The Difference Between a Panic Attack and an Anxiety Attack

The terms panic attack and anxiety attack are often used interchangeably but they are actually distinct experiences — and understanding the difference matters because the way you respond to each is slightly different. If you have experienced one or both, this distinction can also provide significant relief: what feels like something catastrophic happening in your body is actually a well-understood physiological process.

What a Panic Attack Is

A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions — racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, numbness, a sense of unreality or detachment, and an overwhelming feeling that something terrible is about to happen or that you are dying. Panic attacks typically peak within ten minutes and then gradually subside. They can occur with or without an obvious trigger, which is one of the most terrifying things about them — they can seem to come from nowhere.

What makes a panic attack particularly frightening is the physical intensity. Many people end up in emergency rooms convinced they are having a heart attack. The symptoms are real — they are caused by a massive release of adrenaline — but they are not dangerous.

What an Anxiety Attack Is

An anxiety attack is less formally defined and tends to describe a period of escalating anxiety in response to a perceived threat or stressor. The symptoms overlap with panic but are typically less intense and more gradual in onset. You might feel mounting dread, tension, irritability, difficulty concentrating, physical discomfort. Anxiety attacks are usually connected to something — a situation, an event, a worry — whereas panic attacks can be unprovoked.

What to Do in the Moment

For both: the most effective immediate intervention is to slow your exhale. A long, slow exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system — the rest and digest response — and begins to counteract the adrenaline surge. Breathe in for four counts, out for eight. Do this for two minutes and notice the shift in your body.

Do not fight the sensations. Fighting creates more adrenaline and prolongs the experience. Instead, observe what is happening in your body without judgment. The wave will pass.

If panic attacks are a regular feature of your life, they are very treatable with the right therapeutic approach. Book a free 15 minute consultation — online sessions available Australia-wide.