Perhaps you are a person who knows just when you are going to have a panic attack — in the car, in large buildings. That can be good news and bad news, in that just because they may be more predictable, panic attacks are still very debilitating.
Even if you are predisposed to panic in certain places or situations, you likely experience “out of the blue” panic attacks like millions of adult Americans do each year.
The search for the reasons behind your panic can often be as difficult as the panic itself. Generally, we agree that stress underlies anxiety, and anxiety underlies panic.
If it were that cut and dry, managing stress and anxiety would eliminate panic attacks. Nothing is ever that easy, and this is not an exception to the rule. It is true that managing your levels of stress and anxiety will have a significant effect on your panic.
There are many other factors, however, that can play a huge role for those of us who suffer with panic attacks. Here are a few panic attack causes that you might not have considered…
- Hormones: It is not unusual for women to experience and increase in panic symptoms mid-cycle and when they are premenstrual. Some women show an increase in symptoms when they are pregnant; some women note a relief from panic when they are pregnant.
Women often note increased anxiety and panic during pre menopause and menopause. No matter the situation, discuss your findings with a health professional who might help with hormonal issues related to panic.
- Foods and Chemicals: Every day we hear and read more and more about the effects of chemicals and toxins in our food and our environment. Food dyes and additives, growth hormones added to foods, chemicals in the ground and in the air affect our health.Even natural, every day exposure to caffeine or nicotine can have affects on our mood.
Food allergies and sensitivities are other areas of study when it comes to our physical and psychological health. Know your body. Know to what you are sensitive. Know what you are eating and breathing. Living a cleaner lifestyle can’t hurt, now matter how you look at it!
- Difficulty managing strong emotion: For some folks, having “panic” is more acceptable than feeling anger, sadness, disappointment, or other strong emotions. Essentially, you may be defaulting to panic rather than facing what you are really feeling.
The next time you feel your panic arise, ask yourself — What am I really feeling right now? Are you panicking because you are afraid to feel what you are really feeling? If that is the case, you might want to link up with a mental health professional who can help you learn to own and manage your emotions without having to panic about them.
- Unresolved trauma and abuse: Some people are able to go for years without remembering or thinking about hurtful or dangerous situations that have affected their lives. Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; poverty; domestic violence.
These are all examples of things in the past that might fuel your levels of stress, anxiety and panic in the present. Is there something about the present that is triggering old anxiety and panic from the past, and you are not aware of it? Take the time and effort to work with a professional who can guide you in working through your past and helping you to stay safe in the present.
- Stinkin’ thinkin’: Are you a negative or pessimistic person by nature? Do you tend to “awfulize” just about everything? Is the glass always half empty and do you always expect the worst in a situation? Do you function out of a base of fear?
If any of these are true, you might be surprised at how much negative energy you produce.If you are fueling your life and your world with negative energy, do whatever it takes to turn it around. Use your faith; find some hope; trade in your negative spins for more positive spins. Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can or if you think you cannot, you are right!
For a more detailed description of a panic attack see: What is A Panic Attack?
