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What Happens Inside Your Body During An Anxiety Attack

Unless you are superhuman, you have probably had anxiety at some point in your life. It usually starts off with a whimper, but left unchecked, anxiety can turn into a raging monster that will derail your life, and has the potential to turn you into a quivering bowl of jelly. Many of my clients come to me with of control anxiety symptoms—they all know how it feels, but most don’t know where it comes from.

In this blog post, I will outline the mechanics of what’s under the hood when you are having an anxiety attack because knowledge is power, and understanding what it is and where it originates is a good
first step toward learning how to manage it.

The fight-or-flight response is what controls your anxiety.
Your body’s “fight or flight” response is behind these intense physical symptoms. Normally When you encounter a threat—whether it’s a grizzly bear or a swerving car—your nervous system springs into action.

The hormone adrenaline floods into your bloodstream, putting your body on high alert. Your heartbeat quickens, which sends more blood to your muscles. Your breathing becomes fast and shallow, so you can take in more oxygen. Your blood sugar spikes. Your senses get sharper. Anxiety attacks signal danger.

All of these changes—which happen instantaneously—give you the energy you need to confront a dangerous situation so you can get out of harm’s way quickly.
During an anxiety attack, these changes take place.
An anxiety attack triggers a cascade of physiological and psychological responses in the body, often characterized by an intense and overwhelming sense of fear or apprehension.

Here’s what typically
happens:

Physiological Responses

1. Activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS)
● Fight-or-Flight Response: The body prepares to either confront or flee from a perceived threat.
● Release of Stress Hormones: The adrenal glands release adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol into the bloodstream.

2. Cardiovascular Changes

● Increased Heart Rate: The heart beats faster to pump more blood to muscles and vital organs.

● Elevated Blood Pressure: Blood vessels constrict to increase blood flow and pressure.

3. Respiratory Changes

● Rapid Breathing (Hyperventilation): Breathing becomes quick and shallow, leading to an excess intake of oxygen and a decrease in carbon dioxide levels.

● Chest Tightness: This can cause feelings of suffocation or difficulty breathing.

Psychological Responses Most People Experience

1. Intense Fear or Panic

● Overwhelming Anxiety: A sense of impending doom or extreme fear that is often disproportionate to the actual threat.

● Loss of Control: Feelings of being unable to control the situation or one’s own reactions.

2. Cognitive Distortions

● Catastrophic Thinking: Focusing on the worst possible outcomes.

● Negative Self-Talk: Harsh internal dialogue that reinforces feelings of fear and helplessness.

3. Detachment or Derealization

● Feeling Unreality: A sensation of being detached from oneself or the surroundings, as if in a dream.

How does practicing mindfulness help with anxiety?

Practicing mindfulness can significantly help decrease anxiety.

Here’s how:

1. Awareness and Acceptance: Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present, moment without judgment. This practice helps individuals become aware of their anxious thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them.

Recognizing anxiety as a transient experience can reduce its impact and prevent it from escalating.

2. Reduced Rumination: Anxiety often involves excessive worrying about past events or future uncertainties. Mindfulness encourages focusing on the present moment, which can interrupt this cycle of rumination and reduce overall anxiety.

3. Enhanced Emotional Regulation:

Mindfulness strengthens the ability to observe emotions without reacting impulsively. This increased emotional regulation can help individuals manage anxiety more effectively by responding to stressful situations with greater calm and clarity.

4. Lowered Physiological Stress Response:

Mindfulness practices, such as meditation and deep breathing activates the body’s relaxation response, reducing the physiological symptoms of anxiety like increased heart rate and muscle tension.

5. Improved Cognitive Flexibility: Regular mindfulness practice can enhance cognitive flexibility, making it easier to shift focus from anxious thoughts to more constructive or neutral ones. This mental agility helps in coping with anxiety-provoking situations.

6. Greater Self-Compassion: Mindfulness fosters self-compassion, encouraging a kinder and more understanding attitude towards oneself.

This self-compassion can alleviate the self- criticism and negative self-talk that often accompany anxiety.

7. Behavioral Changes: By cultivating a non-judgmental awareness of their actions and triggers, individuals can make more mindful choices about their behavior. This awareness can lead to healthier coping strategies and reduce behaviors that exacerbate anxiety.

8. Enhanced Resilience: Mindfulness builds resilience by promoting a sense of calm and centeredness. Over time, this resilience helps individuals better handle stress and bounce back from anxiety-inducing situations more quickly.

Scientific research supports these benefits. For example, studies have shown that mindfulness-based interventions, such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and improve overall mental health.
In summary, mindfulness helps with anxiety by fostering a present-focused, non-judgmental awareness that enhances emotional regulation, reduces physiological stress, and promotes healthier cognitive and behavioral patterns.

Post-Attack Effects

After experiencing an anxiety attack, you will likely experience the following:

1. Exhaustion

● Fatigue: The body may feel drained and fatigued after the heightened state of arousal subsidies.

2. Residual Anxiety
● Lingering Nervousness: Some level of anxiety or jitteriness may persist after the peak of the attack.

3. Emotional Impact

● Fear of Future Attacks: Concern about experiencing another anxiety attack can contribute to ongoing anxiety and avoidance behaviors.

Understanding these responses can help in managing and reducing the frequency and intensity of anxiety attacks. Techniques such as deep breathing, mindfulness, and cognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT), and, in some cases, medication can be effective in alleviating symptoms and improving overall mental health.

But what if there’s nothing dangerous around you?
Sometimes people will have what is known as a random panic attack in which your body goes on alert for seemingly no reason.

Researchers don’t know exactly what triggers them. But the physical effects are real: During a panic attack, your body’s adrenaline levels can spike by 2 1/2 times, or more.

Panic attacks may not come as unexpectedly as they seem. The physical changes may start about an hour before an attack. In one study, people with panic disorder wore devices that tracked their heart activity, sweating, and breathing. The results showed lower-than-normal levels of carbon, dioxide, a sign of rapid, deep breathing that can leave you breathless, as early as about 45 minutes before the panic attack.

You may have feelings of impending doom, shortness of breath, chest pain, or a rapid, fluttering or pounding heart (heart palpitations). These panic attacks may lead to worrying about them, happening again or avoiding situations in which they’ve occurred.

What Happens in Your Brain
Scientists are still studying how panic attacks affect the brain. It’s possible that the parts of the brain that are tied to fear become more active during an episode. One recent study found that people with panic disorder had lots of activity in a part of their brains tied to the “fight or flight” response.

Other studies have found possible links between panic disorder and the chemicals in your brain. The condition may also be linked to an imbalance in serotonin levels, which can affect your moods.

What You Can Do

To get through a panic attack, try to take control of your breathing first. Find a place where you can sit or be comfortable.

Concentrate on making your breath slow and even. Try to inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold it for 2 seconds, then exhale through your mouth for 6 seconds. Tell yourself that you’re not in danger and that the attack will pass.

If you’re not sure if you’re having a panic attack, it’s a good idea to go to the hospital to rule out any other health problems.

Panic disorder is one of the most treatable types of anxiety disorders. Medication and a type of Talk therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy can help. See your doctor if you have panic attacks often.

Biopsychology: The ‘Fight or Flight’ Response Explained

When someone enters a potentially stressful situation, the amygdala (a small organ that is part of the limbic system) is activated. The amygdala responds to sensory input (what we see, hear, smell, etc.) and connects sensory input with emotions associated with the fight-or-flight response (e.g.,fear and anger).
If the situation is deemed as stressful/dangerous, the amygdala sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus, which communicates with the body through the sympathetic nervous system. If the situation requires a short-term response, the sympathomedullary pathway (SAM pathway) is activated, triggering the fight-or-flight response.

If your anxiety is running roughshod over your life and you want to learn strategies to manage it so it doesn’t control everything you do or where you go or who you interact with, head over to my website and sign up for my anxiety reduction strategies course. I will teach you scientifically proven methods for managing your anxiety, including breathing and grounding techniques.

There isn’t really acure per se for anxiety, but it is possible to learn how to manage it effectively. I learned these techniques and have been able to rein in my out-of-control anxiety for years, and it’s been such a relief.

Let me help you learn these strategies too!

www.womansuperpowers.com
© D’vorah Elias 2025
#anxiety
#anxietyreductionstrategies
#amygdala

from:tutor2u.com

After you have experienced an anxiety attack, you may experience the following as your parasympathetic nervous system resets itself. Your heart rate may significantly decrease as well as other bodily functions such as your digestive tract. This is normal and nothing to get alarmed about.

tutor2u.com

Following the fight or flight response, the parasympathetic nervous system is activated to return the body back to its ‘normal’ resting state. Consequently, the parasympathetic nervous system slows down our heart rate and breathing rate and reduces our blood pressure.

Furthermore, anyfunctions that were previously slowed down are started again (e.g., digestion).

The good news about anxiety

You think it is going to kill you when it is happening.
Even though you may feel like you are dying when you are experiencing an anxiety attack, the good news is that you are not. It will pass over time.
The statistics on people who die specifically during an anxiety or panic attack are not commonly detailed in medical literature because anxiety attacks themselves are not typically fatal.

However, the broader context of anxiety disorders and their impact on health can be explored to understand the associated risks.

Key Points on Anxiety and Mortality:

1. Anxiety and Cardiovascular Events:

● Anxiety and panic attacks can lead to acute stress responses, which might exacerbate underlying cardiovascular conditions. For instance, a person with a pre-existing heart condition could experience a cardiac event triggered by a severe anxiety attack.

● Studies have shown that people with anxiety disorders are at an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, which could contribute to higher mortality rates in this population.

2. Comorbid Conditions:

● Individuals with anxiety disorders often have comorbid conditions such as depression, substance abuse, or other mental health issues. These comorbidities can increase the risk of suicide, which contributes to mortality statistics within this group.

3. Suicide and Self-Harm:

● Anxiety disorders, particularly when coupled with depression, significantly increase the risk of suicide. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), individuals with anxiety disorders are at a higher risk of attempting suicide than the general population.

4. Impact of Chronic Stress:

● Chronic anxiety can lead to long-term health issues, including weakened immune function, gastrointestinal problems, and chronic pain conditions, all of which can indirectly affect mortality rates. This is why it is SO important for people who suffer from anxiety to get in under control quickly…

Conclusion:

While deaths specifically occurring during an anxiety attack are rare and not well-documented, the broader impacts of anxiety disorders on mortality are significant due to their association with cardiovascular events, suicide, and other health complications. The importance of early diagnosis and Effective management of anxiety disorders is crucial to mitigate these risks.

#chooseyourself
#loveyourself
#womansuperpowers
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