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Anxiety and panic

Dealing with anxiety and panic

Do you ever experience anxiety or panic? Panic is a strong and sudden form of fear. You may feel like you are losing control of yourself or the situation. Panic happens because of an interaction between two systems: something from outside that makes you scared (external stimuli), and the way you deal with anxiety (emotion regulation - a mix of thoughts, feelings, and actions).

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 Netherlands