What Transpires During A Panic Attack

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 26th, 2010

What we usually perceive as a possible threat or danger brought about by a panic attack actually starts from the brain.

From the brain, signals are sent to the nervous system of our body.

It is the nervous system that is responsible in preparing our body to face or to escape the threat.

It is also responsible in returning our body to its original state of equilibrium or tranquility once the threat has gone away or has subsided.

In layman terms, there is this independent region of the nervous system responsible for the rise and fall of our nervous feeling. This rise in feeling is responsible in preparing our body to face or to flee the danger.

The fall in feeling or subsiding feeling works to restore balance and equilibrium, bringing our body back to its normal state.

Let us use our example earlier about graduating top in class. Before the valedictory speech, the rising feel goes to work. After the speech, the subsiding feel is responsible for the bodys equilibrium.

The rising feel is the controversial section of the nervous system which starts the anxiety (or possibly panic attack), while the subsiding feel is the one that brings our body to its original comfortable state.

You might ask: Exactly what part of our body is activated during a panic attack?

In medical terms, just above the kidney are the adrenal glands that release adrenaline (a hormone) when we are in a state of anxiety. The adrenaline is responsible in keeping our anxiety going.

Remember that anxiety within controllable levels is here to protect and not to harm, which is why a continued anxious feeling can be beneficial to the body. Once the excitement is done with, the subsiding feel takes over to return our body to relaxation mode.

What can we do to control anxiety to a tolerable level? We can engage in some coping techniques or strategies to diffuse or control anxiety.

Coping techniques are actually a means of activating the subsiding feel even before the perceived danger is over. Whether we will it or not, this feeling will be called into action at one point or another as the body cannot continue to stay in an ever increasing state of anxiety.

It would be interesting to note that our body is an ingenious work of art.

We need not fear that anxiety will reach an uncontrollable level because our body cells are wise enough to protect themselves from any potential harm.

We may even think negatively and perceive the worst scenario; yet our bodys ingenuity will still prevail and protect us. Even modern science is baffled with the way the human body works, which is why new discoveries develop as time passes by. Whatever situation we find ourselves into, we can be sure of our bodys aim to keep us away from harm.

To sum up what we have discussed so far, anxiety or panic attacks are actually products of our mind; and to a certain extent, they are due to body chemistry.

Entertain yourself by visualizing a caricature of two persons - one representing your mind and the other one, your body. While the mind keeps on doing all sorts of stuff to bring the body to its worst condition (typifying anxiety), the body keeps its ground - confident and barely moving.

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Nick Niesen

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Nick Niesen
Joined: April 29th, 2015
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