Jae's world ☆

Jae's guide to panic attacks ★

Things to do and not to do if Jae has a panic attack.

Signs that Jae is in crisis:

Obvious signs: Jae will cry, scream, isolate himself, sit down, hide from noise and light. He can be mean without meaning to and can hit in extreme cases. He will try to isolate himself and escape the noise.

Hidden signs: Jae will become deliberately mute, he will fidget and try to hide. Jae gets nervous and laughs a lot. Jae has programmed himself a behavior for these situations. He will smile a lot and laugh. He will try to fit in. When Jae can be alone again, he'll have a panic attack if he had to hide one earlier.

What comforts Jae in case of major crise : cover his ears, smell familiar things, be in a quiet place, whisper to get used to the noise again, sit down, talk about interests, tilt to each side gently.

Jae doesn't need anyone telling him to calm down. It annoys him. He doesn't want to be touched or asked a lot, he doesn't want to be asked questions. Jae just needs to be taken somewhere quiet for a few minutes. Jae knows how to manage his crises, he no longer cries or screams in public. Although sometimes it can happen to Jae that he shuts up and runs away. He needs more or less long breaks to manage his emotions. Jae may sometimes speak alone during crises. When Jae has panic attacks in his room, he will pretend to do activities he enjoys. He bakes a cake with no ingredients, but Jae will feel safe.

It often happens that people react badly to Jae's crises and makes the situation worse. Actions such as: Touching Jae without permission, being panicked, screaming, making jokes, seeking eye contact, talking to him like a baby will make Jae very angry. Jae just needs help to isolate himself and calm down in silence.

Jae manages his panic attacks by seeking physical contact, listening to music or reading books. He likes to bake cakes and paint too.