things that are totally normal after panic attacks!
- crying. this is the way a lot of bodies cope with emotional stress and it’s okay to need to cry even after you think the panic attack has passed and you’re fine now
- feeling sleepy. panic attacks take a lot of emotional and even physical energy even if you don’t feel like you’re doing anything! your body has to work hard to make your muscles tense up and your heart beat faster
- being hungry, for the same reasons above
- being grumpy or feeling angry. you’re probably tired, per above, and being in a panic attack causes many people to throw up emotional barriers to help cope with the feelings of fear and panic.
none of these things mean you are weak or bad or that there is anything wrong with you! if you are getting over a panic attack, please allow yourself recovery time if you can, as soon as you can.
sip a drink to tell your brain that there’s no threat, and you don’t need to be on edge. get yourself a snack if you need one. and, if you can, let yourself take a nap. your brain wants extra time to file away all the information associated with the panic attack, to compartmentalize it so it doesn’t stress you out as much anymore. let it do that without having to worry about other stuff for a bit, sleep is the best for that!
