How to help someone who suffers from anxiety attacks? It is important to support such people as they are consumed by fear of things seeming trivial to others. If you have a friend or loved one suffering from severe anxiety, then you need to learn the steps you need to take to help them manage it. Everyone gets scared from time to time. But, severe anxiety can trigger fears of things that may seem irrational to others. While you cannot relate to their concerns, understanding their fears can help them deal with sudden attacks. Read ahead to know more about it and take the necessary actions.

Why Help Someone Who Suffers From Anxiety Attacks?

Looking from the outside, you may feel the person suffering from such attacks is blowing it out of proportion. You will feel it is a simple problem. So, most people are dismissive of individuals who experience anxiety. Unlike other medical problems, anxiousness may not trigger any physical symptoms. So, the person dealing with may not understand that they have the problem. You need to understand this and talk to a person dealing with anxiety. Grasping the sensitive nature of the problem will make it possible to help someone who suffers from anxiety attacks.

It is difficult to watch someone you love experiencing anxiety attacks. You try to help them, but without knowing how to deal with it, your actions can cause more distress. Therefore, you need to know more about the things you can try to ease their symptoms and help them overcome the attacks. You need to recognize the signs associated with anxiety. Understanding and supporting your loved ones will help them overcome the problem with ease.

Â Difference Between Anxiety And Panic Attack To Help Someone Who Suffers From Anxiety Attacks

You need to differentiate between anxiety and panic attacks to provide better assistance. While the condition may appear similar, they require a different approach. A panic attack refers to a brief episode of the intense rush of fear. The symptoms of a panic attack resemble the signs associated with facing a threat. So, you can experience the following:

A sense of doom
Intense fear
Pounding heart
Shaking
Chills or sweating
Trouble breathing
Chest pain
Headache

Symptoms Of Anxiety Attacks

But, if your loved ones suffer from anxiety, they have some features. These features are different panic attacks. So, knowing the difference will help you take steps to help someone who suffers from anxiety attacks. Here are the symptoms linked to the condition:

It occurs due to a specific trigger (you can suffer from it due to workplace stress, fear of exam, relationship issues, or a health problem)
You cannot diagnose the problem
The signs appear less in severity compared to panic attacks
A person develops it due to becoming anxious
Suffer from physical signs like the knot in the stomach or racing heart

Symptoms Of Panic Attack

But, the differentiating symptoms of a panic attack include:

You suffer from a panic attack without any specific trigger
The signs indicate panic disorder (it is a diagnosable condition)
The signs are severe
Panic attacks can develop when the person feel calm or anxious
It triggers severe physical symptoms and intense terror that makes people lose control totally or suffer from fatal complications like death
The signs may occur unexpectedly and suddenly
People suffering from the symptoms can experience it for a few minutes or an hour while the negative reaction for some time

You can conclude that both anxiety and panic involves fear. So, you experience chest pain, racing/pounding heart, difficulty breathing, lightheadedness, and irrational thoughts. But, when you suffer from a panic attack, the symptoms appear more severe. A person suffering from panic attacks genuinely feels they are going to die. Unlike anxiety attacks, panic attacks require medical attention to prevent complications.

Difference In Developing Symptoms

If you wish to help someone who suffers from anxiety attacks, you need to confirm the problem. Panic attacks and anxiety attacks appear similar. Therefore, understanding how the symptoms started will offer more information and help take the necessary action. You suffer from anxiety as a response to any specific fear or worry. The symptoms develop gradually. A person who is worried or concerned becomes susceptible to the attacks compared to others. The symptoms may appear mild, moderate, or severe. The affected person may feel like everything will become all right once the attack ends.

Remember, unlike anxiety attacks, panic attacks happen without prior warning. You cannot prevent it. It affects you when you feel calm or anxious. Some people suffer from panic attacks during sleep. Anxiety attacks have specific triggers, which you need to identify. Here you can control your fear or anxiousness getting out of hand.

Differences In Duration

Anxiety attack usually occurs due to a specific situation. The symptoms buildup and trouble the affected person for some time. But, a panic attack starts suddenly. The signs worsen and reach their peak after ten minutes. The symptoms tend to abate after thirty minutes or more. But, the effects caused due to panic attack lasts longer. While anxiety attacks may not peak in the same way as panic attacks, some people experiencing anxiety can suffer from panic attacks.

Will Anxiety Lead To Panic Attacks?

A person suffering from anxiety attacks can wonder if they may suffer from panic attacks in the future. The uncertainty of if or when the affected person can suffer from panic attacks can trigger anxiety attacks. The anxiousness of suffering from panic disorder can trigger the problem. The fear of suffering from the attacks affects the routine of the person. It adversely affects the behavior of the person and their ability to function normally in daily life.

How To Help Someone Who Suffers From Anxiety Attacks

If your friend or a close family member suffers from anxiety attacks, you need to take steps to help them manage the problem. Here are some effective tips to help someone suffering from anxiety attacks:

Remain Calm

Remaining calm by keeping your cool is the best way to help someone who suffers from anxiety attacks. The attacks may not last long. The most intense feelings associated with the attacks last between five and ten minutes. But, when your loved one is suffering from the attack, they may lose the concept of time. The intense fear makes them feel afraid of their life. They feel like death is nearing. When you see such reactions, you tend to feel afraid of yourself. But, you need to stay calm. Try talking to them in a calm voice. If your voice helps and the affected has not asked you to keep quiet, you can continue talking to them in a soothing tone. Try to say the following:

Reassure them that you will not leave them and stay with them until they can manage the problem.
Remind them about the short duration of the attack. The reassurance of an attack not lasting long will help them manage it.
Tell them they are safe and no harm will come to them when you are close by.

Ask Them About How You Can Ease The Attacks

People who suffer from anxiety or anxiety attacks may have coping methods to deal with them. So, when you are offering to help someone who suffers from anxiety attacks must listen to their needs. Your loved ones know the best way to overcome the attack. So, instead of making suggestions on how they can manage it, listen to their options. But, the affected person may find it hard to communicate the options while suffering from the attacks. Talking to them in advance about how to assist them will help you become prepared to deal with the ordeal better.

If you are asking them during the attack, calmly talk to them. But, you need to prepare yourself for the curt or short response. During the attack, the individual has a fight-or-flight response. So, it affects their ability to think and behave logically. You need to remain neutral and never take their response personally. Understand that the affected person is not answering you out of spite. The attack makes them incapable of a polite response.

What To Do When Your Loved Ones Want You To Leave?

If your loved ones want you to leave them alone, then assess the condition before making a decision. As long as your loved ones are not in immediate danger, you can take a few steps back to offer them some space. You can stay nearby without imposing on them and still keep an eye on things. You need to let them know that you will come right back when they change their mind.

Understand The Warning Signs

To make sure you give better attention to your loved ones affected by anxiety, you need to learn the warning signs. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the early signs associated with anxiety attacks. In most cases, people who are about to experience such attacks can feel the following:

A feeling of dread or terror
Shortness of breath or hyperventilation
A pounding heart
Feel like choking
Shaking and dizziness

Everyone who experiences anxiety attacks experiences it in the same way. So, it is better to ask the person regarding the signs they experience before the attack. The sooner you realize what your loved one is experiencing, the faster you can help them. You can take them to a private place or take the necessary steps to make them feel comfortable.

Give Importance To Action Over Words

While soothing and familiar voice can help the anxiety attack affected person, asking them not to worry or if they are alright again and again can cause distress to them. So, avoid such words as they can make them feel pressured. You may ask them about their condition to see if they are well, it may not offer them any benefits at the current moment. Asking them such questions will add stress as they may believe they are doing something wrong. So, they may feel they are doing something wrong by feeling unwell. So, how to make your words make the affected individual feel at ease. You can take action with your words like:

Ask the affected person if you need to leave them and go somewhere else
Gently remind them to keep breathing
Engage them in light conversation, unless they ask you to stop talking

Understand Their Anxiety

People observing anxiety attacks from outside may not understand the event. It can confuse and scare you. You cannot predict the onset of the attacks. When you are under great stress, it can trigger the attack. While you feel like telling the loved one that they never have to fear the attack, they may not realize it. The affected person feels like they are under threat. The affected person suffers from fear, but nothing happens to trigger fear in people.

Some people can link anxiety attacks to underlying health problems or fear the signs associated with them. It only adds stress to the person. Suffering from the attack in front of others can make them feel embarrassed or ashamed. So, having a trusted companion with the best intentions in their mind can help the affected person return to normal quickly. You can take the role even without understanding the triggers leading to the attacks. Your ability to offer empathy to the affected person and recognizing their distress will help your loved one. They need someone who believes their distress is real and significant.

Validate Their Distress

Most people affected by mental issues have a hard time sharing their experiences. It includes talking about panic attacks and anxiety attacks. They feel talking about their mental issues can only embarrass them as others may not understand what they are going through. The fear of judgment or dismissing their concerns as a small deal can make them wary of talking about the problem. Outsiders cannot relate to the problem. So, they may consider the experience as illogical. But, the person suffering from the anxiety attack feels real fear and has a hard time controlling it. Therefore, you need to give them an empathic response. Just convey how you find their plight distressing and you feel sorry for their experience. Also, offer them your support. Such small things can make a difference and make the affected person feel better.

Help Them Stay Grounded

Grounding techniques offer effective results for a wide range of anxiety-related issues. So, you can try them when your loved one suffers from anxiety attacks. It contains the attacks after they begin. You can use these techniques to help the affected person focus on what is happening rather than the fear/anxiety they suffer due to the attack. It is helpful when the intensity of the attacks fades a bit.

Quick Grounding Tips To Help Someone Who Suffers From Anxiety Attacks

When you see your loved one suffering from anxiety, you can try some tips. To help someone who suffers from anxiety attacks, you can try these grounding tips:

Initiate physical touch like holding their hands (If the affected person feels okay with it)
Offer them a textured object to hold and feel in their hands
Encouraging them to move or stretch
Asking them gently to repeat a helpful or soothing phrase (for example, they can repeat a phrase like â€œthis may feel awful, but it is not going to hurt meâ€)
Talking slowly and calmly about familiar activities or places

Respect Their Needs

When someone you love and care about suffers from anxiety, you can stay with them until they manage it. While it is over, they feel calm, but can feel tired. If you had prior plans before the attack, you need to cancel them. The affected person needs rest after the episode. So, they need to go back home. Naturally, you can feel disappointed. But, you must never blame the loved one as they are not in control of what happened. They also feel disappointed and exhausted. They will also feel bad regarding the ruined plan. It will compound the distress linked to the attack. It is natural for your loved one to feel completely wiped out after the attacks. The body returns to its normal processes after some time. So, someone who has just suffered an extreme fear response cannot do anything beyond relaxing.

You need to check with them regarding their needs and honor them. Asking too much after they have suffered an anxiety attack can affect the healing process. You may feel that going to a movie or show will cheer them or improve their mood. But, it forces them to engage in a situation rather than having space for themselves. It can cause a lingering stress response. Therefore, give them time to bounce back.

What To Avoid To Help Someone Who Suffers From Anxiety Attacks?

When someone you love chooses to share their anxiety attacks, you need to consider it as a sign of trust. So, to help someone who suffers from anxiety attacks, you need to show respect for their experience. Show honor for trust by taking the following steps:

Respond to them with compassion
Always mind your words and action around them (it applied during the attack and other times)

It is possible to make someone feel bad without you realizing it. Therefore, you need to maintain caution. Here are some of the suggestions you need to keep in mind to avoid unintentional harm:

Never Compare Stress And Anxiety

You need to differentiate between normal stress and anxiety attacks. Everyone suffers from stress in their lives. But, it does not mean you will suffer from anxiety attacks. Excess stress can trigger anxiety attacks. It can make you feel fearful of the situation. Never compare stress and anxiety attacks. Drawing comparisons may not help you understand how the affected person feels. If you have experienced extreme fear, then you need to work from the experience. Let the memory inform regarding the suffering your loved one is going through. When you wish to help someone who suffers from anxiety attacks, you need to remind yourself that they are not just stressed or afraid. During the attacks, the affected person feels:

Unable to manage what is happening to them
Experience helplessness
Discomfort or pain

Never Shame/Minimize The Problem

When a loved one suffers from anxiety, not everyone understands the problem. Suffering from such attacks in front of strangers can put additional pressure on the affected person. They feel they are annoying or causing inconvenience to friends/loved ones. While people struggling with such intellectually understand the response as illogical, hearing others say can make them feel isolated. So, you need to maintain caution while saying things to the affected person. You need to avoid saying the following:

â€œYou need to relax as the problem is not worth becoming afraid ofâ€
â€œWhy are you afraid of such simple things?â€
â€œWhat is wrong with you?â€

Your loved ones may feel the questions condescending and they feel ashamed. Denying the reality of their condition can harm people.

Never Give Advice When You Help Someone Who Suffers From Anxiety Attacks

The coping mechanism works differently for different people. So, the technique working for one may not prove effective to the others. Some people feel deep breathing and other relaxation techniques offer help. But, it is effective only when the affected individual practices it regularly. Using these techniques during the attack can backfire. Deep breathing can escalate to hyperventilating. So, the mind of the person cannot focus on unfamiliar things. You may suggest deep breathing to your friend or loved one during one of the attacks. But, it may not help them overcome the attack. In short, your advice on how to manage the symptoms may not work effectively. The different methods you suggest like meditation, yoga, o giving up caffeine may work for your loved ones unless they have already tried it and succeeded.

Therefore, you need to wait patiently until they ask you for a suggestion. If you have personal experience of managing anxiety attacks with yoga and have found it helpful, then you can suggest doing it together sometime. Make suggestions only when you are asked to and never impose any advice on the affected person during an anxiety attack.

Â Time To Get Professional Assistance To Help Someone Who Suffers From Anxiety Attacks

When your loved one suffers from anxiety attacks, you can become frightened. Trying the steps mentioned in the article will help you deal with the condition better. But, at what point must you take your loved one to a doctor? Getting professional help can stress the affected person. Allow them to get through the experience without additional help. While it may seem worrying to you, it means a lot to the person suffering from the attack. Seeking medical assistance is important when a person suffers from the following:

Chest pain that feels like squeezing and moves to the shoulder or arms
The symptoms persist for twenty minutes or longer
Suffer from shortness of breath
Experience pressure in your chest lasting more than a minute

When you help someone who suffers from anxiety attacks, they can overcome the condition. But, it is important to seek medical attention. You need to make your loved one understand the significance of the condition. A variety of professionals can treat the condition. Getting medical assistance sooner will offer better outcomes.

Medical Assistance To Help Someone Who Suffers From Anxiety Attacks

To manage the problem effectively, ask the affected person to see a doctor. During the appointment with the doctor, the person must discuss the symptoms honestly. An open talk with the doctor will help to treat the condition better. Talk to the doctor to see if the medical professional makes the person feel comfortable. Select a healthcare professional with whom the individual can work as a team to treat anxiety disorder. A variety of doctors are qualified to manage anxiety. You have the option to discuss the problem with the following doctors:

Primary physicians
Psychologist
Psychiatrist

Coping And Support To Help Someone Who Suffers From Anxiety Attacks

In addition to getting the medical treatment, your loved ones need support to cope up with their condition. So, think about joining a support group. The group consists of people who suffer from similar symptoms. Talking to others who understand what they are going through will offer a positive outlook. The thought that they are not alone will offer support and encouragement. When your loved ones become part of the group, they can develop new social skills. You can ask the doctor about such a group or find them online. There are several support groups, which offer assistance to people suffering from a specific disorder or anxiety. Choose a group and share your experiences to tackle the problem better.

Conclusion

If you wish to help someone who suffers from anxiety attacks, then make sure they get the necessary medical attention. Talking to a doctor will help them understand the measures they need to take to avoid the problem. For people who are with their loved ones during an anxiety attack, try to respect their needs. Understanding what they are going through will help in taking steps to manage the situation. Never minimize their plight or condescendingly talk to them as they need your support.

References

https://au.reachout.com/articles/how-to-help-a-friend-with-panic-or-anxiety

https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/hw53602

https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-help-someone-having-a-panic-attack

How to help someone who suffers from anxiety attacks?