Anxiety attacks, or panic attacks as they are more or less the same thing, are on the increase. Nobody knows why there are on the increase but our current stressful lives seem to be a big factor. But the fact remains they are causing more and more people no end of problems.
Would you recognise a panic attack if you had one? That’s a difficult question to answer as the symptoms are quite wide ranging and can vary from mild to the downright frightening. Symptoms could be a simple hot flush to a more terrifying racing heart and shallowness of breath.
I guess if you were having the second type of symptom you’d be very aware you need help to put this right. But you may be suffering one of the many lesser symptoms and not really realising that you are having some form of anxiety attack. These mild symptoms could well be warning signs of something worse to come.
My wife had her first serious panic attack while out driving the car. I probably needn’t say that it wasn’t just the attack that shook her badly, but the fact she was driving and could have had a major accident. This scenario just doesn’t bear thinking about.
If you haven’t been feeling yourself lately, maybe you’ve had one or two of these symptoms… Fidgeting, feeling irritated, hard to sleep, on edge or anxious or lack of concentration. These symptoms could well be a sign of things to come. Things much worse.
Let me put you at ease a little before you actually break out and have an attack. Many things can cause symptoms like the above symptoms. And none of them are anything to worry about. Lack of sleep may just be too much caffeine. Fidgeting may be uncomfortable clothing.
If you would rather be safe than sorry you can find out if you are heading for anxiety attacks. You can take an anxiety symptoms test which may give you a better idea. You simply tick a few yes or no boxes and total your score at the end.
You can then make a better informed decision to seek out further help or not. Take the anxiety symptoms test here.