Mental Health

Signs of a Panic Attack vs Anxiety: How to Tell the Difference and What to Do

Panic attacks and anxiety can cause similar symptoms. Both can cause a fast heart rate, tension, and quick breathing. This can make it difficult to identify if you’re having a panic attack or experiencing symptoms of an anxiety disorder. It’s also important to know that you can have both, anxiety disorder, along with panic attacks.

The major difference is that panic attacks tend to come on suddenly and be more intense, but don’t last as long. Anxiety tends to come on more slowly, with symptoms lasting longer. Understanding the signs of a panic attack vs anxiety can help you to better understand what you’re experiencing and take action to help you feel better.

Panic Attacks vs Anxiety: What’s the Difference?

While panic attack signs and anxiety signs have some similarities, they differ in onset, duration, and intensity.

Panic Attacks

Onset: Suddenly, often with no clear trigger
Duration: Short, with symptoms typically peaking at 10 minutes
Intensity: Symptoms can be so intense that some people believe they are having a heart attack or that something bad will happen

Anxiety

Onset: Gradually, often in relation to increased stress
Duration: Symptoms can last long-term, up to weeks or months
Intensity: Symptoms can vary, with some people experiencing mild symptoms and others more severe symptoms

Some people use the terms “panic attack” and “anxiety attack” interchangeably. But, panic attacks are a clinical term used by professionals, and anxiety attacks are not. Instead, people who say that they are having anxiety attacks are likely experiencing a period of increased anxiety, which may be caused by an anxiety disorder.

How Your Body Responds to Panic Attacks vs Anxiety

While there is some overlap in panic attack symptoms vs anxiety symptoms, panic attack symptoms are often more intense but last for a shorter time.

Physical Symptoms

When you have a panic attack, your body has a flight-fight-freeze response, causing symptoms that come on suddenly and intensely. They may include:

Racing or pounding heart
Hyperventilating or breathing too quickly
Chest tightness or pain
Shortness of breath
Dizziness
Shaking or trembling
Feeling like you are choking
Sweating or chills
Numbness or tingling
Nausea or upset stomach

While physical symptoms of anxiety can be less intense, they do last for longer. This can make them feel overwhelming. You will also likely notice a build-up of symptoms. Symptoms of anxiety include:

Increased heart rate
Feeling like you can’t catch your breath
Sweating
Trembling or shaking
Muscle weakness
Restlessness or feeling like you can’t stay still
Stomach problems
Dry mouth
Difficulty sleeping
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Increased startle response
Muscle tension and headaches

Persistance

Panic attack symptoms typically come on suddenly, with most panic attacks lasting between 5 and 20 minutes. Panic attack symptoms usually peak within 10 minutes and dissipate quickly, although some symptoms can last longer. This is different from anxiety, which can last for a longer period of time. Anxiety symptoms can last days, weeks, or even months.

Overlapping Symptoms

Anxiety and panic attacks have many overlapping symptoms. This means that you often need to rely on the intensity and duration to determine if you are having a panic attack or experiencing anxiety. Common symptoms for both panic attacks and anxiety include:

Shortness of breath
Increased heart rate
Sweating
Trembling or shaking
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Stomach upset
Chest pain or tightness
Numbness or tingling
Feelings of fear or a sense of impending doom
Derealization or depersonalization

Psychological Differences

Like physical symptoms, psychological symptoms both overlap and have some differences. The major difference between a panic attack and an anxiety attack is that fears during panic attacks tend to be more intense, while worries that occur because of anxiety are more persistent.

Fear of losing control or dying

Fear of losing control or dying is a common symptom of a panic attack. This fear is often intense and a major focus of your thoughts.

Although you might have worries about dying or losing control with anxiety, these are typically less intense and not the main focus of your thoughts. Instead, you might experience more “what if..?” thoughts, such as “What if I lose control?” or catastrophic thinking, such as “I’m feeling unwell; maybe I’m dying”.

Further contributing to a fear of losing control is that both anxiety and panic attacks can contribute to derealization (feeling as though things aren’t real) and depersonalization (feeling as though you aren’t real. With panic attacks, these feelings tend to come on suddenly and can be terrifying. With anxiety, depersonalization and derealization tend to develop more slowly. You might also feel as if you are in a fog rather than completely detached from yourself or reality.

Excessive worry and future-focused fear

Panic attacks happen suddenly and often without a clear trigger. In contrast, anxiety involves constant and excessive worry. This can mean that when you are going through periods of excess stress, you’re more likely to be able to identify what is contributing to your anxiety. For example, you might have specific worries about work or your health.

Your fears also might be more focused on what might happen in the future rather than what you are experiencing in the present. For example, you might worry about not being able to handle something or worry that something bad will happen.

It’s important to point out that you can experience both panic attacks and anxiety. For example, some individuals experience recurring panic attacks and start to worry about having panic attacks in the future. This is known as panic disorder and can lead to people avoiding certain situations for fear of having a panic attack.

How thoughts and feelings manifest differently in each condition

With panic attacks, thoughts and feelings tend to be intense and overwhelming. They often feel uncontrollable and can make you feel as though you are in serious danger, even though there is no threat. When you have anxiety, your thoughts and feelings might feel less intense and a bit more controllable, but they can last for a longer period of time. Your worries are more likely to be based on scenarios that are realistic but exaggerated.

For example, you might worry that you’ll get fired for being late for work one day, even though you’ve consistently been on time.

Because anxiety is longer-lasting, it can start to impact your daily life. You might have difficulty concentrating at work or at school or feel like you just can’t relax. You might also be more irritable because you’ve been feeling on edge.

Immediate Response Strategies: What to Do During Episodes

Dealing with panic attacks and anxiety can seem overwhelming, but there are strategies that you can use to help you feel better in the moment.

With a panic attack, it’s important to recognize what it is. Knowing that you are having a panic attack and that it will pass can help you avoid feeding into the panic that you are feeling. It’s also important to focus on calming strategies and grounding yourself. For example:

Practicing deep breathing to help calm your body and lower your heart rate
Grounding yourself by engaging your senses. Name what you can see, hear, feel, smell, and taste
Running your hands under cold water or holding an ice cube to distract you from the physical sensations
Counting or saying the alphabet to help you focus on something else
Using positive self-talk, such as “I am safe” or “This will pass”

To calm anxiety, relaxation techniques and healthy lifestyle habits can help. For example:

Practicing deep breathing to calm the body
Practicing progressive muscle relaxation, where you clench your muscles tightly and then release them, working from your feet to your face and head
Meditating or engaging in visualization to react
Try a relaxing activity to calm your body and engage your mind, such as journaling, yoga, or coloring
Going for a walk to help release anxious energy
Using positive self-talk and challenging negative thoughts and worries

When to Seek Help

Some individuals experience a single panic attack and then don’t experience another one. Other people have multiple panic attacks, which can make them worry about having another panic attack.

If you’re experiencing a panic attack for the first time, it’s a good idea to check in with your doctor to rule out any medical causes. While panic attacks can feel physically intense, they’re usually not physically harmful. However, the fear of having panic attacks can impact your daily life. If this is the case, a mental health professional can help you understand your panic attacks and develop coping strategies.

The ongoing worry and physical symptoms associated with anxiety can impact your daily life. Even if you are able to keep up with your obligations, anxiety can mean that you’re experiencing racing thoughts, restlessness, and excessive worry beneath the surface. If you have anxiety symptoms, a mental health expert can help you. They can teach you relaxation methods and coping strategies to help you feel better.

Finding the Right Mental Health Professional

To find the right mental health professional, you’ll want to think about your needs and goals. You’ll want to consider:

Specialty: Different mental health professionals have different specialties. For example, if you are experiencing panic attacks, then you’ll want to work with someone who has experience helping people with their panic attacks.
Approach: You may have heard of a particular type of therapy, such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), that you want to try. Or, you might prefer a less structured approach to therapy. You’ll want to think about the methods each mental health professional uses to ensure they’re a good fit for you.
Accessibility: Some individuals prefer virtual mental health care because it's more flexible. Other people prefer in-office appointments because they’re free of distractions and are a neutral setting.
Comfort Level: It’s important that you feel comfortable with whoever you are seeing so that you are able to be honest and feel respected and heard.

Takeaway

Both anxiety and panic attacks can impact your daily life. While there is some overlap between the symptoms, panic attacks tend to be more intense but shorter. Anxiety symptoms tend to come on more gradually and can last longer, up to weeks or months. Whether you’re experiencing anxiety or panic attacks, both can impact your daily life and make it difficult to relax.

Treatment can help you to gain a deeper understanding of what you are feeling, which can reduce some of the fear, and introduce you to helpful coping methods.