What Does an Anxiety Attack Feel Like?

An anxiety attack can be a completely paralyzing event and very traumatic for anyone who undergoes it. One thing to understand about anxiety is that it is completely normal to feel anxious. Our body is hardwired to be anxious and this allows us to have the classic fight or flight response that can save our lives in many dangerous situations. When normal anxiety happens, the body becomes extremely focused on avoiding danger and the rest of the body’s systems are subverted so that the necessary energy can be spent saving one’s life.

That is how anxiety normally works. We may not be attacked by wild animals or assaulted to experience anxiety. Instead, many social situations like big tests, job interviews, or first dates can cause a lot of anxiety. This too is very normal. The important thing about these events is that they are temporary and they caused by a very specific circumstance where much is on the line.

However, an attack of anxiety is much different. For one the anxiety is completely out of bounds for what the situations dictates. Getting yelled at by your boss may cause you some anxiety, but it doesn’t make you fear for your life. Yet, an attack will feel just this way. You feel as if your life is actually in danger. Thus, your heart pounds, you sweat, your breathing gets tight, and you feel an immense urge to get out of whatever place you are in. You can’t think about anything else but this problem. Moreover, you can’t get these thoughts and feelings out of your head. Worse yet, as your body responds to your anxiety it feeds into your mental anxiety, which worsens your physical symptoms. This is one reason why the feeling will not go away like normal anxiety. It compounds the stress and causes an immense amount of confusion.

For many, these situations are caused by triggers related to a previous event that perhaps was life-threatening. For others, it may be unclear what causes the onset of attacks. Whatever the reason, for many sufferers it is impossible to avoid. For this reason it’s important to seek therapy rather than attempt to avoid what one may think is the trigger of the attack. These attacks can last for hours and days as they lead into further stress, so it’s important not to overlook any situation that causes a higher than normal level of anxiety for an extended period.