Panic attacks are sudden surges of overwhelming fear and anxiety that strike without warning. They can be incredibly frightening and leave a person feeling out of control. While everyone experiences anxiety differently, here are 16 signs that someone might be having a panic attack, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America:

Sudden Onset of Intense Fear

Imagine feeling a wave of intense fear wash over you in a matter of minutes. Panic attacks often come on abruptly, leaving the person feeling a sense of impending doom or like they’re about to die. This intense fear can be very distressing and can cause them to withdraw or seek immediate safety.

Heart Palpitations

A racing or pounding heart is a common symptom of a panic attack. This is caused by a surge of adrenaline coursing through the body, preparing it for a perceived threat. The rapid heartbeat can be very noticeable and add to the overall feeling of panic.

Shortness of Breath or Difficulty Breathing

During a panic attack, a person might feel like they’re suffocating or struggling to catch their breath. This can happen even though their airways are not physically blocked. It’s a terrifying sensation that can further escalate the anxiety.

Chest Pain or Discomfort

Tightness, chest pain, or discomfort in the chest can be a scary symptom of a panic attack. It can be mistaken for a heart attack, adding to the fear and sense of urgency. This is why it’s important to seek medical attention if chest pain is a new or persistent symptom.

Dizziness, Lightheadedness, or Feeling Faint

Rapid changes in breathing and heart rate during a panic attack can cause dizziness, lightheadedness, or even a feeling of fainting. This can be disorienting and contribute to the feeling of losing control.

Feeling Detached or Derealization

The person may experience a sense of detachment from their surroundings, feeling like they’re outside their body or that the world around them is unreal. This dissociation can be very unsettling and add to the overall feeling of disorientation.

Fear of Losing Control or Going Crazy

A common fear during a panic attack is losing control of oneself or one’s mind. This fear can be irrational, but it can be very real and frightening in the moment.

Numbness or Tingling Sensation

Hyperventilation, a rapid breathing pattern common during panic attacks, can disrupt the body’s balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This can lead to tingling or numbness in the hands or fingers, causing a pins-and-needles sensation.

Chills or Sweating

As the body goes into fight-or-flight mode during a panic attack, it may trigger chills or sweating. This is a physiological response to prepare for a perceived threat, and the fluctuations in body temperature can be quite noticeable.

Hot Flashes

A sudden feeling of intense heat radiating through the body can be another symptom of a panic attack. This is caused by vasodilation, the widening of blood vessels, in response to the surge of adrenaline.

Nausea or Abdominal Discomfort

The intense anxiety of a panic attack can trigger nausea, stomach upset, or cramping. This can be a very unpleasant addition to the physical discomfort already being experienced.

Feeling Like You’re Choking

A tightness in the throat can make swallowing difficult, further increasing anxiety. This is not due to a blockage but rather muscle tension caused by the body’s fight-or-flight response.

Fear of Dying

The intensity of the physical symptoms and the overwhelming fear can lead to the belief that something is seriously wrong medically, even death.

Sense of Unreality (Derealization)

The world around the person may feel unreal or detached, further contributing to the feeling of disorientation and fear.

Depersonalization

The person may feel detached from themselves as if they are observing themselves from outside their body. This can be a very disorienting and frightening experience.

Intrusive Thoughts

During a panic attack, the mind can become flooded with intrusive thoughts. These are unwanted, negative, and often frightening thoughts that seem to appear out of nowhere and take hold with surprising force.

Navigating the virtual world with the aim of accessing services conveniently sometimes ends in regret. From online shopping to social media interactions and even responding to job postings, criminals are everywhere watching your movements and targeting your money and data. Being aware of these risks helps protect against potential threats.

Shopping Online

Online shopping comes with a level of convenience that is irresistible to many. The problem is that it comes at a cost, especially by exposing one to potential scams. Criminals create fake websites to steal credit card details and personal information. Falling for such could facilitate identity theft.

Using Social Media

Social media is arguably the most popular social innovation the world has ever seen. This facilitator of social connections can also be a source of distress for you. Scammers can steal personal information like addresses, birthdates, and even financial details by baiting you into clicking deceptive links.

Responding to Emails

Communication has been made easy by technology, with emails topping the list of the most impactful innovations. However, it also has the potential to expose you to scammers. Through phishing scams, criminals can duplicate legitimate emails and have you give away critical financial data. Always verify email sources to avoid this.

Answering Strange Phone Calls

Curiosity can have you answering strange phone calls that end up damaging you. Scammers call you with deceptive information from organizations you know. With what appears to be legitimate information, you are likely to surrender your personal information, including financial data. It’s vital to verify callers” identities before releasing information.

Interactions on Online Dating Sites

Technological advancements have made dating sites very popular among people of all ages. Unfortunately, scammers have turned them into their own playing field. With fake profiles, they build relationships that manipulate victims into giving money or providing confidential information. Understand how to navigate the sites and identify suspicious profiles.

Responding to Job Postings

As you respond to that exciting job opportunity, understand that it could also be a scam. Your private information could be the sole intention of the owners of the posting. You stand the risk of giving away your Social Security numbers and losing money on some shady advance payments.

Utilizing Public Wi-Fi

The internet is almost becoming a basic need, and that informs decisions by establishments to provide public Wi-Fi. While you enjoy uninterrupted connectivity, you also open avenues for personal data interceptions. Advanced hackers can access your gadget through the shared network and steal financial information. Use VPNs where possible.

Listing Home Improvement Services

While professionals list home improvement services to attract clients, scammers have also seen it as an opportunity to steal. Providing personal data to the wrong posting could just leave you poorer than you could imagine. They may also request deposits and disappear. You must be careful when seeking these services.

Using ATM Services

The convenience of ATMs also has its downsides. Getting some quick bucks out of your account can expose you to skimming scams. This is where devices are installed in the machines to copy all your data. It’s prudent to inspect the machines before typing into them to save yourself.

Online Travel Booking

This is another convenience brought by technology that can ruin your financial life. Fake booking sites are strewn all over the internet and will have your money or financial information stolen. Be sure to confirm the authenticity of the websites before committing your money or sharing your data.

Accessing Pirate Streaming Services

Criminals have learned to duplicate legitimate streaming services to resell them to clients at reduced prices. However, some of them are avenues for accessing your data. Your login credentials and personal information will fall into the hands of the cons. You are advised to opt for legitimate services instead.

Taking Personal Loan Offers

Personal loans are financial saviors when things are tight. Despite their attractiveness, they can expose you to individuals that promise quick cash at a fee. Once you pay, they will disappear. They might also request personal details in the name of processing your credit.

Online Pet Adoption

Several dubious online pet adoption websites come up every other day. Unscrupulous individuals set up virtual pet homes with convincing pictures to hoodwink pet livers. The target is often an advance deposit or financial data as you attempt to pay. Verify before you initiate payments for non-existent animals.

Are you sabotaging your groceries without even knowing it? We all strive to keep our food fresh and delicious, but sometimes, our storage habits can do more harm than good. From the classic blunder of keeping milk in the fridge door to lesser-known pitfalls like storing garlic and onions together, there are plenty of common mistakes lurking in our kitchens. But fear not! In this article, we’ll highlight these food storage faux pas and offer simple solutions to keep your kitchen stocked with fresh, flavorful ingredients!

Keeping Milk in the Fridge Door

First up on our list of food storage blunders is the classic mistake of tossing your milk in the fridge door. Sure, it’s convenient, but it’s not harming your milk. Every time you swing open that fridge door, the temperature fluctuates, which can mess with your milk’s freshness. So, next time, give your milk the VIP treatment it deserves and keep it on the main shelf, where it stays nice and cool.

Storing Bread on the Counter

Ah, the age-old debate: to refrigerate or not to refrigerate bread? Well, here’s the deal: leaving your bread out on the counter might seem convenient, but it’s actually speeding up the staling process. Those cute little bread boxes your grandma had? Yeah, they’re onto something. Pop your loaf in there to keep it fresh longer. Your sandwiches will thank you.

Putting Potatoes in the Fridge

Listen up, spud lovers. Sticking your potatoes in the fridge might seem like a good idea to keep them from sprouting, but it’s actually the opposite. The cold temps can turn the starch in your potatoes into sugar faster, making them taste weird. Instead, store your potatoes in a cool, dark place like your pantry. Your mashed potatoes will be much happier for it.

Freezing Coffee Beans

Calling all coffee addicts! If you’re stashing your coffee beans in the freezer, you might want to rethink your storage strategy. Coffee beans are porous little guys, which means they can absorb odors from the freezer and lose their flavor. Instead, keep those beans in an airtight container in a cool, dark cupboard. Your morning cup of joe will thank you.

Keeping Tomatoes in the Fridge

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. They’re like the divas of the produce aisle. And guess what? They hate the cold. Storing your tomatoes in the Fridge can zap their flavor and make them mealy. Leave them out on the counter instead, preferably in a sunny spot, and let them ripen to perfection.

Storing Onions and Garlic Together

Here’s a little kitchen tip for you: onions and garlic might seem like the perfect pair, but they’re actually not BFFs when it comes to storage. Storing them together can make both of them spoil faster. Keep your onions in a cool, dry place with good airflow and your garlic in a separate spot. Your breath might not thank you, but your cooking will.

Overcrowding Your Fridge

Hands up if you’re guilty of playing a game of Fridge Tetris every time you go grocery shopping. We’ve all been there, but here’s the thing: cramming your Fridge full of food can actually mess with its airflow, leading to uneven cooling and potential food spoilage. Give your Fridge some breathing room, and try not to pack it to the brim. That way, groceries will stay fresher for longer.

Storing Herbs in Plastic Bags

Nothing like fresh herbs to take your cooking to the next level, but storing them in flimsy grocery bags from the grocery store? Not so much. Those bags trap moisture, which can cause your herbs to wilt faster. Instead, treat your herbs like a bouquet of flowers—trim the ends and pop them in a glass of water, then loosely cover them with a plastic bag and store them in the Fridge. They’ll stay fresh and perky for days.

Keeping Avocados in the Fridge Before They’re Ripe

Ah, the eternal struggle of the avocado aficionado: waiting for your avo to ripen without letting it turn into a mushy mess. Here’s the deal: if your avocado is still rock hard, keep it out on the counter until it’s ripe and ready to eat. Once it reaches that perfect, creamy consistency, just pop it in the Fridge to slow the ripening process. Guac on, friends!

Storing Nuts in Warm Places

Nuts are nutritional powerhouses overflowing with healthy fats and protein. But those healthy fats can go rancid if nuts are stored in warm, humid places. Keep your nuts in an airtight container in the Fridge or freezer to keep them fresh and tasty for longer. Plus, there’s nothing like a chilled nut for snacking on a hot day.

Putting Hot Food in the Fridge

Alright, let’s talk leftovers. We’ve all done it – popped that piping hot pot of soup straight into the fridge after dinner. But here’s the scoop: putting hot food in the refrigerator can raise the overall temperature, potentially putting other foods at risk of spoiling. Instead, let your leftovers cool to room temperature before transferring them to the fridge.

Storing Eggs in the Door

Eggs are breakfast staples, but you might want to reconsider keeping them in the fridge door. The constant opening and closing of the door can cause temperature fluctuations, leading to faster egg spoilage. Keep them on the middle shelf, where it’s cooler and more consistent. Your omelets will be fluffier for it.

Storing Opened Canned Goods in the Can

You know those half-used cans of beans or tomatoes that sit in your fridge for days? Yeah, those are breeding grounds for bacteria. Once you’ve cracked open a can, transfer the contents to an airtight container before storing them in the fridge. It’ll keep your food fresh and your stomach happy.

Keeping Honey in the Fridge

Honey is nature’s sweet nectar, but it doesn’t play well with cold temperatures. Storing honey in the fridge can cause it to crystallize and become thick and grainy. Keep your honey in a cool, dark cupboard instead, and it’ll stay pourable and delicious for ages. Drizzle it on your yogurt or toast—no fridge required.

Storing Bananas with Other Fruits

Last but not least, bananas. These potassium-packed fruits are a kitchen staple, but they have a bit of a diva streak regarding storage. If you store bananas with other fruits like apples or tomatoes, they’ll ripen faster due to the release of ethylene gas. Keep your bananas separate from other fruits, and they’ll stay ripe and ready for snacking longer.