What Is A Panic Attack & How Can I Help Someone?

Hello,


According to AnxietyUK.org.uk, 1 in 10 people are likely to have anxiety/panic disorder at some stage in life. This means that it is likely that those who fall into that category experience panic attacks. Panic attacks can be pretty scary, so it is important to be able to understand what they are and how to help someone through an attack.


You may know someone who has experienced panic attacks, maybe a loved one, or you may even be experiencing them yourself. Here I have put together a guide on what panic attacks are, and how to help someone if they're experiencing a panic attack. I am studying for a Psychology degree and also suffer from panic attacks myself, so I have tried to write this with a balance of factual information and personal experience. 


What Is A Panic Attack?


Panic attacks are sudden intense feelings of panic with physical and psychological symptoms. Panic attacks come from our body's 'fight or flight response', where the body is faced with something it deems a danger. Millions of years ago this would've been important in keeping people alive as they hunted for their food for example, however now it can be triggered by things that aren't necessarily life threatening. They can be triggered by a certain experience, or can even happen for no clear reason.


There are plenty of reasons why someone might be triggered, which is unique to each individual. Examples could be going to parties and doing exams. My own personal triggers include bad dreams/memories, arguments, feeling claustrophobic and meeting new people. If you're suffering panic attacks, you should try to take note of what seems to trigger them. If you're close to someone who has panic attacks, it may be worth asking them what their triggers commonly are so you can be aware. 

Symptoms


It's important to realise that the symptoms people experience can differ. Although there is a general guide, someone may not experience all of them or some that even aren't on the list. If you want to understand your loved one's attacks you can ask how they tend to feel. When I first told my boyfriend about panic attacks he was interested to know what signs to look for and what I feel so he knew exactly how he could help me.


Symptoms:

• Irregular or racing heartbeat
• Sweating 
• Hyperventilating (shortness of breath, struggling to breathe)
• Shaking (if you're hyperventilating, the lack of oxygen to your muscles can cause the shaking and weakness)
• A choking sensation
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Tingling
• Ringing in your ears
• Chest pains
• Feeling terrified
• Feeling you have no control
• Racing thoughts
• Feeling like you're dying or that you're having a heart attack

In my own personal experience, I start to have racing thoughts and feel like there is a belt tightening around my chest. My heart will start beating fast and I will begin to hyperventilate as I try to find my breath. This then leads to tingling, shaking and weakness.

Panic attacks duration averages around 10 minutes, but they can be less or more. 20 minutes is normally the longest duration. However, to the person experiencing them they can feel like a life time.

How Can I Help Someone Through A Panic Attack?

When seeing someone go through a panic attack, you may feel worried and like things are out of your control, especially if this is the first one you've seen, and that is okay. You'll most likely feel sympathetic and want to help. Once you know what to do, it becomes less frightening and you'll feel more in control and comfortable in what you do because you know what works.


If it is someone you're close to, ask them how they like to be helped so you know for future reference. Some may prefer space to breathe, some may prefer to be held. The most important thing in helping someone through a panic attack is to let them know that you're there for them, that they're in a safe space and you're willing to help them with whatever they need to get through it. You could say things like "I'm here for you" and "You're safe, I will look after you". When feeling something so frightening, it is nice to realise you're secure and someone is looking out for you.


Other examples of how to help:

• If in public, help them find somewhere where they can have their panic attack in privacy.
• Encourage them to slow down their breathing, and practice steady breathing with them.
• Counting to 10.
• Get them a glass of water because they may have a dry mouth from hyperventilating.
• Help them sit down in case they go weak and can't hold themselves up.
• Rub their back.
• Stroke their hair.
• Kisses on the cheek, forehead, etc (if you have that type of relationship, of course).
• Remind them that you're there for them and that they're safe.
• Don't leave them alone.
• Tell them that they can get through this.
• Don't pressure them in to talking or doing anything they don't want to do.

Once the panic attack is over, they may feel quite tired. If you're out, ask if they'd like to stay out or would like help getting home. If at home, let them rest and if that way inclined, give them a cuddle. 


Being able to form a good routine in helping your loved one through their panic attack will make you feel prepared, and in return they will build up trust with you and know they can turn to you if they need it.

I hope you find this guide helpful. If you would like further information, feel free to ask or click the links I am going to leave below. 


NHS Guide
NHS Panic Attack
Mind.org
Self-Care

How I Clean My Make Up Brushes

Hello!



I realised the other day that there might be people out there who come across my blog that are still in the beginning stages when it comes to make up. I have always assumed that people who read my blog would be experts in beauty but now I realise that might not always be the case.



When I bought my first make up brush I had no idea really that I had to clean it, and if so, how? Thankfully I knew about the wonders of blogging back then so I quickly searched how to clean my make up brushes. This is when I found a post written by Zoella where she had shown how she cleans hers. That post was from a while ago!


First of all I get all of my dirty brushes together and take them to the bathroom. It is best to use warm, but not hot water, as I think hot water can melt the glue that sticks the bristles to the brush and make them shed. It is also best to wash the brushes facing down so the water doesn't get into the glue.


I don't use brush cleansers or alcohol to clean my brushes. Instead, I use hand soap! Specifically, I like to use Dove Beauty Hand Wash. I find this soap is soft, creamy and doesn't dry out my brushes. Plus, it will obviously do the job of removing bacteria as it is an antibacterial soap. Perfect for people who suffer with acne like me!

I then put soap over my brush, being sure to cover the main part that touches my face and the edges around it. I will then work the soap in to the bristles using my fingers, adding water bit by bit to lather it up. Next I will work it in to the palm of my hand, swirling the brush to make sure the soap is getting right into the brush and cleansing it.

Afterwards, I will just put it under the running water and gently squeeze it. You want to keep doing this until the water isn't the colour of your make up products any longer and that when you squeeze it no more soap is coming out of it. The water should be clear and non-soapy.


When that is done, I then wipe dry the handle in case any water has gotten on it and then I need to leave it to dry. To make sure none of the water runs into the glue, it is recommended that you let your brushes dry whilst at an angle facing down. What I do is I put a dry flannel over a small container so I can balance the brushes nicely facing down without getting any water on the container. I find that my Real Techniques brush needs 24 hours to dry whilst my eyeshadow brushes takes a lot less time.

I like to wash my brushes once a week. I will normally do it on a Sunday/Monday straight after I have used them. Some people don't like to do it that frequently but I am really cautious of washing my brushes because I am so prone to getting spots. So the less bad bacteria on my brushes, the better!



So yeah, that is my brush washing process. What is yours??

10 Steps To Planning A Holiday with Friends

Hello!

So in just over a week I will going on holiday for the first time solely with friends. It will feel weird being without my Mum or other family members, but I am excited to have this little independent adventure with my friends! I'm sure it will be the first of many in my gap year.

This little holiday abroad was about a year in the making, so I thought I would share with you a 10 step guide on how to plan and arrange a holiday with your friends. Let's begin!

1. Find out who is [seriously] up for going on holiday.                                                                                                                                                                                        Perhaps make a group chat on some sort of social media (we did on Facebook) and see who is seriously up for it. The reason I say seriously is that sometimes there are people who will say they're up for something but not actually do it or try to save up money for it!                                                                                                                                                           
2. Decide when would be the best time to go and how long for.                                                                                                                                                                              Next you need to decide when would be the best time to go and how long for. You may have to decide how long for after you've chosen your destination and accommodation so you know how much you can afford. But if you already know for sure you want to go for however long, then why not? Things to consider: Will anyone be in education or work? Will you be travelling in peak time or off-peak time? How long would it take people to save up enough money? For us, we decided the best time to go would be after exams but before the start of University. Then, we decided going in September would be the best because it would be cheaper for our student banks as it wouldn't be peak time due to people going back to school. As for money, we worked out we would need until after Christmas, around Jan/Feb, to save up enough money; giving us about 4/5 months.                                                                                                                                                
3. Get an idea of what you and your friends want out of a holiday.                                                                                                                                                                           Do you like city breaks? Or do you prefer a holiday by the beach? Inclusive hotel? Villa? Walking around attractions? As for us, one of us preferred city breaks whilst I preferred to be on the beach so we compromised by deciding we would go somewhere which was a bit of both. Comprising is the best way to book a holiday for everyone so you can all enjoy it equally.                                                                                                                                                             
4. Find destinations you like the look of and pick one.                                                                                                                                                                                                Make a list of destinations you like the look of. The best websites to use to do this is TripAdvisor and Expedia. What we did was make a PowerPoint of all the destinations we liked and included what you can do there such as attractions, activities beaches and nightlife. Then everybody voted on which they preferred which turned out we all agreed on equally. This is the best way to choose somewhere fairly and ensure the majority get their destination.                                                                                                          
5. Research accommodation you like the look of and pick one.                                                                                                                                                                                      I think Expedia is the best way to find accommodation. Again, we made a PowerPoint on accommodations with what they include, photos and prices per night so we could all equally vote on it. We ended up having two hotels and one apartment as options and nicely enough we all voted on the same hotel! The cheapest accommodation might not always be the best and the most expensive might not always be the worst. One thing we considered was one hotel was more expensive but it was conveniently by a beach and included breakfast. So the best way is to consider the pros and cons.                                                 
6. Look up transport.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Using Expedia we then found out the best flights for our chosen dates. Obviously this would differ if you only needed a train or coach to get to your destination. Things to consider are what time you want to get there and what time you want to get back. If you travel early morning to go there for example then you get that whole day whereas if you travel late then you miss out that day on holiday. The same goes for coming back, if you travel late you get that whole day still whereas if you travel early you miss that day. That might be something to consider if you're only going away for a short while.                                                                                                                                                    
7. Calculations.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                So now would probably be the best time to work out how much everything is going to cost. You need to add up your accommodation price per night and your transport price. Remember to divide it by however many people are going! You also then need to work out how much spending money you'll need to take. To do this you must consider whether you're travelling to an expensive area or not, what you want to do (i.e. buy 2 of your meals of the day out) and how long you're there for.                                                                     
8. When can you book?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Can you all afford to book the holiday now or should you get back together in a couple of months to see how everyone is doing for money? Like I said earlier, we didn't book straight away and instead gave ourselves 4/5 months to save up more money first. You don't need all of your spending money straight away, just be sure that you will save up for enough spending money in time. Also, who is going to book? Is one person going to book it up and all of you give the money to them?                                                                        
9. Get back together nearer the time.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Nearer the time you might all want to meet up again to discuss what you will need to bring on your holiday. Perhaps take a pen and paper. This will be useful to plan who takes what (for example, do you all really need to take a hairdryer?) and also helpful if one of you hasn't been abroad before which was the situation with my friend. Sharing makes it cheaper and easier to pack. You can share shower gel, shampoo, appliances and medication as some examples! You can also then arrange how you're going to get there and back from the airport/station/whatever it is and decide times to meet.               
10. Be excited!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              There is nothing more exciting than travelling with friends especially when it is your first time away without family. Remember to be excited and try not to get stressed about all of the planning: enjoy every moment of it!

So that is my 10 step guide. My last tips are to make sure you have all the travel documents you need (such as travel insurance and health insurance) and to share a suitcase if you can. It makes it so much cheaper, trust me! Remember to look after one another on holiday and always bring your phone with you in case you somehow get split up or if there's an emergency.

I hope this helps. Let me know if it does I'd love to hear!

#BigBlogmasProject2014 | £15 & Under Gift Guide for Women

1. Boots- Ciate Big Beauty Bus Nail Polish Gift Set: £15.00. This is a beautiful nail polish set with 6 different polishes in rich and royal hues. It has beautiful packaging, beautiful colours and is worth the money seeing as Ciate polishes are usually slightly on the expensive side! Great gift for the nail polish lovers.

2. Boots- Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palettes: £7.99. Great for the eyeshadow lover. There are so many palettes to choose from so whether they're in to mattes, shimmers, bright colours or neutrals there is a palette for them! A really good price and the eyeshadows have great pay off. My personal favourite is the Storm palette!

3. Lush- Golden Wonder Bath Bomb: £3.75. If the woman you're buying for is a bath lover then you cannot go wrong with this bath bomb. This is a large bath bomb in the design of a present which does actually have a little present inside! It is definitely one I'd recommend and it would definitely provide a luxurious Christmas bath.

4. H&M- Fine-Knit Jumper: £9.99. I thought I would include a clothing an item. This is a really nice jumper that you can choose in so many different colours with a wide neckline. Perfect for layering and wearing in the colder months! It is easy going and would go with most outfits.

5. Essential- Sterling Silver Boho Pink Mother of Pearl Ring: £10.99. If you'd like to buy a special woman in your life jewellery but don't have a large budget to spend then this is the ring for you. Whether you're buying for your Mum, sister, friend or girlfriend, this ring is absolutely stunning. It has a beautiful pearl in it with a leaf design around it. Absolutely beautiful!

And that is it! I hope I have helped given you some ideas!