Daily habits that increase the risk of a panic attack – as Elizabeth Olsen reveals she had one ‘every hour’ in her 20s
A panic attack can turn your day, and even your week, upside down. And while you may be able to identify a cause—losing a job or going through a divorce—a long list of seemingly harmless habits can also trigger an attack.
From pouring a cup of coffee in the morning to catching up on the news, everyday actions can send someone prone to anxiety over the edge.
Even stepping outside into the cold winter air can cause panic. Actor Elizabeth Olsen recently revealed that going from a hot temperature to a cold temperature caused her panic attacks.
These anxiety attacks are sometimes confused with heart attacks because the symptoms often overlap. Both can cause someone to hyperventilate and experience chest pain, shortness of breath, sweating and nausea.
About one in ten Americans experience a panic attack each year, and about a third will have at least one at some point in their lives.
For many, panic attacks seem to come out of nowhere, but experts warn that certain everyday habits that we consider mundane and harmless can tip people over the edge.
Elizabeth Olsen, pictured in September 2024, described her struggle with anxiety and said she had an attack about every hour. Even going from a warm to a cold temperature can cause this
About one in ten Americans experience panic attacks each year, while a third will experience one at least once in their lives
Elizabeth Olsen opened up about her struggle with panic attacks in her 20s, that struck every hour.
She said: ‘It was literally every time there was a shift in something: hot to cold, hungry to full. I was like, “Oh, is this okay?” And then it would spiral, and it just became this habit.
“I lived between 6th and 7th on 13th Street. I crossed 6th Avenue at 14th Street and realized I couldn’t cross the street. I stood against the wall and thought I was going to drop dead at any moment.”
In a panic attack, the symptoms come on suddenly, peak, and gradually disappear, even though it can feel like an eternity.
Usually there is a trigger, such as stress or anxiety, but sometimes these occur without an apparent cause. At this point the body’s fight or flight response increases.
Then come the physical symptoms, which include tightness in the chest, rapid heart rate, hyperventilation, dizziness and tremors.
Feelings of panic and racist thoughts become more intense. The person may have an impending sense of doom or feel like he or she is going to die. It often feels like you’re suffocating.
The aftermath resembles a hangover and causes fatigue, headaches and a feeling of emotional and physical exhaustion.
One panic attack is enough to convince someone that they never want to experience another panic attack, and they can try examining their own life to identify stressors that could send them into another panic.
But if they’re too focused on uncovering repressed trauma, they may not be looking for the smaller things they do every day.
One of the things that cause panic attacks is the fear of having another panic attack.
Attiya Awadallah, a licensed therapist in New York who primarily treats Millennials and Gen Zers, told DailyMail.com, “One of the biggest triggers I see is anxiety itself. Clients often experience panic attacks simply because they are afraid of having one.
‘This anticipatory fear stimulates the body to react to the slightest sense of discomfort, escalating into a full-blown attack before they even realize what is happening.’
The fear of a panic attack – or any perceived threat – triggers the body’s fight-or-flight response, triggering the production of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol, as well as the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin.
Avoidance and procrastination are often a way for anxious people to avoid situations that trigger panic attacks. But experts say this strategy always backfires, ultimately causing more panic
Once the fight-or-flight response kicks in, the physical symptoms intensify the anxiety, further exacerbating these symptoms, creating a feedback loop. The fear of an attack drives the panic response, causing the anticipatory fear to escalate into a full-blown panic attack.
Leaving your apartment in winter can also cause you to panic, according to Ms. Awadallah.
Rapid changes between cold and warm environments can increase heart rate and lead to physical discomfort. For people with heightened anxiety, these physical sensations can be misinterpreted as the onset of a panic attack, resulting in a self-fulfilling cycle.
It is also known that adopting the ‘why do today what you can put off until tomorrow’ attitude can cause panic. Yet one in five Americans is a chronic procrastinator.
Ms Awadallah said: Avoiding difficult or uncomfortable tasks can provide temporary relief, but allows anxiety to build up in the background.
“Each time the task is postponed, the anxiety grows stronger, until the mounting pressure explodes into panic, often at unexpected moments.”
Many people develop avoidance behavior or put things off to avoid situations where they could have a panic attack, such as avoiding the subway or avoiding crowded shopping centers and music venues.
At the same time, they might become overcommitted to activities and responsibilities to counteract the natural tendency to isolate and avoid public gatherings. Keeping busy can often distract from anxiety, and being with friends can also ease symptoms.
But accepting too many social obligations or taking on too much responsibility at work can backfire, according to Dr. Danyell Taylor, a licensed therapist in Chicago.
Dr. Taylor told DailyMail.com: ‘I would add to this discussion over-scheduling or over-committing, as we often find ourselves filling our calendars with back-to-back activities, leaving little time for rest and recovery.
‘Unconsciously this can cause fear and panic.’
The fear of a panic attack can itself trigger a panic attack. Experts say it creates a feedback loop, where the fear of the attack fuels the actual panic response, turning anticipatory anxiety into a full-blown panic attack.
A panic attack can last a painful 10 to 20 minutes. It often leads to shortness of breath, a pounding heart, chest pain and sweating
She also warned against skipping meals, a widespread practice favored by wellness gurus, celebrities and biohackers who call it “intermittent fasting.”
Dr. Taylor said: ‘While I think most of us know the importance of eating well and nutrition, neglecting nutrition can lead to low blood sugar levels, which can cause anxiety symptoms and panic.’
Without food, blood sugar levels drop, causing dizziness, irritability and mental fog. Skipping meals can also lead to the release of stress hormones, fueling feelings of anxiety.
Even our everyday speech can trigger panic. According to Ms. Awadallah, labeling yourself as an anxious or stressed person and attributing it to a part of your personality means that anxiety is a core part of your identity.
Expecting yourself to be anxious in every situation makes you hypervigilant and oversensitive to stressors such as people or loud noises, which leads to even greater anxiety.
She said, “Encourage a more neutral or compassionate self-image. Helping clients reframe their language (e.g., “I’m anxious” instead of “I’m anxious”) can create distance between the individual and the emotion, reducing its impact.”
Experts also advise you to put down your phone.
Ms Awadallah said: ‘Technology can overstimulate the brain, especially when combined with doomscrolling or constant exposure to negative news.
“The relentless influx of information, especially catastrophic or frightening content, keeps the brain in a heightened state of anxiety.”