Panic Attacks, Anxiety, and That Time Your Brain Thought a Bear Was in Your Bathroom

Let’s talk about panic attacks.

Not the kind TV shows make into a joke. I mean the real ones. The ones that show up uninvited, hijack your body, and make you wonder if you’re dying—or losing your mind—in the frozen food aisle. The ones that don’t care how smart, calm, or “together” you are.

If you've had one, you already know: they’re terrifying. If you haven’t, imagine your brain pulling the fire alarm while your body sprints into full-blown survival mode, even though everything around you looks totally normal.

Here at Curious Mind Counseling, I work with people across Oregon and Florida who are trying to make sense of anxiety and panic. If you’ve found your way here, you’re not alone. And no—you’re not crazy. You just have a nervous system that got a little too good at doing its job.

Anxiety and Panic: They’re Not the Same Thing

Let’s clear this up.

Anxiety is the slow drip. It’s the worry that lingers, the unease before a presentation, the what-if thoughts that keep you scanning for trouble like a nervous security guard. It’s usually linked to something real (or at least plausible), and it tends to build over time.

Panic, on the other hand, is the emergency broadcast system going off when there’s no fire. It’s fast. It’s intense. And it can feel completely disconnected from anything actually happening.

Anxiety plans for danger. Panic believes it’s already here.

Panic Attack vs. Anxiety Attack: What’s the Difference?

This part gets confusing, especially because the terms get tossed around interchangeably. But here’s the real deal:

• Panic attacks are sudden, intense surges of fear or discomfort. They peak within minutes, and often show up without warning. Your body floods with adrenaline, even if you're just sitting in your car trying to remember your grocery list.

• Anxiety attacks aren’t technically a clinical term. They’re more of a description: anxiety that builds and feels overwhelming. You may know exactly what triggered it—work stress, an upcoming conversation, existential dread at 2am.
  

Both are real. Both are valid. And both can be helped.

What Panic Feels Like (And Why It Feels Like the End of the World)

Common symptoms of a panic attack include:

• Racing or pounding heart

• Chest pain or tightness

• Shortness of breath (or the feeling of not being able to breathe)

• Nausea or dizziness

• Tingling or numbness

• Feeling detached from your body or surroundings (called depersonalization or derealization)

• Fear of dying, going crazy, or losing control

  
  

The wild part? This can all happen when nothing is actually wrong.

So Why Does Panic Happen When I’m Just... Existing?

Your brain has one job: keep you alive. And your body is wired to respond to danger even before your thinking brain has caught up.

But when your nervous system gets stuck in overdrive—whether from chronic stress, trauma, high sensitivity, or just plain biology—it starts sounding the alarm at the wrong times.

Researchers call this interoceptive sensitivity: people prone to panic attacks are often more tuned in to small internal shifts (like a quickened heartbeat or shallow breath). The brain misreads those cues as signs of danger. Suddenly, you're not just noticing your heartbeat—you’re running from an invisible tiger.

(Biological Psychology, Domschke et al., 2010)

When Anxiety Becomes the Overprotective Roommate

Anxiety isn’t inherently bad. It’s the reason you remember to pay bills, look both ways, and don’t text your ex at midnight. It's a survival tool.

But anxiety becomes a problem when it doesn’t know when to stop. When it’s scanning for danger that isn’t there. When it decides your rising heart rate is a threat, or that every awkward moment means you’re unlovable.

It’s trying to protect you. It just needs some boundaries—and maybe a new job description.

What Actually Helps (Spoiler: It’s Not Just “Calming Down”)

Let’s talk options. Because no two brains are alike, and panic doesn't respond well to one-size-fits-all advice. Here’s what science and experience say can help reduce the duration and frequency of attacks:

Medical Support

For some folks, medication is life-changing. For others, it’s not necessary. But if panic attacks are frequent or disruptive, medical options are worth exploring.

• SSRIs (like sertraline or escitalopram): often the first-line treatment for panic disorder

• Benzodiazepines (like lorazepam): fast-acting but typically short-term due to risk of dependence

• Beta-blockers (like propranolol): sometimes used for physical symptoms like heart racing
  

(The Lancet Psychiatry, Baldwin et al., 2014)

There’s no shame in needing meds. Your brain is an organ. Sometimes it needs support.

Therapy: Not Just Talking—Training Your Brain

This is where I come in. I provide trauma-informed care and anxiety therapy in Florida and Oregon, helping people unlearn what their bodies have come to fear.

We might work on:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to interrupt anxious spirals

• Exposure Therapy for panic triggers (in a safe, gentle, supportive way)

• Somatic techniques to get you back into your body when it feels like everything’s floating away

• Attachment work for people whose panic has roots in childhood survival strategies
  

Therapy isn’t about fixing you. It’s about giving you tools to work with your brain, not against it.

In-the-Moment Skills That Can Actually Help

Cold water or ice: Activates your parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” response)

• Box breathing: Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4

• 5-4-3-2-1 grounding: Name 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, etc.

• Walk it off: Movement helps burn off the fight-or-flight chemicals

• Narrate the experience: “This is panic. I know what this is. I am safe.”
  

These aren’t cure-alls—but they can shorten the storm.

Longer-Term Lifestyle Shifts That Support Your Nervous System

Get enough sleep (yes, seriously)

• Ease off caffeine, alcohol, and sugar if you notice they spike your symptoms

• Practice nervous system regulation: yoga, stretching, meditation, breathwork

• Connect with people who get it—panic thrives in isolation
  

Track your symptoms: Knowledge is power, and patterns reveal so much

Panic Doesn’t Mean You’re Weak—It Means You’re Human

Your body isn’t betraying you. It’s trying to protect you. It just got its signals crossed. And with time, compassion, and the right support, you can teach it a new language—one where safety isn’t always followed by fear.

I offer online panic attack therapy in Oregon and anxiety treatment for LGBTQ+ individuals in Florida, rooted in respect, curiosity, and care. Whether this is your first panic attack or your hundredth, you're not too much. You're not alone. And you're not stuck.

Griffin Oakley, MSCP, NCC, LMHC, LPC

Founder & Therapist, Curious Mind Counseling 🌐 www.curiousmindcounseling.com  📞 971-365-3642 ✉️ griffin@curiousmindcounseling.com

About the Author

Griffin Oakley is a licensed trauma-informed therapist practicing via telehealth in Oregon and Florida. Their work focuses on complex trauma, identity development, attachment, and helping clients heal from systems that taught them to fear themselves. Curious Mind Counseling is an affirming, inclusive practice welcoming LGBTQ+ individuals, neurodivergent clients, and those navigating spiritual or religious harm.

References:

• Domschke, K., et al. (2010). Interoceptive sensitivity in anxiety and anxiety disorders. Biological Psychology, 85(1), 1–11.

• Baldwin, D. S., et al. (2014). Pharmacological treatment of anxiety and panic disorder. The Lancet Psychiatry, 28(5), 403–439.

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). DSM-5-TR: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(5th ed., Text Revision).