
this is an excellent book about how to help with Panic Attacks and related anxieties. Patients find it very comforting and helpful, often keeping a copy on their bedstands.
Hope and Help for your Nerves by Claire Weekes is the single best resource I have found for for learning to cope with Anxiety long term. I come back to it any time I find myself in similar patterns to what you describe.
Self compassion is another key coping tool. Being hard on yourself when you are in this state only makes things worse.
I highly recommend finding a therapist (I prefer ACT but traditional CBT is good too) and/or finding medication that works for you. The process of finding the right medication takes time, and cannot be rushed. Often, finding a Direct Primary Care provider trained in integrative medicine and is able to take the time to work with you as you are finding medication that works for you is a smoother path than going to the first psychiatrist you find on google IMO.
Just remember that everyone struggles like this at some point in their life. It is virtually unavoidable. Try to be kind to yourself in this time as you would a good friend. With patience and the right help, you will get past it.
This is the basis for all anxiety disorders. Fear of fear. You get into loop where you're literally scared of fear itself.
The solution is simple, death is scary. So what?
She will need to force herself to sit with that fear and become indifferent about it or even learn to like it in some way if possible. Similar to exposure with phobic people, or ignoring behaviors with OCD.
I'd recommend reading Claire Weeks Hope and Help for Your Nerves.
Also, I'd recommend not playing this game of convincing her she won't die. She's probably habituated some sort of compulsive behavior of trying to release the fear by asking you to sooth it (pretty similar to OCD handwashing when you think about it). You're only reinforcing her behavior.
Thank me later :)
It took some time to fix the root causes, but even after that I didn't quite recover. Anxiety about possible panic attacks were stressing me out, causing me to lie awake in bed. Talk about a vicious circle.
Therapy and the book "Hope and help for your nerves" by Claire Weekes helped a lot. Occasionally it will pop back up but not nearly as bad as it once was.
"Hope and help for your nerves" by Claire Weekes is a classic.
That being said I believe mental health is still not diagnosed and treated well enough by modern health care systems. Took me more than 4 years of bouncing around from doctor to doctor before I found one who could help me.