It comes suddenly, accompanied by a feeling of suffocation mixed with fear and anguish. The anxiety crisis is a reaction of your body when it has to face an extreme situation.

In general, anxiety crises are related to episodes of a psychological nature and phobias. It can also happen that the trigger is a physical problem, from excessive drug or alcohol use to diseases such as hyperthyroidism.

Unlike generalized anxiety disorders, people who experience anxiety attacks are fine between attacks. It is estimated that two out of ten people have suffered or will suffer an anxiety crisis throughout their lives, many of them caused by situations of stress or concern.

Nerves can also play tricks on us. Getting on a plane, facing a job interview, taking an exam or going to the doctor can cause anxiety for some people.

HOW TO DEAL WITH AN ANXIETY CRISIS

Those who have never suffered an anxiety crisis can confuse the symptoms with a heart attack, so the first instinct is to go to the emergency room. In case it happens to you, you should know that you can control the situation. The most important thing is to stay calm and try to control your breathing. Meter air through your nose and expel it through your mouth in a rhythmic way will help you to recover the heart rate little by little.

That doesn’t mean you don’t have to go to the doctor. In fact, the specialist has to identify the reasons that have caused the anxiety crisis. Only then can you determine the treatment to apply.

In some cases you get improvement by simply doing physical exercise to eliminate stress and acquire healthy living habits. Other times it is necessary to follow a therapy, such as when suffering from an anxiety disorder.

WHAT CAN TRIGGER AN ANXIETY CRISIS

In this sense, it should be noted that there are several types of anxiety disorders that can trigger an anxiety crisis:

• Panic disorder: Those who suffer from it feel as if they are out of breath and can sometimes require hospitalization because it can lead to physical and psychological problems.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The crisis occurs because the patient relives an event that has caused a trauma.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder .
• Social phobia.
• Agoraphobia.
• Specific phobias, such as fear of clowns or fear of driving.

Experts explain that if isolated anxiety attacks are repeated, they can lead to a panic disorder. And this, in turn, can cause depression. Women between the ages of 18 and 35 are more likely to experience these panic attacks.

As in isolated anxiety crises, try to remain calm and perform relaxation techniques to stop focusing on the problem that has caused the outbreak. In some cases it may be necessary to take medication and follow psychological therapy.

BREATHING TECHNIQUES TO DEAL WITH AN ANXIETY CRISIS

Returning to the topic of relaxation techniques, some exercises that you can do if you think you are suffering from an anxiety crisis are the following:

• Count backwards from the number 100 and from three to three.
• Think of somewhere nice and pretty.
• Control your breathing, taking in air through your nose and slowly releasing it through your mouth.
• Breathe into a paper bag for a few minutes.

If the anxiety crisis is suffered by another person, try to sit him down or lie him down, unbutton any clothing that may oppress him and help him control his breathing.

In any case, if the symptoms do not improve after half an hour, it is necessary to go to the emergency room.