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Have you ever had a panic attack?
James
Deactivated Posts: 1,706 Extreme Poster
As part of our exploration of panic attacks in the next couple of weeks, we'll be helping you get to know your own panic monster and hopefully learn to tame it a little bit.
A lot of people get attacked by the panic monster, but everyone's panic monster is a little different. Have you ever met yours?
If you've had a panic attack, where did it happen and how did it make you feel?
*PAM*
A lot of people get attacked by the panic monster, but everyone's panic monster is a little different. Have you ever met yours?
If you've had a panic attack, where did it happen and how did it make you feel?
*PAM*
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Comments
I. Freak. Out. I literally can't breathe and feel nauseous and nervous. It's horrible, and I always say it makes me feel like I could actually die which they laugh at but I'm being serious! It's terrifying, trapped in with nowhere to go
Somehow, I made it down to reception. At this point, I was crying, I had pins and needles in my fingers and toes and my lips had turned blue. I was 14 years old and all I could manage to say was 'I'm dying! I'm dying!'. Thankfully now, I know that wasn't true but it's taken years to recognise these symptoms belonging to panic attacks.
Since that moment, my panic attacks have resulted in me being linked up to a nebuliser in my doctors, in tears in the back of an ambulance or curled up in bed too afraid to leave. I am lucky to have recently have had a diagnosis of Generalised Anxiety Disorder and OCD which has given me the foundation I needed to understand why I experience panic attacks so often and so severely and allowed me to begin to explore ways to challenge them.
At the moment, my panic attacks are manifesting most prominently during lectures at university which is a whole new experience for me. It's debilitating and lowers my self-esteem. I often wonder why I can't be like everyone else, why I can't sit through a lecture like any other student, why I have to leave half way through because I feel I'll pass out through lack of oxygen.
Panic attacks are cruel. They are not prejudice, they do not discriminate and they are not forgiving. But one thing they have done for me is taught me that our bodies are precious and require care both mentally and physically. I have learnt that a panic attack is normally a sign and that yes, it may be important ot challenge myself, but it is important to also be kind to myself.
If the Panic Attack Monster is out welcoming their stay with you, remember that you're not alone. Someone once told me that during a panic attack, you must remember no matter how scary, how horrific or how debilitating it may seem, it is only temporary. Our bodies can not physically function at such a heightened state of anxiety, it would be impossible. It may seem like common sense, but it is this which is often forgotten during an attack.
"This too, shall pass."
This!!! -Hugs-
I haven't been on a bus in years cause of it...
I also get them sometimes in unfamiliar places and meeting new people
Sent by Sony Xperia
But tbf I've never felt like I was going to die. I had a panic attack in the bakery aisle in Asda once because I was reading the nutritional info of foods and in the freshly baked section, they don't have any nutritional info on the packets, and I freaked the hell out. It's sad when things as ridiculous as that can cause you to fall into panic mode.
From all the things you've said, a few things really stand out:
Does this look about right?
Please do keep sharing
We're also exploring ways we can defend ourselves against the panic monster in this thread. Feel free to head over there and tell us your tips for coping with a panic attack!