It can be a little tough to explain what does an anxiety attack feel like unless you’ve gone through it yourself.
Your heart pulsates within your chest while you breathe in short bursts and hold onto a helpless sense of danger.
Anxiety attacks can dominate both your physical body and mental state while remaining unclear to others.
Learning about anxiety attack physiology provides better insight into your or someone else’s situation.
Let us tell you how exactly an anxiety attack might feel like.
What Does an Anxiety Attack Feel Like?
Anxiety attacks produce combined effects on your mind, emotions, and body. The condition develops gradually and may be activated by both anxiety and fear.
The feeling shows up as an overwhelming wave of dread mixed with physical discomfort.
Anxiety attack symptoms:
- Chest tightness or pain.
- A racing or pounding heartbeat.
- Shortness of breath/hyperventilation.
- Dizziness, sometimes leading to fainting.
- Sweating or trembling.
People experience strong feelings of detachment from their environment and difficulty thinking when anxiety surges to the highest level.
These intense feelings often stir questions like, “Can you die from anxiety?”
You cannot die from anxiety attacks since they pose no fatal threat to your life.
Related:
Stages of an Anxiety Attack
Anxiety attacks happen through specific steps, though the process varies per person. Here’s how it unfolds:
- The Build-Up: The early warning stage lets you become aware that something is not quite right. When worries become excessive, you begin feeling nervous and ill at ease.
- The Peak: Your body peaks during the attack when you feel severe chest discomfort combined with body sweating and quick, shallow breaths. Some people even fear anxiety attack and fainting, or wonder, “Can you pass out from an anxiety attack?” Fainting during hyperventilation remains an uncommon outcome despite its potential risks.
- The Recovery: Gradually, symptoms subside. Most people find themselves shaky and sensitive when their anxiety attack ends.
What’s the Difference Between an Anxiety Attack and a Panic Attack?
Knowing the difference between a panic attack and an anxiety attack is also essential.
Over time, anxiety attacks gradually develop from stress factors.
Panic attacks happen without warning, with intense symptoms that are short-lived and fade away.
Physical and Emotional Effects of Anxiety Attacks
Anxiety attacks trigger alarming physical symptoms that look like sudden health issues.
Simple symptoms, including chest discomfort and difficulty breathing, along with dizziness, show up.
These bodily sensations create intense fear that makes people wonder if anxiety can be life-threatening.
Your feelings may seem life-threatening, though fear alone cannot make you die.
You become unable to react during your emotional anxiety attack.
Anxiety attacks lead different people to show reactions through crying or being frozen in place, while many lose their ability to handle their emotions.
The anxiety attack produces such strong discomfort. It almost feels like you are fighting through a powerful storm without any way out.
Here’s What You Can Do When You’re Having an Anxiety Attack
These steps can assist you in dealing with anxiety attacks.
- Practice deep breathing: Take deep breaths for four seconds. Hold your breath the same amount. Let the air out in four seconds.
- Ground yourself: Use the “5-4-3-2-1″ technique. Focus on your surroundings.
- Find a peaceful spot: Move to a quiet and comfortable room if possible.
- Seek help: Contact a reliable person or treatment specialist when you need help.
Get Help from Synergy Behavioral Health Today
Anxiety attacks happen often to many people, yet people feel they face these problems on their own.
See a professional for help to prevent anxiety attacks from happening often, and also learn useful methods for dealing with them.
Synergy Behavioral Health provides anxiety disorder treatment to patients.
Contact us for a consultation session now. We’re here to help you achieve inner calm and sustain it.
FAQs
Can anxiety attacks make you throw up?
Yes. Nausea and vomiting arise when your body reacts strongly to stress.
Do anxiety attacks make you cry?
Yes, the body tends to express emotions through tears during or after an anxiety attack.
What are the silent anxiety attack symptoms?
These include:
- Racing thoughts.
- A rapid heartbeat.
- Intense fear without visible outward signs.
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