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Dealing with Panic & Anxiety Attacks
Bringing back the normal
A panic attack (also similar to an anxiety attack) is an episode of intense fear and anxiety often accompanied by physical symptoms. Most episodes last between 5 – 30 minutes although they can occur for longer periods.
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During a panic attack, the body goes into “fight or flight” mode, which can cause distressing symptoms including:
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Palpitations
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Dizziness
• Hyperventilation
• Sickness
This is not an exhaustive list of panic attack signs and symptoms, as these will vary between individuals. The symptoms often gradually resolve as the panic subsides.
Panic attacks may have certain triggers. For example, patients who have a phobia (a strong fear of something) may experience panic attacks when exposed to their phobia.
Remove any triggers of the panic attack (or remove the patient from the trigger!).
Provide lots of reassurance and remain calm yourself.
Focus on controlling the patient’s breathing – encourage them to breathe in slowly through their nose, hold their breath for a moment, then breathe out through their mouth. Try getting them to copy your slow breathing pattern.
Once breathing is controlled, sit them down in the ‘W’ position. Bum on floor, lean back against a wall, knees up, feet on floor.
Be aware that a panic attack can sometimes look very similar to an asthma attack, and the two can occur together.
Online appointed person for first aid micro learn.
Our MD, Dave Coyle, has won Instructor of the Year 2024 for First Aid Training in Suffolk and nationwide. We are so pleased to talk about this, at the annual ProTrainings (our Awarding authority) conference in Colchester last month, Dave won this award and this is what they had to say: “We are pleased to recognise Dave Coyle of DAC Education with the Instructor of the Year Award for his outstanding contributions to training, especially in high-risk and outdoor environments. Dave has shown unwavering commitment to quality, delivering extensive training over the years and consistently maintaining compliance and excellence in every course he’s conducted.” Of course, if you have been on one of our first aid courses and your instructor was Dave you will know that he challenges the stigma of a first aid course being boring, his enthusiasm, knowledge and personal experience brings elements to his first aid training that you just can’t find elsewhere. His unique training style includes imparting his personal knowledge built up over years of leading worldwide expeditions, Search and Rescue Manager, supervising Duke of Edinburgh and being a Community First Responder (CFR). No stranger to awards, Dave has already been awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and the King’s Coronation Medal through his work with Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue (SULSAR). This award, though, shines a light specifically on his skill at instructing first aid to those working outdoors and in high risk environments. I managed to catch Dave in between training courses this week and he says: “This award was completely unexpected but it’s very humbling to be recognised for the first aid training that we do and know that it is to an excellent standard. What's important to me is that people leave our courses with the knowledge and the confidence to be that person who steps up and gets involved. If someone needs immediate attention there's not an ambulance parked around the corner, so you have to be able to do something quickly.” While offering first aid training nationwide, in Suffolk alone, Dave has trained many people in a variety of high risk environments including Equestrians, Ecologists, Schools including Duke of Edinburgh and school global expeditions, Construction and Farmers. These occupations are often working in remote locations, far from help and can be faced with dangerous situations and this is where DAC specialises. Somany congratulations and well deserved and I’ll leave you with some final words from Dave: “I say it on all my courses, what I'm going to teach you is how to keep the wind going in and out, stop them from leaking and get help. It’s as simple as that. I don’t sit people through a boring powerpoint, that's not how these practical skills are learnt, I get people involved. I teach my outdoor course outside in the woods and I use actors in the more advanced courses to recreate patients and situations, that's how people learn and build their confidence. ”
A 3 minute micro learn to gain knowledge about what is and how to deal with fainting. #fainting #firstaidtraining #getmeinvolved
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Would you want to be miles from nowhere with without a first aid kit to help a struggling person?
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See some of our blogs below about Mental health, First aid and much more
Online appointed person for first aid micro learn.
Our MD, Dave Coyle, has won Instructor of the Year 2024 for First Aid Training in Suffolk and nationwide. We are so pleased to talk about this, at the annual ProTrainings (our Awarding authority) conference in Colchester last month, Dave won this award and this is what they had to say: “We are pleased to recognise Dave Coyle of DAC Education with the Instructor of the Year Award for his outstanding contributions to training, especially in high-risk and outdoor environments. Dave has shown unwavering commitment to quality, delivering extensive training over the years and consistently maintaining compliance and excellence in every course he’s conducted.” Of course, if you have been on one of our first aid courses and your instructor was Dave you will know that he challenges the stigma of a first aid course being boring, his enthusiasm, knowledge and personal experience brings elements to his first aid training that you just can’t find elsewhere. His unique training style includes imparting his personal knowledge built up over years of leading worldwide expeditions, Search and Rescue Manager, supervising Duke of Edinburgh and being a Community First Responder (CFR). No stranger to awards, Dave has already been awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and the King’s Coronation Medal through his work with Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue (SULSAR). This award, though, shines a light specifically on his skill at instructing first aid to those working outdoors and in high risk environments. I managed to catch Dave in between training courses this week and he says: “This award was completely unexpected but it’s very humbling to be recognised for the first aid training that we do and know that it is to an excellent standard. What's important to me is that people leave our courses with the knowledge and the confidence to be that person who steps up and gets involved. If someone needs immediate attention there's not an ambulance parked around the corner, so you have to be able to do something quickly.” While offering first aid training nationwide, in Suffolk alone, Dave has trained many people in a variety of high risk environments including Equestrians, Ecologists, Schools including Duke of Edinburgh and school global expeditions, Construction and Farmers. These occupations are often working in remote locations, far from help and can be faced with dangerous situations and this is where DAC specialises. Somany congratulations and well deserved and I’ll leave you with some final words from Dave: “I say it on all my courses, what I'm going to teach you is how to keep the wind going in and out, stop them from leaking and get help. It’s as simple as that. I don’t sit people through a boring powerpoint, that's not how these practical skills are learnt, I get people involved. I teach my outdoor course outside in the woods and I use actors in the more advanced courses to recreate patients and situations, that's how people learn and build their confidence. ”
Martyn's law training
A 3 minute micro learn to gain knowledge about what is and how to deal with fainting. #fainting #firstaidtraining #getmeinvolved
The quickest way to assess if something is really wrong
Luanch of a new course - update Course is going well!
Would you want to be miles from nowhere with without a first aid kit to help a struggling person?
Does your company have the correct level of First Aid and H&S training required by the commissioner of a contract?
Trains you help while you wait for the emergency services or even realise you may not need them. Our Family First Aid is a one day Weekend First Aid course run on a saturdays.
It's not a nice thought but unfortunately a reality of the world we live in today is...
One company said no, DAC First Aid said Yes
Paediatric First Aid First Aid for children and infants A Paediatric First Aid course is ideal for parents, grandparents, caregivers, childminders, schools and businesses involved in childcare. As parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles or professional childminders the thought of an accident or incident occurring while looking after your own or someone else's child can be a scary thought, especially for those who may be in rural areas where the emergency services may not be as easily accessible. Paediatric first aid comes with its own challenges and a fundamental part of being human is the wish to preserve life, especially a young life. It is hard wired into us to want to do something to help. It doesn’t have to be a grand heroic act, it can be something as simple as staying calm and being the one who is able to relay the details of the situation to the emergency services. We have spoken previously about using the what3words app to enable the emergency services to get to your precise location. Even downloading this app and having instant access to those important 3 words can be a life saving act. This is especially true if you are out with children in parks or day trips away from your usual residence or nursery setting. Paediatric first aid courses are a great way to boost your confidence and knowledge. All first aid courses are full of information, techniques and skills. Physical techniques like the recovery position or how to deal with a choking incident, all the way up to mental skills. An excellent quality of a first aider is to know the importance of staying calm, how to react to bystanders who may want to help but can be a hindrance and to be able to apply any knowledge that you have previously learnt. It is not only the practical first aid skills that are important but it's knowing how to safely handle the situation and acting swiftly. A good paediatric first aid course should cover areas such as; Assessing an emergency situation Provide First AId knowledge to an infant or child eho is unresponsive and either breathing or not breathing normally. External bleeding Foreign body obstruction in the airway Burns, scalds, bites and stings Anaphylaxis Injuries to bones, joints and muscles also head or spinal injuries Those suffering from a chronic medical condition or sudden illness There are many other topics covered but perhaps the most important is the paediatric first aid course you choose should meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Life saving skills are often thought to only be necessary for trained professionals like doctors, nurses and emergency services but these professionals can often do more if there has been a quick assessment and reaction by a first aider on scene. We all have the ability to perform life saving acts.
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DAC Education LTD, Company number 12639015
Registered office and training centre: Unit One, Main Road, Stratford St Andrew, Suffolk, IP17 1LF