Panic Attack or Anxiety Attack: Is there a difference?

This week’s blog takes a slightly different tone—more informative and diagnostic than usual. With summer on the horizon, I’ve been hearing more from clients about the pressure to take on extra responsibilities, especially the expectation to be more social.

And with that comes a rise in emotional overwhelm—sometimes showing up as panic attacks, other times as anxiety attacks. But did you know there’s a difference between the two?

Truthfully, I didn’t—at least, not until I delved deeper into my academic studies. So this blog aims to raise awareness and answer a few key questions:

• What’s the difference between panic and anxiety attacks?

• Can your response make things worse—or better?

• If your responses are making symptoms worse, what are some alternatives to try, that are known to produce better outcomes?

What are the key differences between a Panic Attack & an Anxiety Attack

🔍Panic Attack

• Onset: Sudden and unexpected

• Duration: Peaks within 10 minutes, typically subsides within 20–30 minutes

• Trigger: Often comes “out of the blue,” without a clear cause

• Symptoms: Heart palpitations, chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, fear of dying or losing control

🔎 Anxiety Attack

• Onset: Gradual build-up over hours or even days

• Duration: Can last minutes to weeks, depending on the stressor

• Trigger: Linked to specific worries or ongoing stress

• Symptoms: Muscle tension, restlessness, excessive worry, difficulty concentrating, irritability

What are some of the ways that people cope/respond to symptoms of a Panic/Anxiety Attack

🛑 Negative Coping/Response Strategies

🌀 Panic Attacks:

🚬 Smoking or substance/alcohol use to self-soothe
🚪 Avoiding environments or activities that trigger fear
😷 Shallow breathing or hyperventilation worsened by symptom focus
📱 Over-Googling symptoms and increasing health anxiety

⚠️ Anxiety Attacks:

💤 Procrastination or emotional withdrawal
🍕 Emotional eating or bingeing
📺 Excessive screen time or mindless scrolling
🙅 People-pleasing to regain control or approval
🚫 Suppressing emotions or bottling things up

🌱 Positive Coping/Response Strategies

💙 Panic Attacks:

🌬️ Grounding techniques like 5-4-3-2-1 sensory check-ins
🫁 Focused breathing (box breathing, belly breathing)
🧠 Reassuring self-talk: “This will pass, I’ve been here before”
🎧 Calming audio—music, nature sounds, or guided meditation
🚶 Gentle movement or stepping outside for fresh air

☀️ Anxiety Attacks:

✍️ Journaling to name the worry and explore its root
🗓️ Breaking tasks into actionable steps
🗣️ Sharing thoughts with someone you trust
🌿 Engaging with nature to settle the nervous system
🧘‍♂️ Mindfulness or yoga to bring focus back to the present

🌼 Final Thought

The goal isn’t to eliminate emotion—it’s to understand it, respond to it, and navigate it with care. Whether it’s panic or anxiety, your response matters, and there are steps you can take to restore calm, control, and clarity.

By identifying whether you may be experiencing a Panic attack, or an Anxiety attack, & identifying your natural way of coping with/responding to the symptoms, you can begin to understand if your response is helping to prevent an attack, or increasing the likelihood of experiencing one. Through trialling new positive/active coping strategies, while trying to reduce negative/passive ones, the potential to take control of symptoms before they lead to an attack becomes a lot more promising.