new to panic attacks and forum

[livylou_86]

I found this forum by typing in panic attack forum and I thought I would try it out...I can honestly sit here and say that in my 22 years on this earth I had NEVER had any sort of anxiety/depression/panic attacks until about 4 months ago and now I can't seem to move away from them. One night I went out drinking with my friends like every other time and I had no problems...until I woke up and my heart was pounding out of my chest...I was sweating and it felt like I was dying...I didn't know what to do...my stomach started to hurt and I could feel my body start to shake..never in my entire life had a I experienced such a scary thing. It wasn't like a hung over feeling, it was like a feeling that I couldn't control I had my boyfriend get me a cold towel and water and I tried fighting it off. Eventually, after 20 minutes or so it went away. Everything was fine for a month or so I thought.

I should note that I have this phobia of getting my blood drawn and blood pressure cuffs because I HATE the feeling of my circulation being tightened to the point of it making my heart pound like crazy. This past week it has been horrible! I went to a concert where I thought everything was ok...then I felt the bounding of the bass, which triggered the feeling of my heart pounding out of my chest and I thought I was going to die. I started freaking out and I didn't know what to do. Then another time I went to walmart, walked in, had no problems, walked down an isle and I started to feel real panicky for no reason. I had to leave the store because I was so scared. Then tonight is when I realized I have a problem. I went with my boyfriend to his friend's shop to work on his 4wheeler and as his friend was putting down the garage door, I started to freak out...like once the door was down I would not be able to escape. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?

If anyone has any tips that could help I would so appreciate it! I can't deal with this stuff! It makes me tweak out and I hate that feeling! Thank you for listening and I hope someone feels the same way I do

 

[WollyWoo]

Hey

I'm 25 and had them since about 18, with a really bad phase from about age 21-24 but I have now managed to get them under control which at some points I never thought would happen, so don't worry it can be done!

I guess everyone's different but I can tell you some of the things that have helped me (sorry if this turns out to be a stupidly long post I'm not very good at explaining things simply!)

Have you spoken to your doctor or done any research about panic attacks? When I first started getting them I googled it and found a really good page that explained why panic attacks feel how they do etc and listed every symptom I had been getting so I printed out the page of info and used to carry it with me so every time I felt one coming on I would get the list out and read it to remind myself that all the things I was experiencing were a normal part of a panic attack and nothing to worry about.

Cigarettes, tea and coffee are 3 things that often trigger my attacks so I'd definitely say avoid those where possible if you don't already.

I definitely find attacks are more likely to happen when hungover, maybe as your body is dehydrated and not functioning great you feel slightly ill and shaky anyway then it turns into a full blown panic attack. Just make sure you keep up all the usual stuff with drinking/being hungover, drink plenty of water and eat properly etc or a panic attack is more likely to happen I think.

One thing that I learned at an anxiety group my doctor sent me to was a breathing technique and I think this was one of the main things that started off my process of learning to manage attacks so if you can try it and persevere with it I really think it's helpful. They called it the 7-11 technique, basically if you start to feel panicky at any point then you use this technique where you breathe in slowly for a count of 7 then slowly out for a count of 11 (if you can get to sit down in a quiet place with your eyes closed then that's great but if you're somewhere that's not possible you can still do the breathing anywhere).

It doesn't actually need to be specifically 7 and 11, for me I find when I'm panicking that's just too difficult so I shorten it a bit to something like 5 and 8 but the main important thing is that your breath out is longer than the breath in. Apparently when you're naturally relaxed that's how you breathe so if you start to force yourself to breathe that way then it tricks your brain into putting your body back into relaxed mode. Something like that anyway but it really works well for me so I'd definitely recommend giving it a try!

The only other thing I can think of to suggest is if it persists and you're having real trouble dealing with it, is definitely speak to your doctor if you haven't already and maybe think about some sort of therapy or something for anxiety. I've been having hypnotherapy sessions for ocd and anxiety for about 6 months and it really has made a huge difference to how calm I feel in general and how quickly I can get through it if I feel an attack coming on.

And just remember it is a relatively normal and common (although very shit!) thing to go through and you are not alone x

 

[livylou_86]

thank you for being the only one to respond to me! Your message helped. It is easier to know other people are going through the same types of things as myself! Thanks again

 

[Remus]

I got panic disorder in my early 20's it does kind of wear off anyway as you adapt, theres alot of self help books and leaflets out there that help and therapy is great, cant say any kind of pill helps as its all in the mind, I mostly used challenges to face it head on but those do have to be balanced so you dont overdo it.

Unlike other anxiety disorders, I'd say it is the easiest to heal (i.e. less permanent) and the majority of people have suffered this at some time or other in thier lives just like depression