Yesterday was my first MRI experience, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about panic attacks. In general, the fear of having a panic attack during an MRI is quite common. A cramped space, a low ceiling, a restriction on movement, a monotonous intense sound - sounds like the perfect recipe for a panic attack. So I understood that for me, as a person with high anxiety, there are risks, and I decided to refresh my knowledge on this topic. ❗️This text will be in two parts: in the first, we will understand what a panic attack is and how it works, in the second, we will collect basic ways to avoid going into a tailspin (by the way, they will also help reduce the level of everyday anxiety). So, a panic attack is an attack of uncontrollable fear, accompanied by a bunch of unpleasant sensations in the body. The most common symptoms:▪️ rapid heartbeat▪️ feeling short of air▪️ trembling▪️ dizziness▪️ fever or chills▪️ ringing in the ears▪️ nausea▪️ dizzinessMost often, this whole bouquet is accompanied by a feeling of complete loss of control over oneself and one’s body, as well as thoughts like “This heartfelt attack”, “I’m having a seizure”, “I’m going crazy.”‼️ The most important thing to understand about a panic attack is that it lasts a few minutes, always goes away on its own and no one ever dies from it. 60% of panic attacks attacks occur due to hyperventilation of the lungs: under stress, we breathe too shallowly and quickly, so too much oxygen accumulates in the blood and it becomes difficult for the arteries and vessels to deliver it to the brain. This causes dizziness and the feeling that we are suffocating. The mechanism of a panic attack is a vicious circle: Some stimulus is perceived as dangerous➡️ fear arises and its symptoms in the body➡️ we begin to actively listen to these sensations and become afraid of them➡️ symptoms intensify➡️ fear becomes even stronger➡️ symptoms intensify even more➡️ we are looking for a way to get out of the situation and begin to do everything to avoid its repetition➡️ we accumulate negative experiences and anxiety increases➡️ we are afraid of more situations. Have you ever had panic attacks? This mechanism is familiar?