PANIC DEFINITION:A sudden and incapacitating fear that produces neurotic or illogical behavior PHYSICAL SIGNALS AND BEHAVIORS: Quick, shallow breathing Eyes that are wide, with white showing around the whole iris Hyperventilating Squeezing the eyes shut Clenching and unclenching the fists Folding the body over and making oneself small Veins standing out in one’s neck Involuntary moans or whimpers Being on edge (jumping at sounds, difficulty concentrating, etc.) Sitting upright Grasping the sides of one’s head to try and regain control Hands that shake and flutter Muscles that look tight and clenched Body tremors Sweating Flushed skin Gasping to control one’s breath Pressing a palm against one’s chest to the point of pain A voice that elevates in pitch and volume Speaking quickly; using choppy sentences Backing against a wall or corner Crying Holding one’s own shoulders tight to try and still one’s quaking Repeating the same thing over and over:No, no, no, this isn’t happening! Calling for help Being unable to stay still (jerky movements, pacing and then changing direction, sitting and then getting up again, rushing people for news, etc.) Desperately holding onto a source of stability, such as a person or comfort item A darting gaze that attempts to absorb everything in one’s environment Passing out Fleeing INTERNAL SENSATIONS: Adrenaline shooting through one’s system Heart palpitations and tingling in the chest Elevated blood pressure Feeling as if one is choking or smothering The sensation of not being able to get enough oxygen (chest tightness) Tingling in the extremities, the fingers and toes going numb Nausea Vertigo Seeing spots in one’s vision Feeling faint or dizzy A temperature increase (profuse sweating) or decrease (uncontrollable shivering) MENTAL RESPONSES: A sudden and overwhelming sensation of dread The fear that one is going to die Believing that one is going crazy Trying to make sense of one’s situation but being unable to think coherently Focusing on subduing the symptoms (calming down) Repeating to oneself that everything is going to be okay Searching for a trigger or cause for one’s panic Becoming disoriented Frantically wanting to fix things but being too wound up to do anything useful Fixating on worst-case scenarios Becoming hyper-reactive to sounds, movement, touch, etc. ACUTE OR LONG-TERM RESPONSES FOR THIS EMOTION: Developing a panic or anxiety disorder Depression Reliance upon prescription medications Drug or alcohol abuse Phobias Becoming homebound Avoiding situations that trigger one’s panic Avoiding places where one can’t escape if a panic attack comes on Constantly worrying about when the next attack will hit Sleeping more than usual SIGNS THAT THIS EMOTION IS BEING SUPPRESSED: Closing the eyes Taking deep, controlled breaths Leaving the room or turning aside to regain control Practicing relaxation techniques Avoiding eye contact with others Talking oneself down using logic and reasoning MAY ESCALATE TO:Hysteria,Paranoia,Terror MAY DE-ESCALATE TO:Anxiety,Dread,Fear,Sadness,Unease,Worry ASSOCIATED POWER VERBS: Choke, cling, collapse, faint flee, flinch, freak out, gasp grab, hide, hyperventilate, jerk scrape, shake, shudder, sob sweat, tremble, whimper WRITER’S TIP:To dig deeper into a character, think about shame. What makes them feel this painful emotion? Drill down to important backstory to understand what happened, and then make them face their shame on the page.