.

She has come a million miles with her panic and anxiety- but still gets tricked by it sometimes. She still adds "second fear" sometimes, but much of the time she can handle them herself

I recommend you listen to Claire Weekes Elightenment video- available online. She was an absolute genius and describes panic and the correct approach to it in detail in this audio-only video. Good luck!!

[CTCAD in reply to Calm_mama]

So helpful. And yeah, Claire Meeks has been wonderful