Anxiety About Passing Out? Let's Talk About It!
The fear of passing out is such a common one when it comes to anxiety and panic disorder, especially if you experience panic attacks! So if you’re thinking that you’re alone or crazy because you struggle with this fear, I can promise you, you’re not alone or crazy!
But this fear is common because let’s face it, the symptoms you can experience before you pass out can feel pretty similar to the symptoms of anxiety and panic… Feeling hot, sweaty, shaky, tingly, lightheaded, dizzy, nauseous, weak, unsteady… And it’s very easy to associate these feelings with danger (aka passing out) rather than “just” anxiety because our brains are really good at being creative and jumping to worst case scenarios.
When these symptoms pop up, it’s easy to spiral into a panic. You might find yourself thinking, What if I pass out? What will I do? And before you know it, you’re desperately trying to figure out what to do about how you’re feeling.
Lots of people develop coping strategies to avoid this fear—carrying snacks or water, avoiding certain activities, or steering clear of potentially triggering situations. While these actions may provide short-term comfort, they often limit your life and reinforce the fear. This is stuff I struggled with for so long!
Before I share more about my experiences and my tips to work through this, I want to share something helpful with you… Passing out because of anxiety or panic is very very unlikely. When you’re anxious, your heart rate increases as your body prepares for action. Remember, your body is gearing you up to run, get out, or fight. In contrast, fainting typically involves a drop in heart rate. This physiological difference is why fainting from anxiety is so rare.
So, let’s jump into some tips that will actually be helpful for you to work through the fear of passing out!
01. Be gentle with yourself. It’s okay that you’re struggling with this fear. You’re not crazy for it. You have to be gentle with yourself and not beat yourself up for struggling with this fear. Remember, it makes sense that you fear passing out with how anxiety manifests for you.
02. Recognize the realities. Ever heard this one… Just because something is possible doesn’t mean it’s probable. Yes, you can pass out. All of our bodies have the ability to pass out, and for good reason! But just because something can happen doesn’t mean it’s going to. And the more you try to make it not happen, the more energy and power you’re giving it, which is ultimately what keeps this fear alive.
03. Allow yourself to feel what you’re feeling while resisting doing anything with the feelings. You have to allow yourself to feel hot, sweaty, shaky, tingly, lightheaded, dizzy, nauseous, weak, and unsteady while practicing just letting the feelings be. This means making space for anxiety and not desperately trying to figure out how to stop feeling what you’re feeling.
04. Do your best not to go along with the worst case scenarios. I’m talking about the worst case scenarios like… What if I pass out and nobody is around to help? What if I pass out and I’m with my kids? What if I pass out and embarrass myself in front of a bunch of people? Of course anxiety is going to throw all of these thoughts your way, and it’s your job to not jump on the what-if train and start answering the thoughts, analyzing them, and planning.
If you struggle lots with what-if thoughts, I highly recommend taking my mini course on Freedom From What-If Thoughts. In it, I share how to work through and find freedom from your anxious thoughts.
05. Pay attention to what you’re telling yourself and make sure you’re talking to yourself in a supportive way. Your self-talk can either send you spiraling, or it can help support you to actually work through the hard thing without spiraling.
06. Don’t try to challenge your thoughts. Rather than challenging your thoughts, one little thing I love is reframing. For example… You might have a thought like… But what if I do pass out and I embarrass myself in front of a bunch of people? And a simple reframe looks like this… Even if I pass out and embarrass myself, it’s okay. It’ll suck but I’ll get through it and be okay. And yes, you might not believe it in the moment and that’s okay. We’re not trying to make you believe anything. We’re just trying to look at the realities while supporting yourself through a hard moment.
07. Slow down and check in with yourself. When you’re feeling off, it’s helpful to as yourself things like… Have I eaten recently? When’s the last time I drank some water? Am I hydrated? Have I been in the sun too long? Sometimes we overlook these really basic things and we just convince ourselves it’s anxiety when it’s actually our bodies trying to tell us that it needs something.
08. Do your best not to avoid the places and situations in which this fear pops up. And yes, I know, this is a hard one but it’s such an important one! If you continue to avoid the thoughts, feelings, places, and situations in which this fear pops up, it’s only going to allow this fear and the anxiety to grow.
Alright, I hope you found these tips useful! Remember to listen to the full episode for lots more insights on this. Until next time, keep taking healthy action!
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