Anxiety and panic
What is it?
Anxiety is a feeling you get when you think something bad or dangerous might happen. Your body gets ready to fight or run away. You may breathe faster, sweat, or feel tense.
Panic is a very strong kind of fear. It comes quickly and feels very intense. You may feel like you are not in control.
Past experiences can make panic worse. Sometimes you don’t notice your thoughts, but they can make fear turn into panic.
How does panic feel?
- Physical: Possible physical sensations include dizziness, hyperventilation, palpitations, sweating, vomiting, feeling of an unrealistic situation, etc. Some may even have the idea that they are experiencing a heart attack;
- Behavioural: Avoidance of anxious stimuli;
- Psychological: Mulling.
What can you do?
It may seem like a good idea to hide your fear or avoid scary situations. But this often makes it worse later.
If you keep avoiding something, you stay afraid of it. It is better to talk about it. Tell someone you trust how you feel.
You can also get help. Panic attacks can be treated well. One common treatment is called EMDR.
You can go to your doctor (general practitioner, GP) for help. If that feels too difficult, you can also talk to a student psychologist. They can help you too.
Healthcare in the NetherlandsSelf-learning module
With your Fontys account, you can make free use of online self-help modules (e-health). Check out the modules related to panic and anxiety below.
Anxiety
If you often feel anxious or have experienced panic attacks, you're not alone. Taking action early is essential to prevent symptoms from worsening. One way to start addressing these issues is by engaging in a self-help module. This module helps reduce or prevent the escalation of symptoms by training you to understand and manage your anxiety and panic.
Go to anxiety and panic module
Resilience
Could you use some more resilience? Do you sometimes wonder why you react to setbacks in a certain way? Then take this module. In the module you will gain more insight into yourself and why you react the way you do. This is how you build resilience. And that will help you with future setbacks.
Go to the self-learning module
Contact team Student Guidance
- If you would like to discuss your anxiety and/or panic symptoms, make an appointment with a student psychologist.
- If your panic and/or anxiety symptoms affect your study progress, make an appointment with a student counsellor.