Understanding and managing panic attacks

They are intense anxiety reactions where a person feels overwhelmed by emotions like helplessness and fear.

One morning, I woke up suddenly, drenched in sweat, struggling to catch my breath. It felt oddly familiar, like a scene from my favourite series, ‘Friends’. In the show, a character responds to the common question, “How are you feeling?” with a very uncommon reply: “I just feel like someone reached down my throat, grabbed my small intestine, pulled it out of my mouth, and tied it around my neck.” However, my experience didn’t stop there. I also had a racing heart and a sharp pain in my chest. It felt like I was choking, unable to breathe. Despite a parched mouth, I couldn't get up for water because my whole body trembled, leaving me unable to move.