Addiction Recovery Basics

You have an important annual report for your office that you need to finish in two hours. You have to make a speech in front of an audience of thousands, including the president of your country. You have to pay bills, make calls, and fetch your children from school. You have things to do and duties to perform when you suddenly feel your entire body shaking. You lose your appetite, and you feel like vomiting.

 

You are experiencing a panic attack,

which is brought about by anxiety over something that may make you feel nervous or uncomfortable. Fear not, however: panic is simply a state of mind, and it has come to all of us at one point or another. Panic and anxiety are actually vestiges of ancestral instincts that have evolved into other emotions. 

Panic and anxiety are outgrowths of the old fight-or-flight mechanism controlled by the brain and adrenal glands. In a nutshell, fight-or-flight is a decision made by the body when it weighs coming dangers. In a split second, the body has to decide whether it should fight the threat or fly from it. A panic attack is simply the fight-or-flight mechanism for modern times. As the body contemplates on what it should do as danger approaches, several things happen in its internal organ systems.

The thought of danger allows for the release of adrenaline. Adrenaline should help the body jump to its feet and deal with coming danger. If it is unused, however, adrenaline can make one feel nervous or fidgety.

The spurt of adrenaline and the sign of coming danger increases blood pressure and heart rate, serving to deliver more oxygen to the muscles of the legs, feet, arms, and hands. These major muscle groups are, by instinct, the first line of defense of any human being. The greater the amount of oxygen delivered to them, the easier it will be for the muscles to respond to the brain’s commands, and the faster they will move.

Blood is drawn away from the digestive and immune systems, given that major muscle groups have to be given full attention as the fight-or-flight mechanism kicks in.

All these physiological processes have physical repercussions that translate into the symptoms of a panic attack. As blood is brought to the muscles and away from other organ systems, the following traits will also be manifested.

An extremely fast heart rate may not tax someone who is fit and athletic, but it can be dangerous for anyone with a weak heart, or anyone who has not exercised in a long time. A panic attack is usually characterized by a rapidly beating heart, and painful heart palpitations.

Lack of exercise can also make your lungs weak, so if you have a panic attack, you may experience shortness of breath, which, along with a quickened heart rate, leads to chest pain. You may feel like something heavy is weighing down upon your chest, or that an invisible hand is taking your ribcage and squeezing it. You may also find yourself clutching at your chest and trying to still your heart as you have a panic attack.

A rapid heart rate may also compromise the brain’s supply of oxygen, so you may feel nauseated or dizzy.

Because blood is drawn away from major organ systems and into the muscles, your skin will be pale and you may break out into a cold sweat. You may also feel a shivering cold slice up from your back and into your neck, so that the hairs on your nape stand up.

The inordinate amount of blood drawn away into muscles may also cause you to tremble, as energy is stored in your muscles but is not used. You may fidget, or you may find it hard to keep still. You will also find yourself engaging in habits such as biting your nails or tapping your feet.

In extreme cases of panic attack, you may find yourself more susceptible to sickness, since your immune system is compromised.
Because your digestive system is paid little heed, you may also find yourself losing your appetite, or even vomiting.Panic attacks are only temporary, but they can have deeper, more damaging effects. If you know exactly what happens in your body during a panic attack, and if you know the symptoms that come with panic attacks, then you can better control yourself. There are no great dangers that need you to fly or fight back, so you need to relax in order to move and think clearly.

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