How to stop panic attacks: expert tips on bringing them under control and managing related anxiety, and how a woman dealt with hers
- ‘I felt like I was losing my mind,’ says Debra Low, who regularly experienced pounding heart, tight chest and racing mind – before she sought help
- She walks in nature, paints and practises mindfulness to cope with her attacks. Breathing, counselling and medications can also help
Debra Low was a young working adult when she started experiencing panic attacks. At the time, she had no idea what these “intense experiences” were: her heart would start pounding, her chest would tighten, and her mind would either start racing or go blank.
She would also have difficulty breathing and feel the need to leave wherever she was.
“I felt like I was losing my mind,” says the 34-year-old freelance digital marketer, who lives in Singapore. “I had a history of suppressing my emotions and thought that I was just extremely emotional or that I had difficulty regulating my emotions.
“I remember one particularly bad episode – I couldn’t breathe properly and thought that my life was in danger, and had to go to the hospital emergency department to get help.”
In 2016, she uncovered the reasons behind her panic attacks. “I’d just started a job at a multinational company. The workload was heavy and I had to handle multiple crises, and I couldn’t cope.
“One day, I was sitting in front of my computer trying to solve a problem but I couldn’t think at all. It was a simple problem but my mind drew a blank. That was the final straw for me.”