Symptoms Of An Anxiety Attack In Men

Anxiety doesn’t discriminate between men and women. It can affect anyone at any time. However, extreme anxiety – including attacks – can impact men and women differently. 

Unfortunately, men often face a greater challenge when it comes to dealing with anxiety attacks thanks to the stigma associated with men’s mental health. Far too many men choose to ignore their symptoms or try to convince themselves nothing is wrong. 

If you go that route, you’ll undoubtedly end up making those anxious thoughts and feelings worse. Emotions demand to be felt, and trying to push them down will cause your anxiety to come back stronger. 

The first step in dealing with an anxiety attack is understanding the symptoms. 

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the symptoms of an anxiety attack in men, so you can better understand how to handle your emotions openly and in healthy ways. 

Physical Signs of an Anxiety Attack

Anxiety on its own can often be managed. You might even find it “easy” to ignore more often than not. 

However, an anxiety attack is nearly impossible to ignore because of the physical symptoms that typically go along with it. Some of the most common physical signs of an anxiety attack include: 

• Sudden and intense anxiety

• Trembling

• Nausea

• Sweating

• Dizziness

• Rapid heartbeat

You might experience these symptoms in “small” doses when you’re dealing with everyday anxiety. But, you’ll know when you’re dealing with an anxiety attack, and the symptoms will be much harder to manage. While they’re not inherently dangerous, they’re often very scary, and can make you even more anxious as you’re going through it. 

Most anxiety attacks last anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. However, you can experience lasting physical and emotional effects depending on the symptoms. 

How to Calm an Anxiety Attack

If you recognize that you’re going through an anxiety attack, the best thing to do is to close your eyes and try to be mindful of the situation. Find a focus object that brings you back to the present, and take slow, deep breaths. Often, anxiety attacks are triggered by the unknown or feelings that stem from “what if” questions. 

By choosing to stay in the present and focusing on your breathing, you’re more likely to get through the attack faster and with fewer serious symptoms. 

What Is Different About Anxiety Attacks in Men?

Men and women experience many of the same symptoms when it comes to anxiety attacks. However, men are often more likely to show anger and irritability when dealing with anxiety. You might also feel restless, and start to lose faith in your abilities to control and “hide” your emotions. 

A lot of that anger comes from the stigma surrounding men’s mental health. When you aren’t completely sure how to process or express your feelings – including fear – you can act out in unhealthy ways. 

That’s one reason why men are often prone to dangerous coping mechanisms when it comes to anxiety. They’re more likely to abuse alcohol or other substances to handle their feelings, rather than get the help they need. 

Sound familiar?

If you’ve struggled with the symptoms of a panic attack before or those symptoms have become more frequent, don’t hesitate to fight back against the stigma associated with men’s mental health. You deserve to get to the root of your anxiety, so you can stop dealing with these attacks. 

Thankfully, you don’t have to do it on your own. Feel free to contact us for more information or set up an appointment at your convenience for anxiety treatment. Anxiety doesn’t make you weak and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Getting the help you deserve now can make it easier to deal with those symptoms in the future.