Millions of people suffer from panic attacks. Having a panic attack is no fun and can severely limit your activities. They can come at any time and can stop you cold right in your tracks. An underlying cause of panic attacks is anxiety. Anxiety is a normal part of life. It is a way the body tells us that something is not quite right. It is part of what is called the "flight or fight" mechanism. This mechanism is activated when the body senses some sort of danger. The problem is when there is no apparent danger, yet you start to become anxious, and then a panic attack occurs. Whether you have suffered panic attacks for years or you are just starting to have them, an important question is, "Can a panic attack do any harm to me?"

The body has two different systems that react to sudden situations. The first is the sympathetic nervous system. This system is responsible for gearing the body for "flight or fight" situations. When the body senses that it is in immediate danger, the sympathetic nervous system is called into action. All kinds of things start to happen. The heart starts beating faster, blood is redirected to where is is needed, and breathing is increased. All in all, the sympathetic nervous system gets the body ready for action.

The Parasympathetic Nervous System

The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for returning the body back to a normal state. This system gets called into action. You do not have complete control over this. It just happens. When this system gets called, the body is returned back to its normal, calm state. This is one of the good things to keep in mind. Eventually, the parasympathetic nervous system will be called into action and your body will wind down back to normal. This is why panic attacks do eventually end.

When someone has a panic attack, there are quite a few common symtoms. Here is a short list:

• Palpitations (racing or pounding heartbeat)
• Dizziness, feeling light headed, nausea
• Difficulty Breathing, chest pains (feeling that you are being smothered)
• Tingling or numbness in your hands
• Feeling a need to escape the situation
• Fear of losing control because you may do something embarrassing.
• Fear of dying.

Let's take each one of these symptoms and see what they are and if they can actually do real harm.

When you are having a panic attack, you may well feel your heart rate increasing. Palpitations are very short, abrupt periods where the heart suddenly starts beating faster. If you have never felt this before, this can be very frightening. If you are in the midst of a panic attack, this along with the other symptoms can lead one to think that your heart is about to stop suddenly or even explode.

Your Heart Is Not Going To Stop

The heart is a very strong muscle and can beat very rapidly for quite a while without any harm being done. But, that is not what most people who have panic attacks for the first time think. In fact, the more you panic, the faster your heart beats. One thing to keep in mind with all these symptoms is that the body will not continue to spiral upwards until it collapses. The body has a built in mechanism for controlling all these symptoms. See the above paragraph labeled "two different systems."

The feelings of light-headedness, dizziness, and nausea are related to having trouble breathing. With the throat and chest muscles tightening up, you will feel that you cannot breathe or get enough oxygen. Again, the cycle of fear builds up and before you know it, you will feel light headed and dizzy. Eventually, these symptoms do pass and your body will return to its normal state. The one thing to remind yourself of with all these symptoms is there is nothing medically wrong with you! Your body has triggered its flight or fight response system. Again, in time, your body will return to normal.

Another common symptom are chest pains. This is caused by the throat and chest muscles tightening up. This gives you the sensation of not being able to get enough oxygen. This in turn will make you start to take control of your breathing. You start to fear that you will suffocate and die. This, in turn, will lead you to become even more fearful, which will cause you to feel light headed and dizzy. This in turn will cause you to panic even more. You can see the awful cycle that is presented here.

Unless something is really medically wrong, you cannot simply stop breathing by willing it. Breathing is part of autonomic nervous system. This system regulates things like your heart. You simply cannot stop breathing by yourself. Don't believe that? OK, try holding your breath for and see what happens. You can try, but eventually you will start breathing again.

During a panic attack the blood supply is diverted from the hands and fingers. Your skin feels like it is being stuck with millions of pins and needles. This is quite normal and there is nothing you need to fear. It is a consequence of the incredible amount of anxiety you are going through during a panic attack. This is not harmful, but a consequence of the body shifting blood from the fingers to other organs such as the muscles in the legs. Again, it is the "flight or fight" mechanism that is being called into action.

The sudden feeling to escape a situation is a very common symptom of a panic attack. Let's say that you are on a train. Suddenly, the train comes to a stop. The conductor says that there is a problem and everyone will have to wait until that problem is fixed. Suddenly, you feel very anxious and may even start to panic. Additional anxiety comes from the mental evaluation of the current situation.

Trapped on a train = limited mobility = no escape = PANIC

Several minutes later, the conductor announces that the problem is fixed. The train starts to move again, and you are relieved. The anxious feelings go away and you are in a calm state again. This is just one example of how your thoughts control your feelings, which then can trigger a panic attack. This not life threatening. There is no need to think that you are going to die, or "lose control".

Another very common symptom of panic attacks is the fear of losing control. This feeling can be either fear of your organs losing control of themselves losing control of reality, LC: you will "go nuts". This fear is very common for those who suffer from social anxiety. That is, people who are acutely sensitive to social embarrassment will suffer from this the most. This fear can range from picking up a knife to screaming in public or even freezing up and not being able to speak.

Be assured, you are not going to do any of these things!! Most people will not notice anything different about you nor will they come to the conclusion, "Hey this person is going nuts!". Nothing of the sort will actually happen. This is all something that is going on in your mind.  It really won't happen the way you imagine it will. This is one of the major keys to overcoming a panic attack. These are symptoms that are normal when you body senses danger. The problem is there is no danger!!! You are reacting to something that is not really there or will never happen!!

With all these and other symptoms occurring, it is very normal for people suffering a panic attack to think they are dying. Again, be assured you are not dying! The symptoms you are suffering from are a result of the body sensing dangerous situation that does not exist! Your heart is racing, your breathing becomes shallow and rapid. These and all other symptoms are a result of the flight or fight mechanisim being put into high gear. You are not dying! Your body is getting ready to either fight off the danger or fleeing the situation. There is nothing really wrong with you!!

Despite all these and many other symptoms, having a panic attack is not fatal nor will it really harm you. Again, your body is reacting to a situation that it thinks is dangerous. It perceives a threat, when there really is no threat.

Having said that, these symptoms are very real, and very scary! I am not going to minimize them. I have suffered quite a few of these attacks and it is really frightening. But, in the end, with help, you can get through them. You can survive! Go to your doctor and describe these symptoms and see what they say. You can get help. Go to a mental health professional (psychologist or psychiatrist) for help. There are many methods and therapies that can help. Anxiety and panic attacks are very devastating, but they can be controlled!