What to do if a child is afraid to be alone?

The recipe isn't perfect, but it works. Keren Tendler had a dream and she made it come true. But you have to pay for everything. And during the Second Lebanon War, Tendler, along with four crew members, burned alive in her Sikorsky CH-53.

Keren Tendler

There was no fairy tale with a happy ending. She became the only female soldier to die during this war. But was she happy? According to her family and colleagues, yes. Although in her youth she was a very modest and even a little downtrodden person. As a result, she rose above the stereotype, overcame her fear and followed her dream.

Features of phobias in guys

The peculiarity of the fear of being alone among guys is that they completely do not want to admit problems. And here we again see the harmful influence of previous generations, who for a long time and diligently drove stereotypes into our unfortunate heads - until they replaced our thoughts. “Boys don’t cry”, “why are you limp”, “wipe your snot, it’s a shame”, “a man is not afraid of anything” and much more in stock. Everyone heard this in their childhood.

Men do not cry. And they don’t have psychological problems. Men are serious and purposeful. Men don't show their feelings. And such men die very early. From alcohol, drugs or cardiovascular disease. Because their norm is abnormal. A person cannot help but express his feelings. Without expressing, he accumulates them in himself, and they destroy him.

For clarity. Illness is not a shame. And phobia is a disease that requires serious treatment. Relatives and loved ones of those who committed suicide, unable to cope with the consequences of a phobia, then bitterly exclaim: “we knew nothing, we didn’t notice anything, he didn’t say anything!” They want to fix it, but they can’t anymore. Those who truly love you will always listen to you and help you in difficult times. Just don't be silent. This is not cool at all. It's just another side of weakness.

Why did the child suddenly become afraid of being alone?

Childhood phobias are common. The prerequisite is an unformed psyche. That is why children's fears are not a pathology. This is an age-related feature that must be taken into account and controlled. What to do if a child is afraid to be alone at home or in a room? We will examine the answer to this question in more detail in this article.

Let's look at the main reasons for fear:

Scary stories, fairy tales, animated films, the characters of which often frighten children and adults. For example, when persuading a child to eat another portion of porridge, parents scare him with Baba Yaga or Kashchei the Immortal.
Children with a high threshold of empathy and sensitivity, experiencing a special attachment to their parents, may be afraid of being left without them.
A phobia can act as a consequence of stress suffered at school, in the yard or kindergarten.
An obsessive fear of death or darkness is often formed under the acute impression of a terrible episode seen on TV or an emergency situation experienced in real life.
Scary dreams become a common cause of persistent fear.
Pathology of the central nervous system.
Physical and psychological violence, trauma suffered by children.

Fear is the body's natural protective reaction to danger. To preserve the child’s mental health, parents need to reduce the amount of television they watch and limit the time spent on the Internet.

Trouble has come - close the gate

To start fighting fear, you first need to understand its origin. Psychologists have identified two main types of fear of being alone at home:

autophobia – fear of loneliness;
topophobia – fear of indoor spaces.

Let's take a closer look at these concepts.

AUTOPHOBIA is a very common mental disorder. A person suffering from it is terrified of being left alone. It is advisable to treat this disease in the early stages, otherwise there is a danger that the person will commit suicide, unable to cope with fear. According to statistics, it is among autophobes that there is a high percentage of suicides.

The main cause of this phobia is the fear of abandonment. This comes from childhood. Trying to stop the child’s hysteria, the parent declares: “if you don’t stop, I will leave you and go away.” This phrase can leave an indelible mark on a child’s psyche. And in adulthood, a person develops a phobia of loneliness, a fear of being abandoned. Less commonly, the following factors can cause fear: a painful breakup in a relationship, where your partner blames you for the breakup, or the death of a loved one, when the bitterness of loss is already clouding your mind.

It is impossible to give an exact list of reasons for the fear of being alone at home, but let’s try to identify the main ones:

Lack of attention in infancy. The mother had little contact with the child and did not approach him for a long time when he was crying. The less time a child is given in early childhood, the greater the likelihood of developing a phobia of being alone.

Education of personal qualities. The child is left to his own devices. Adults do not pay attention to his psychological state and development.

Alone with myself. The child was often threatened with abandonment (left somewhere, given to an uncle, sent to a boarding school); they were locked alone in a dark room as punishment for wrongdoing.

Bad Company. Lack of attention in the family, the child tries to get it outside, often ending up in a bad environment.

Difficulties of adolescence. Without receiving the necessary moral support and love from their parents during the transition period, children are traumatized for life.

Family issue. Growing up, a person is afraid of not having time to start a family and a child for some reason, and is horrified at the thought of being completely late with this issue.

Misplaced gullibility. Fearing being left alone, a person quickly becomes attached to unreliable people who can take advantage of his gullibility for their own benefit.

Fear of losing a spouse. A person is horrified by the death or betrayal of a close friend, loved one or spouse. Self-esteem problem. Such a problem can cause a lack of contact with others and, as a result, dooms a person to forced loneliness.

Love is gone. A serious breakup, betrayal, deception in a past relationship leaves its mark on a person, forcing him to show distrust to all persons of the opposite sex.

Memory notebook. The hardest thing to forget is the negative events in your life. At the most inopportune moments, our memory likes to throw up memories of fiascos we have experienced, of the mental discomfort of being alone.

Career boom. The desire of today's people to build a career and self-realization leaves practically no space or time for any kind of relationship. This automatically condemns a person to loneliness and forms phobias.

Do not forget that this is by no means a complete list, because there are so many problems. And in some cases, it is generally impossible to accurately determine the cause of the fear of being alone at home. After all, when a person is left at home alone, he remains there along with all his traumas and problems - you cannot run away from yourself. And not everyone is able to cope with them and overcome them without outside help. If you do not provide such a person with timely help, his own home may seem like hell for him.

Age-related characteristics of fear in children who are left alone in a room or at home

Every child experiences the fear of being alone. Let's look at each of them in detail.

Children at 5 years old

At the age of 5, a child is already thinking about death. The kid, being left alone, understands that at any moment his loved ones can leave this world forever. Most phobias inherent in children at this age are based on the fear of death. A natural part of growing up is the fear of being alone in a room or house. After all, at this time, irreversible things can happen to parents.

Often, psychodiagnostics do not reveal any pathologies. Experts in the field of developmental psychology recommend that mothers and fathers spend as much time as possible with their children and pay attention to intimate conversations.

Children aged 6

The fear of death can, over time, transform into a fear of natural disasters, disasters, and war. At 6 years old, children are especially susceptible to global upheavals broadcast 24/7 by the media. The stress experienced from seeing a scary episode on TV can cause fear when the baby is left alone in the room.

Impressed by what he saw, the baby draws dramatic pictures in his imagination that scare him even more. Children at the age of six are very open and literally absorb all information coming from outside. For example, after learning about the dangers of certain foods, the baby refuses to eat and go to the toilet. Parents should control and strictly suppress sources of negativity that can hurt a fragile psyche, and try not to leave their children alone in the room where the TV is on.

Children at 7 years old

At 7 years old, a child often wonders about his future. He is concerned about his own appearance, how he looks in the eyes of his peers. At this age, with going to school, he enters a new period of life. Stress is often associated with a new environment, daily schedule, increased physical and psycho-emotional stress.

For example, many first-graders are afraid of being late for class and face difficult relationships in a new team, ridicule from classmates, and isolation. Unsolvable inner anxiety transforms into an obsessive fear of being left alone at home.

At seven years old, a child is puzzled by the present and afraid of the future. It is important to establish a positive home environment. Observing happy, calm, satisfied parents, the baby finds a resolution to the internal conflict and gradually calms down.

Child 8 years old

In the process of growing up, old fears go away, giving way to new phobias. For example, at the age of eight, children are often worried about the positive reaction of adults to their behavior.

The period of elementary school is associated with anxiety about getting a low grade, reprimand from the teacher, and being on time for the lesson. A busy schedule and new obligations become a real test for the student’s psyche. Under the influence of psycho-emotional stress, a fear of being left alone at home or in an apartment often develops.

Children aged 10

Personality transformation that occurs during adolescence is often a prerequisite for the formation of anxiety. Already at the age of ten, a boy or girl can wonder “who am I?” This is where the fear of not being yourself comes from.

Active hormonal changes in the body are accompanied by violent emotional reactions. “I’m strange, not like everyone else,” “there’s something wrong with me”—sometimes such statements become firmly part of everyday reality and significantly complicate the life of a ten-year-old child.

I'm scared to be alone in the apartment, I'm worried about the fear of choking and suffocation.

Neuroses

This information is for general information purposes only. If you experience any of the listed disorders, it is better for you to seek advice from a psychologist.

THE ESSENCE OF THE PROBLEM:

CONTENTS OF THE SERVICE QUESTIONNAIRE “Psychotherapy psychotherapist online”: Woman, 28-35 years old. Higher food education. I'm temporarily unemployed. Married, no children. My husband and I rent an apartment. I'm scared to be alone in the apartment (fear that something will happen and no one will help). I am concerned about difficulties in swallowing (fear of choking and suffocation), problems with nutrition. Depressed, anxious mood, expecting the worst. General health is normal, but there are problems with sleep (shallow, short sleep).

Autonomic disorders happen all the time. It's hard to relax. I have gastritis, pancreatitis, acalculous cholecystitis, endometriosis, mitral valve prolapse, VDS with panic attacks. She was admitted to cardiology with high blood pressure. The tests are normal, but there is slight inflammation in the kidneys, which the ultrasound did not reveal. The thyroid gland is normal. Heart rate is within normal limits. The most common concerns are depression and anxiety. I don’t know what unmotivated surges in activity are: if I feel good, then there is activity. I try to suppress emotional phenomena, I express my problems only in words. The difficulty is that I am dependent on my family, because... I can't stay alone. This creates difficulties for me. I sleep well. Towards the middle of the night, my sleep becomes light and I often wake up. The dreams are different, but not joyful. There are no duplicates. I try to sleep during the day, after that I feel better. The feeling of exhaustion only happens when you have to do physical work. Appetite is normal, but due to lack of solid food it has increased. There is no change in taste. Weight loss of more than four kg. I try not to drink alcohol. I didn’t take anything without a doctor’s prescription. I try not to take medications at all (there is no improvement). Performance is slightly reduced due to improper daily routine. Memory, perception, sociability are normal. I understand others, but they hardly understand me (not everyone has experienced this, they consider it a weakness of spirit). I don’t have any ill-wishers (or I don’t know them). I don’t have any supernatural abilities, no hallucinations either (I don’t have schizophrenia or paranoia). She never lost consciousness. There was a pre-fainting state, but it never turned into fainting. I live with my husband. Sex almost every day. I didn't notice any changes in my sex life. True, sometimes I get distracted by my condition. My loved ones are interested in when I will go to work and be independent.

In general, I am an active, kind, sociable person. Now I try not to communicate with people so that they don’t see me in this state. No one has ever complained about my behavior. Everyone was surprised at my calmness and presence of mind. I experience all my problems within myself, without spilling them out. There were no serious failures, except for one - I cannot have children. I care a lot about this and I feel like a failure. No treatment helped me, especially pills. This is not my way of treatment at all. The disease began with suffocation, palpitations, dizziness and the feeling that I was going to die. I think psychological work on my problems, hypnosis, would help me. I have several stresses. First of all, my husband doesn't get along with my mom. At first we lived at our house, but then they turned the house into hell, and my husband and I went to a private apartment. They still can’t stand each other, and I can’t do anything between them. Secondly, we moved to another city. I don’t know anyone here, I have no one to talk to. I tried to arrange the apartment, but then it began to oppress me (not my thing).

Thirdly, I just can’t get pregnant, although we put a lot of effort into this. My mother-in-law and my husband want me to give birth as soon as possible. I have gynecological problems, and a natural pregnancy is almost impossible, but IVF did not give anything. Fourthly, I was unfairly fired from my job. My boss found her own person to take my place, began to find fault with me, offered to resign, and I proudly left. I liked the work, the money and the place suited me. It's a shame! I grew up in a female environment. She lived with her mother, grandmother and older sister. My mother was at work all the time, and my grandmother raised me. I loved her very much. I didn’t go to the garden, so I wasn’t very sociable. She adored her older sister and tried to imitate her in everything. Mom communicated more with her sister, and I envied her. I didn't have many friends, but that suited me. At school I was passive, calm, and studied well. knowledge was given easily. There were no conflicts at school. In adolescence, problems began: boys did not pay attention to me. We talked, but they didn’t perceive me as a girl, they didn’t like me outwardly. Of my friends, I was the last to lose my virginity, and if it weren’t for the rape, I would never have decided to be intimate with my boyfriend (by the way, I didn’t feel shock or hatred for men after that). My first boyfriend, my great love, left me after two years. During our affair, I became pregnant. The pregnancy was difficult (toxicosis). I didn’t have a normal job or education. He couldn't marry me and support his family. His mother was against me, and then there was fetal rejection. I had an abortion. After my boyfriend left, I became depressed. Then I noticed that I was an attractive woman, men were looking at me. I started dating almost everyone. When I was about twenty-three, I decided that it was time to get married, but I couldn’t find a normal man. I was not sad, but waited patiently. She got married at thirty, for love. My husband is younger than me. I haven't had any luck with work lately. I can't find a suitable one. Over the past five years, my paternal grandparents, father, and my sister's first husband have died. It's horrible! An interval of one and a half years. Now I'm waiting to see who's next. I hardly communicate with my sister now. she considers me a failure, and tries to protect her family from communicating with me. I love my nephews very much, especially the youngest. Mom somehow still tolerates my presence, but my whining got to her. I communicate with my friends mostly on the computer, everyone has their own business, and I don’t want to burden anyone.

I had suicidal thoughts before and now. But I will never do anything to myself, because I am a coward and because I am a believer. Never made an attempt. Suicidal people are put in a mental hospital, but I have nothing to do there. I just want my illnesses to stop. And I know that they will stop, you just need to wait and find a good doctor. She took herbal tinctures, sometimes two glycine tablets, and various tranquilizers (all as prescribed by the doctor). There's no point. The most significant events in my life: 16 years old - pneumonia, the first news of the VDS (nightmare! what’s wrong with me? Am I going to die?) 18 years old - first boyfriend (joy) 18 years old - rape (surprise, why me?) 18 years old - pregnancy 23 years - death of my beloved grandmother (no one will love me like that anymore!) 26 years - first operation (fear of anesthesia, and what will happen then?) 25 years - thesis defense (I can’t eat, I’m all on my nerves) 26 years - sudden death of my father (maybe I, too, will die so early?) 27 years old - another operation (a real possibility of dying - respiratory arrest during the operation) 30 years old - got married (great! I’m just like everyone else! They love me!) External circumstances bother me a quarrel between my mother and my husband, and also the fact that I live in someone else’s apartment. I can't cope with these problems. Clinical test data: Beck Depression Test - 12 points Zung Depression Test - 58 points Sheehan Anxiety Scale - 67 points K. Leonhard's Characteristic Questionnaire 1. Hyperthymia: 15 points. 2. Excitable: 18 points. 3. Emotive: 18 points. 4. Pedantic: 10 points. 5. Anxious: 12 points. 6. Cyclothymic: 21 points. 7. Demonstrative: 12 points. 8. Unbalanced: 15 points. 9. Dysthymic: 15 points. 10. Exalted: 12 points. SPECIALIST'S ANSWER Psychologist, psychotherapist: You write that you are scared to be alone in the apartment and you are worried about difficulties in swallowing. You write that your “mood is depressed, anxious,” you expect the worst, you have “shallow, short sleep,” and autonomic disorders are constantly present. These are manifestations of anxious depression, a condition that requires professional help from a psychotherapist.

Against the background of anxiety and depression, you have panic attacks. You write that your illness began with “suffocation, palpitations, dizziness” and the feeling that you were going to die. In addition to panic attacks, against the background of anxiety and depression, there was a fear of swallowing solid food - lump in the throat syndrome. You describe this state as the fear of choking and suffocation. Lump in the throat syndrome occurs more often with hysteria, but in ten percent of cases depression can manifest itself in people who do not disclose their emotional experiences to people around them. The results of your clinical and psychological examination confirm the presence of high levels of depression and anxiety. So, your level of depression according to the Zung test is 58 points (with the norm being up to 40 points), and your level of anxiety on the Sheehan scale is 67 points (with the norm being 20 points). Typically, panic attacks occur when the Sheehan anxiety scale is 57 or higher. When the level of depression is more than 48 points according to Zung, suicidal thoughts may appear, which indicates an increase in depression and the need for its treatment. Perhaps you reacted with an anxious-depressive state not only to a series of deaths in your family, but also to the conflict situation between your spouse and mother, as well as to the change in your usual pattern of life that followed the conflict. A series of severely stressful situations has exceeded your ability to adapt, and you have responded to the high level of life demands with anxiety and depression. Now you are experiencing fear of living independently, and this fear is projected onto all aspects of your independence - staying alone in a rented apartment, going to work, going somewhere unaccompanied. Apparently, you find it difficult to cope with your fears and anxiety on your own. Due to the fact that you have not found a way to solve your difficult life situation, in recent months your depression has begun to intensify (suicidal thoughts have appeared). The presence of suicidal thoughts and a general feeling of unwillingness to live is an indication for seeking help from a psychotherapist. Fear of swallowing can be overcome with the help of revealing psychotherapy - therapy that reveals unconscious thoughts, emotions, and needs. Panic attacks that occur once or twice a month do not require treatment. Only panic disorder requires treatment - anxiety-depressive disorder with panic attacks, when the frequency of panic attacks exceeds 2-3 episodes per week. You write that you are against the use of medications. However, treatment of anxiety-depressive disorder with frequent panic attacks and fear of swallowing is usually effective when qualified psychotherapy is combined with a multi-month course of anti-anxiety antidepressants. Unfortunately, many people are afraid to seek professional help from a psychotherapist due to misconceptions about the type of help provided by this specialist. Among the most common absurd fears that prevent people from seeking help are the fear of recognizing oneself as mentally ill, the fear of ending up in a psychiatric hospital, the fear of registering with a mental health clinic, and the fear that a driver’s license will be taken away or not issued. We draw your attention to the fact that a psychotherapist in a private licensed medical clinic does not consider the person who applied to be mentally ill and does not register him with a mental health clinic. Contacting a psychotherapist is anonymous and does not in any way affect the situation with obtaining or depriving a driver’s license. A psychotherapist is obliged to maintain medical confidentiality of treatment and everything that the patient tells. Treatment by a privately practicing psychotherapist is only outpatient. The specialist provides qualified treatment for anxiety-depressive disorder using a course of antidepressants, and also offers to undergo a course of psychotherapy on a voluntary basis. Psychotherapy includes not only psychological support and confidential conversation, but special psychological techniques that allow you to overcome internal conflicts, sort out feelings, and improve relationships with others. The work of a psychotherapist helps a person acquire skills in resolving conflicts in communication, overcome the fear of independence and, ultimately, successfully adapt to a difficult life situation.

How can you find out the cause of fear?

So, at every age, a child can feel inner restlessness. Raising an initiative, courageous, and self-confident personality is integrally connected with overcoming fear and resolving internal conflict. An adequate reaction of parents to a child’s phobia of being left alone will allow it to be correctly and completely eliminated.

A confidential conversation comes to the rescue. It’s great if a mother or father, during a friendly conversation, unobtrusively gives examples from their own life. It is necessary to show empathy, which will convince the teenager that he is not alone in his mental turmoil and will gently relieve anxiety.

Parental authority should be expressed in respect, not fear. A favorable family atmosphere, a balanced and loving father and mother are the guideline that will lead a person through all life's obstacles.

Psychologists offer several effective, experience-tested ways to solve the problem.

We sculpt figures or draw

Psychologists recommend drawing your fear. Let the child boldly look his enemy in the eye, armed with paints and pencils. Invite him to feign fear, and then destroy the paper.

An effective method is modeling from plasticine. Spend a few minutes with your son or daughter playing an exciting game, the result of which will be a figure defeated in a fair fight, personifying the fear of being left alone.

Through games

Modeling of problem situations is often used in psychodiagnostics. Play a game with your daughter or son, switching roles. Add variety to the process with toys. Create a staged performance as a result of which you will not only get answers to the question of what exactly worries the baby, but you will also be able to eliminate the problem.

Why do panic attacks happen at night?

At night, we are left alone with our fears. It is easier to escape from worries and unpleasant thoughts during the day than at night. If a person is prone to anxiety and has a number of accumulated problems, or is experiencing stress, then the likelihood of nighttime panic attacks increases.

In this state, our brain is in “defense mode,” constantly monitoring for threats, including any changes it senses in the body. So if you go to bed feeling tense, when your body begins to relax, it may perceive it as something dangerous and trigger a stress response. Panic attacks are your body's way of protecting you.

The optimal age when children stop being afraid when left alone at home

Children's fears and phobias are individual in nature. Some children can safely stay at home even at four years old. Experts say that the optimal age when a child can calmly tolerate loneliness begins at seven to eight years old.

The concerns associated with one elementary school student being at home should receive close attention. As a rule, fears pass over time, but in especially susceptible children, they can develop, developing into neurosis.

Developmental activities as a way to distract a child from fears and anxieties

For working parents, children's fear of loneliness is a big problem, but it has a solution. A great way to distract your baby from his worries is to find him an interesting activity that can captivate him and make him forget about the absence of mom and dad. There are many options for useful hobbies - sports clubs, dancing, developmental courses. For example, mental arithmetic can become such a hobby. You can learn about learning mental arithmetic by following the link.

Mental arithmetic is a method of intellectual development. The technique, built taking into account the subtleties of child psychology, has the advantage of developing the mind in parallel with psycho-emotional development, social, and volitional education. Mental arithmetic teaches students to think, cope with difficulties, and makes students independent. When children develop and accumulate intellectual experience, they become more confident and independent, and a confident child who knows what to do with himself in the absence of adults is not so afraid of loneliness.

Whatever the reasons for children's fears, play activities in a relaxed, warm atmosphere among peers help children feel that the world around them is safe and friendly, even when mom and dad are not around.
All images and photographic materials are provided by the site: soroban.ru News on Notepad-Volgodonsk

What is forbidden to do if a child has already developed a phobia?

It is strictly forbidden to act in the opposite direction. When going to bed, it is recommended to leave his favorite toy with the baby. By deliberately leaving your child alone in the room, you aggravate the situation and develop in him a feeling of rejection and loneliness.

Under no circumstances compare your offspring with other children! Many parents are guilty of this, forming an inferiority complex in their beloved child.

It is important for all parents to be vigilant and pay special attention to children's fears. Experts recommend talking to your baby as often as possible, establishing friendly and trusting relationships with him. This will allow you to identify the problem in a timely manner and correct your behavior.

What to do when attacks occur before bed?

As mentioned above, at night we often begin to process all the stresses of the day or worry about the day ahead. Panic attacks before bedtime usually occur during stressful moments in life, when our head is filled with problems. Maybe these are quarrels in relationships, conflicts at work, a period of painful changes.

After we've had a panic attack, worrying about it happening again can create a vicious cycle in which we become afraid to fall asleep. Although this type of reaction is considered normal, it often causes even more concern.

How to stop nighttime panic attacks

Talking to a therapist can help you address the root of your anxiety and find tools to create real, lasting, positive changes in your life. At the same time, performing nightly exercise can help create a nurturing environment for your body to naturally calm down and prepare you for sleep.

Try talking to your partner, family member or friend about what's bothering you. Take a bath or warm shower before bed. The heat will help relax your muscles and body.
Keep a pen and paper handy. If you start to worry about things or tasks, write them down (or add them to a list on your phone). Worrying at night when you can't do anything about them is useless. Once you write it down, you can return to it at a more convenient time.
Eliminate alcohol from your life for a while. While alcohol can temporarily numb our worries, it is also a serious stimulant for anxiety. The same goes for caffeine. Make sure you don't drink tea or coffee after 6pm.
Be active. Never forget the importance of exercise.
The next time you're trying to sleep, try taking your mind off the dream and focusing it on your physical sensations instead. Think about how good it feels to be in bed.
When negative thoughts arise, imagine locking them in a small box and throwing away the key. Remind yourself: now is not the best time to think about it.
Set yourself a designated “worry time.” It's half an hour of the day where you allow yourself to worry about as many things as you want. When you start worrying outside of these times, remind yourself so you can forget about it until next time.
If you have trouble falling asleep for a long time, get out of bed and do something until you start to feel sleepy again. Your bed should be your sanctuary for sleep and it is important that you do not start associating it with any anxious, sleepless nights.
Some people find that certain foods can cause anxiety. The next time you have a panic attack at night, try writing down what you ate before bed. And as soon as you make a list, start removing these products one by one until the panic attacks stop.

If you suffer from panic attacks, then your anxiety level is very high. Please remember: You do not have to go through this alone. Seek support if panic attacks begin to interfere with your ability to enjoy everyday life.

Tips on what to do after an attack

Go to the bathroom and splash some cold water on your face. The cold causes a shock in the system, which prompts the body to go into survival mode, ultimately lowering the heart rate.
Then try to find a simple activity that will calm you down. Wash the dishes, sweep the floor, clean out the refrigerator. Whatever you choose, do it in such a boring and mundane way that it requires minimal mental effort. Remember, you are not trying to distract yourself here, you are just doing normal, run-of-the-mill activities while your symptoms begin to subside.
If you wake up sweaty, take a warm shower, put new sheets on your bed, and put on your comfiest pajamas. Having removed the physical evidence of a panic attack, we will start over and return to sleep as quickly as possible.
Gradually you will begin to feel your body begin to relax. Return to bed only when you are ready. If it's not time yet, try meditating or taking a few deep breaths until your body begins to calm down again.

Remember the main thing, no matter how terrible panic attacks are, they cannot cause us physical harm.