As anxiety therapists in St. Louis, we know this for sure: nobody enjoys having a panic attack.
But they're particularly awful when they happen at school. On top of experiencing all of those physical symptoms - shortness of breath, tense muscles, pounding heart - you're worried about how other people will respond to you.So, you need to know what to do, and how to do it. You need a plan.
Whenever you’re experiencing an overwhelming emotion, be it anger, anxiety, stress, or panic, you can use my three step approach: Identify and Empathize, Calm, and Game Plan.
Step 1: Identify and Empathize
You need to know what you’re feeling before you can solve it. So as soon as you start to feel the first spike of panic, try not to fight it. It’s okay to feel panicky. It’s super common. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s not impossible to deal with. Remember, whatever you’re feeling, it’s ok.
(Yes, I know it seems weird to say it’s ok to have a panic attack! But trying to fight an emotion doesn’t make it better - it usually makes it worse).
Once you notice that you’re feeling anxiety or panic at school, ideally you can go somewhere calm and private.
This can be as simple as leaving class to use the restroom and finding a stall to sit in - you can always let your teacher know you needed the bathroom, and few teachers need extra details if that’s your excuse.
Depending on comfort level, you may also want to consider talking with your favorite teachers, or with the school counselor, so that you have permission to take breaks when you need them.
Step 2: Calm Down
If you’re in a separate area, awesome. If you have to stay in the classroom, that’s ok. Wherever you are, try to ground yourself. You can use the 5 Senses Scavenger Hunt wherever you are. Name one thing that you see, one thing that you hear, one thing that you smell, one thing that you can physically touch, and check in with how your mouth tastes. This helps bring you back into your body and the moment.
If you’re still feeling panicky, try focusing on slowing your breath. Often, people with panic attacks feel like they have a hard time catching their breath. So, just focus on slowly breathing out through your mouth.
To help your muscles relax, try a brief progressive muscle relaxation, tightening your muscles purposefully and then letting them relax.
To ground further, if you’re in the restroom, splash some water on your face and grab some from the drinking fountain. Really notice how the cool water feels on your face and down your throat. Connecting with those physical experiences will help to calm your body even further.
Step 3: Game Plan
Once you’re calm, you can game plan and problem solve. And problem solving can be short term and long term.
In the short term, you know you need to get back to class. You need to complete the activity that set off your panic attack - maybe finishing your test, or giving your presentation, or turning in your paper.
More long term, you probably want to solve your panic issues. The thing is, panic disorder doesn’t always go away. You might also have panic attacks. But if you have a robust coping skills toolkit, and you practice this three step approach regularly, you’re going to feel more in charge of your panic attacks, rather than your panic attacks being in charge of you.
Counseling for panic attacks
If you have panic attacks, you’d probably benefit from meeting with an anxiety specialist. You need a plan for handling the panic attacks that’s tailored to you.
You also need to work with someone who can dig underneath the surface and help you deal with any underlying causes of your panic attacks, and address related issues.
For some teens and college students with panic attacks, your underlying anxiety can also look a lot like anger.
If this sounds like you, you should meet with a therapist who understands anxiety-driven anger, like the therapists at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis.
The fight/flight/freeze response that’s being activated during your panic attack might look more like an angry outburst rather than “classic” anxiety.
My book, “When Anxiety Makes You Angry: CBT Strategies for Teens With Anxiety-Driven Anger” delves into anger and anxiety for teens and college students.
In the 8 chapters, we cover identifying underlying emotions, building coping skills, and restructuring thought patterns. The goal is to get anxiety-driven anger, which can include panic attacks, to take a back seat. Learn more about the book and sign up for the newsletter to get a sneak peak of Chapter 1.
If you’re having trouble with panic attacks and you’re looking at therapists for teen counseling in St. Louis, reach out!
Our therapists specialize in anxiety therapy for kids, teens, and college students age 4 on up, and we’ve dealt with panic disorder across the board. And if we’re not the best fit for what’s going on, we’re happy to connect you to other awesome resources.
Kelsey Torgerson Dunn, MSW, LCSW is the owner and founder of Compassionate Counseling St. Louis. She is writing a book with New Harbinger Publications on Anger Management for Anxious Teens, for March 2022. Pre-order here.
Curious to learn more about how we can help teens and college students with panic attacks and anxiety? We want to help you build your anxiety tools. Our therapists specialize in anxiety management for teens, college students, and children, age 4 on up. Schedule your free 15 minute phonecall on our website, at www.compassionatecounselingstl.com/consult.
