Just one set of exercise like jumping jacks or burpees can easily stop a panic attack within seconds.
You need not have been exercising for weeks to reap this benefit, either.
You’ve probably read that an exercise program helps lessen the frequency of panic attacks.
David D. Clarke, MD, explains that “exercise as an active coping strategy gives patients a sense of mastery that reliance on drug treatment does not.”
Dr. Clarke is President, Psychophysiologic Disorders Association (stressillness.com), Clinical Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology Emeritus, Oregon Health & Science University, and author of “They Can’t Find Anything Wrong.”
He continues, “Since exercise is associated with other health benefits, it might help patients to develop a more optimistic view of their bodies in general.
“Exercise may also lead to distraction from anxiety-related thoughts. Also, it is possible that exercise-related release of endorphins in the central nervous system is able to reduce panic symptoms.”
But what about a short-term situation pertaining to a single particular panic attack?
• And what about the fact that people who regularly exercise can still experience panic attacks?
When I had my first panic attack, my body was already in a highly trained state from vigorous workouts.
My first panic occurred in the middle of the night and I called 9-1-1, even though the day before I had hiked for two hours without incident.
The second panic attack occurred while I was walking towards my car – after a 90 minute hike and trail run.
But can a sudden bout of exercise stop any given panic attack in its tracks? Yes!
Typically, a panic attack immobilizes the person with the fear of dying or having a heart attack; they don’t want to move.
This allows the panic episode to consume them and induce a feeling of helplessness.
I had figured if I’d already had a few panic attacks, another one would invariably occur – when I least expected it.
And sure enough, it happened – at home, soon after I had gotten into bed.
And I immediately dropped to the floor in the dark room and began doing controlled pushups, focusing on textbook form, premediting ending at 12 repetitions.
Shutterstock/Slatan
After 12, I got to my feet, and the panic attack was gone. GONE. It did not return.
“Our brains can only handle so many stimuli at once, and it is the job of the cortex or higher brain centers to synthesize information,” explains Rupali Chadha, MD, former chief of medical staff at Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk, CA.
“Our brain ‘decides’ what to attend to. What is more pressing? If a bear was coming at you, pushups would not take away panic, of course.
“But a panic attack is misinterpreting danger — and pushups, requiring coordination and physical effort, get unregulated in this instance.”
Dr. Clarke explains, “While experiencing panic attacks, patients tend to misinterpret bodily sensations as an expression of a life-threatening illness.
“Exercise typically provokes very similar sensations, which can now be experienced as a physiological reaction.”
A set of pushups, burpees or lunge jumps bullies the panic attack out of your system.
There’s not enough room for both a panic attack and a brief surge of strenuous exercise.
- Lunge jumps
- Box jumps
- Jump rope
- Chin-ups
- Squat jumps
- Even running in place, if that’s enough to challenge your body.
- Attempting tricky yoga poses
- Practicing a martial arts form
The exercise will always be stronger than the panic attack, and hence will win nearly every time — if not EVERY time.
Shutterstock/Diego Cervo
If a panic attack occurs on the job, leave your desk and take a brisk walk wherever you can for several minutes. I did this once and it worked.
The bottom line is that a sudden burst of activity that demands physical exertion or a combination of lighter exertion with mental concentration such as yoga or martial arts forms will very likely end a panic attack within a few minutes.
In addition to general psychiatry, Dr. Chadha is also a forensic psychiatrist who treats the brain conditions of the criminally insane and serves as an expert witness in trials. She has a passion for fitness plus how the body, mind and spirit come together to build a healthy individual.
