Benign habits that raise your risk of a panic attack

A panic attack can upend your day, even your week. And while you may be able to identify a cause – losing a job or going through a divorce – a long roster of seemingly innocuous habits can cause an attack, too.

From pouring a cup of coffee in the morning to keeping up with the news, everyday actions can tip someone prone to anxiety over the edge. 

Even stepping out in the cold winter air can trigger panic. Actor Elizabeth Olsen recently revealed that going from a hot temperature to a cold one set off her panic attacks. 

These anxiety attacks are sometimes confused with heart attacks because the signs frequently overlap. Both can cause a person to hyperventilate and experience chest pains, shortness of breath, sweating, and nausea.

Roughly one in 10 Americans experience a panic attack every year, and about a third will have at least one at some point in their lives.

For many, panic attacks seem to occur out of the blue, but experts caution certain everyday habits we see as mundane and harmless could be what’s tipping people over the edge.

Elizabeth Olsen opened up about her struggle with panic attacks in her 20s, which struck every hour.

She said: ‘It was literally, like, any time there was a shift in something: hot to cold, hungry to full. I thought, “Oh, is this OK?” And then it would spiral, and it just became this habit.

'I used to live on 13th Street between 6th and 7th. I was crossing 6th Avenue at 14th Street, and I realized I couldn't cross the street — I stood up against the wall, and I just thought I was going to drop dead at any moment.'

In a panic attack, symptoms come on suddenly, peak, and gradually dissipate, though it can feel like an eternity. 

There is typically a trigger, such as stress or fear, but sometimes they occur without a clear cause. At this point the body's fight or flight response revs up. 

The physical symptoms come on next, including tightness in the chest, a rapid heart beat, hyperventilating, dizziness, and shaking. 

Feelings of panic and racing thoughts intensify. The person may have an impending sense of doom or feel they're going to die. It often feels as though you might suffocate.

The aftermath resembles a hangover, causing fatigue, headache, and a feeling of being emotionally and physically drained.  

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One panic attack is enough to convince a person they never want to experience another one, and they may try to probe their own lives to identify stressors that might sink them into another panic. 

But if they’re overly focused on uncovering repressed trauma, they may not be looking for the smaller things they do every day.

One of those things that drives panic attacks is the fear of having another panic attack.

Attiya Awadallah, a licensed therapist in New York who mostly treats Millennials and Gen Zers, told DailyMail.com: ‘One of the biggest triggers I see is fear itself. Clients often have panic attacks simply because they are afraid of having one.

‘This anticipatory anxiety primes the body to react to the smallest sensation of discomfort, escalating into a full-blown attack before they even realize what’s happening.’

The fear of a panic attack – or any perceived threat – triggers the body’s fight-or-flight response, which kickstarts the production of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol, as well as the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin.

Once the fight-or-flight response kicks in, the physical symptoms intensify anxiety, which further worsens those symptoms, setting off a feedback loop. The fear of an attack drives the panic response, escalating anticipatory anxiety into a full-blown panic attack.

Leaving your apartment in the winter could also sink you into a panic, according to Ms Awadallah. 

Rapid shifts between cold and hot environments can elevate heart rate and lead to physical discomfort. For those with heightened anxiety, these bodily sensations may be misinterpreted as the beginning of a panic attack, resulting in a self-fulfilling cycle.

Taking the ‘why do today what you can put off until tomorrow’ attitude is also known to cause panic. Yet one in five Americans is a chronic procrastinator.

Ms Awadallah said: Avoiding difficult or uncomfortable tasks may provide temporary relief, but it allows anxiety to build in the background.

‘Each time the task is delayed, anxiety grows stronger, until the mounting pressure explodes into panic, often at unexpected moments.’

Many people develop avoidance behavior or procrastinate to avoid situations where they might have a panic attack, such as steering clear of the subway or avoiding crowded malls and music venues.

At the same time, they might overcommit to activities and responsibilities to combat a natural inclination to isolate and avoid public gatherings. Staying busy can often distract from anxiety, and being with friends can alleviate symptoms as well.

But agreeing to too many social engagements or taking on too much responsibility at work can backfire, according to Dr. Danyell Taylor, a licensed therapist in Chicago.

Dr Taylor told DailyMail.com: ‘I would add to this discussion over-scheduling or over-committing, as we oftentimes find ourselves filling our calendar with back-to-back activities, which can leave us little time for rest and recovery.

‘Unknowingly, this can cause anxiety and panic.’

She also warned against skipping meals, a widespread practice loved by wellness gurus, celebrities, and biohackers who call it ‘intermittent fasting.’

Dr Taylor said: ‘Although I think most of us know the importance of eating well and proper nutrition, neglecting nutrition can lead to low blood sugar, which may trigger anxiety symptoms and panic.’

Without food, blood sugar levels plummet, causing dizziness, irritability, and mental fog. Skipping meals can also trigger the release of stress hormones, feeding feelings of anxiety.

Even our everyday speech can feed into panic. According to Ms Awadallah, labeling yourself as an anxious or stressed person and assigning it a piece of your personality designates anxiety as a core part of your identity.

By expecting yourself to be anxious in every situation, you become hypervigilant and overly sensitive to stressors like people or loud noises, leading to even greater anxiety.

She said: ‘Encourage a more neutral or compassionate self-view. Helping clients reframe their language (e.g., “I'm feeling anxious” rather than “I am anxious”) can create distance between the individual and the emotion, reducing its impact.’

Experts also advise you to put your phone down.

Ms Awadallah said: ‘Technology can overstimulate the brain, especially when combined with doomscrolling or constant exposure to negative news.

‘The relentless influx of information, particularly catastrophic or fear-inducing content, keeps the brain in a heightened state of anxiety.’