Anxiety vs. Panic Attacks: What's the Difference?

My understanding of it is that panic attacks cause your body to have a physical reaction (racing heart, shaking, nausea, sweating, etc) due to your fight or flight mechanism being activated whereas anxiety attacks cause a mental/emotional shut down which can come out as avoidance, an overwhelmed feeling, racing thoughts, irritability etc. Panic attacks happen suddenly due to a trigger and anxiety attacks are built up over time. I hope this helps

Technically panic attacks are the medical term, anxiety attacks aren’t a medical term, I think anxiety attacks were just created as another term for panic attacks

Similar but a panic attack is more of a paralyzing thing for me

For me, anxiety attacks are more about the mental and emotional distress, where my brain is activated and running a thousand miles a minute. Panic attacks are more about physical distress, I feel sick with anxiety, like im in a state between awake and passing out, and my one single thought is “i think im going to die”. Basically to sum it up, I’ve talked to my therapist about this and she said anxiety attacks are all about activation, like fight or flight, and panic attacks involve shutting down, like playing dead.

I 100% agree that they are different. When I have a panic attack it’s like I black out to the world I’m freaking out so much. But for an anxiety attack it could be going on for hours. I’m clawing at my hair and skin rocking back and forth crying. Everything in my head consumes me and I can’t come out. Thankfully it hasn’t happened to me in a while. I know how to get myself out before I get too deep now too. Before someone would have to breathe with me for 30 minutes before I would come out of it. Then I’d be all spacey. It was when I was at my worst but I know what my triggers are so I try to avoid them and self soothe right after they happen if they do

Most deffinately. It's very hard to describe. A panic attack feels like you can't breathe. You get a feeling like you think you might be dying. Anxiety attacks though your thoughts take over. In my experience, I've frozen, wanted to just drop down to the floor. My thoughts become overwhelming in a way that I just can't handle. Like I said, I can't describe it.