How to Handle a Panic Attack In Public

(Dreamstime)

Panic attacks are a serious thing. I've struggled with anxiety for what seems like my whole life, but I only started having full-blown panic attacks a few years ago. It's frustrating because I feel like people who have never experienced one don't understand how debilitating it can be. It annoys the hell out of me when my husband says "calm down," or "just drink a glass of water and breath." They just don't get it. My first panic attack started when my son was two (he's now 6). Out of the blue for no apparent reason I felt like my heart was beating out of my chest. I couldn't stop pacing back and forth and every time I tried to sit down I got right back up again. Nothing made me feel better, I was sweating, and I felt dizzy. The more I kept telling myself I was having a heart attack the worse the panic attack got (and I still do this to myself to this day). I called my mother-in-law to come over because I didn't know what was wrong with me. Let me say, I am the type of person who refuses to go to the doctor for any little thing. I would have to be shot or stabbed before I would call 911, that's just me. This day however, I felt like I was choking and couldn't breathe. I had no idea what was going on and I told my mother-in-law to call 911. Long story short, I went to the ER, they gave me some benzo's and a few hours later I was on my way.

Ever since that day I started having panic attacks once or twice a month. Likely, because the worrying about having another panic attack was creating new panic attacks. I remember my first public panic attack that was one of the worst I've ever had. I was getting a pedicure, and she was at the end where she was painting my nails. Again, out of the blue, I felt like I was having a heart attack and all of my limbs were going numb. I froze in the chair and tried to breathe but nothing would help. I had to tell her to stop and that I had an emergency and had to leave. I left the salon with three toes painted and when I got to my car, I couldn't move. I had to call my husband because my hands were so numb I couldn't hold the steering wheel. Every time I have a panic attack I get so dizzy that I feel like I'm going to fall over or faint. This makes it so difficult to function and not cause a scene when in public places. I've searched the internet for ways to get through panic attacks and some have worked and some are epic fails. I can only share what works for me. Here are some tips I use to help me get through a dreaded panic attack.

1. Find a Safe Space

When I'm panicking in public, the first thing I do is immediately look for a safe space where I can sit down or just get away from a crowd. Being around a lot of strangers when you're panicking will only make you feel more paralyzed. I try to find a shady corner that's free of noise with as few people lingering as possible. Fresh cool air helps me breathe better but I always have to find a place to sit because of fear of fainting. I sit for as long as I need to and focus on taking slow deep breaths.

2. Call a Friend

Most of the time I'll call my husband or a friend. For me, talking to someone on the phone helps me work through it and puts my focus on another person instead of the torment that's happening within me at the moment. If I talk to that person about my current panic attack, it helps to have them reassure me that I'm not dying and I will be ok.

3. Self-Reassurance

Self-reassurance is just as important if not more than receiving reassurance from others. While I'm pacing, I tell myself "no one has died from having a panic attack alone", "you're not dying or having a heart attack", "you have panic attacks all the time and they always go away and you're fine." Self-reassurance is a powerful tool for me that seems to always help. When I repeat to myself over and over that I'm being a baby and everything will be ok, my panic attacks seem to go away a lot faster.

4. Use Meditation Apps

Carry a set of headphones with you wherever you go. After my pedicure incident, I started doing that and downloaded a few calming meditation apps. No one in public will know what you're listening to and you run a higher chance that they won't approach or bug you while you're freaking out inside. I like to use the app Calm and Headspace.

5. Avoid Binge Drinking

This is the number one thing that causes my panic attacks. Since I stopped drinking three weeks ago, I haven't had a panic attack since. I don't get the panic attack when I'm drinking, it's always the following day when I'm nursing a hangover. Therefore, I won't go out in public at all during my hangover state because I know for a fact I will have a panic attack. I think it's a combination of feeling dehydrated, nauseous, no appetite, and dizzy that stimulates a panic attack for me. Any stomach pain I feel I tell myself "it's my liver! I'm dying, I probably have cirrhosis", and the panic attack begins. Let me be clear, for me, it's only after binge drinking party nights not an evening where I went out to dinner and had one or two glasses of wine. Currently, I feel so much better and healthier and happy I haven't experience and attack so far.

I would love to hear about what you do to calm yourself when experiencing a panic attack. Please comment below.