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Panic Attacks

Ably.Saucey

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I suffer from panic.
I do not handle stress and bad/controversial news well.
Two years ago, I had the worst panic attack I've ever had, and I spent the entire year worrying about having one that bad again.
For those who have never experienced a panic attack, here's what it's like: (for me, at least)
You are not awake enough to move, you are frozen, yet you are awake enough to be aware of your self.
Your heart is going like you just sprinted up hill, and it's not slowing down.
You can't hardly breath, your chest is tight, you're dizzy.
You are terrified and you don't know why.
You're not able to wake up.

That was my worst one, most of the time I just get a bit light headed and/or sick.
I don't get them nearly as often now and I know how to handle them better when I do.

How I stop myself from panicking:
My first instinct is to go to bed and hide. That's not good for me, I need to get out and the open and breathe.
I start thinking about everything and spin out. I need to focus on one thing. Look at that rock, it shaped like a turtle.
I start snapping at people. I need to remember that they don't know I'm panicking. I need to be gentle.
I have to cool down. I'm a lot more likely to panic if I'm hot.

A lot of people suffer from panic attacks. I know here, on TBT, some of us suffer from anxiety and see the forum as a good place.
With that in mind and I'm not trying hurt anyone, but some of y'alls threads are. not. helping.
Please remember us and be more discerning and gentle.

What's annoying about panic is that some times, my friend (who I'm not friends with anymore) would be a bit flustered/inconvenienced about something and call it a panic attack.
No, you are having a tantrum, not a panic attack.
I don't tell people I know that I had them because:
People would think that they have to walk around on eggshells around me and they don't have to.

Thanks for reading.

Do/did you suffer from panics attacks and how do/did you help yourself?
 
Never had a panic attack. Even though you described it I'm still kinda confused :p sounds scary though....
 
i'm not sure if i have panic attacks , but i have some of these symptoms that come about totally randomly , could just be sitting in class & a feeling hits, or in socially demanding situations such as being requiredd to present to an audience or even small class:

i feel really hot and flush (like a hot flash probably), im very red too, i become literally unable to breath, no matter how hard i try to breath i end up choking on my own air, i get really shakey if i'm standing, especially in the legs. in extreme, nerve-wracking situations my heart will beat so fast i get literally paranoid that other people close to me can hear it through my ears or something.

the worst time this ever happened was a few months ago during college, i had to do a presentation for my drawing class on an artist , i even pushed the date back as far as possible by skipping class the day i was originally supposed to present.
i was okay while presenting, obv a bit noticeably nervous to the class, but once i sat down, and the next person was presenting, it hit me. I stopped being able to breathe . I was literally choking, and it was so loud, i felt like a fish out of water, and i was so embarrassed by how loud it was and that i was interrupting my classmate, i had to run out of class to the bathroom, huddled on the corner on the bathroom floor, gasping to get my breath back & then crying from how shameful & scary it felt

it probably is some kind of panic or anxity attack, considering my father has anxiety too (along with a whole cocktail of illness) but to me it feels mostly physical, rather than mental. i don't feel scared of anything except me being unable to breathe, even that time when i was sitting down after my presentation, i was feeling a bit of relief that i got it over with, and yet it still hit me? i dont know if its a health problem or mental problem. i always thought that for it to be a panic attack, i must feel an actual feeling of anxiety/panic before the physical sensations hit? and like i said before, it can happen totally randomly, even while just sitting in class during a lecture or something. it could also be an asthma attack, and im confusing my anxiety with it? i was diagnosed with it when i was younger but the main concern was we had cats & iwas severely allergic to, and my parents just gave them away. i never got an inhaler or anything, and i also havent had long-term breathing problem since we got rid of them , though breathing problems flares up again around dogs . whatever it is though, its really embarrassing

anyways as for the advice part, just avoid situations that can trigger feelings of panic or anxiety in you. thats what i wa trying to do when i skipped my presentation date , yet i feel i cant explain my deal to my teachers (i have social anxiety) bc im scared i'll be "babied" or that they'll hold disdain for me.

as for your friends, they shouldn't belittle what a panic attack really is, or maybe they just don't know what it is? try explaining to them, also, even if they're "just having a tantrum", you also shouldn't belittle their emotions. break downs come in all forms, not just panic attacks, and one isn't more extreme than the other unless your life is actually at risk (and not just feeling like it's at risk)
 
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I've had quite a bit.

Most of it is because I over think things, but I had this one back in April.

I didn't want to eat, I only wanted to sleep, I felt horrible, and I cried.

6WbGJux.jpg

Most of the things I worry about are stuff that people say I shouldn't be worrying about.

Maybe two weeks after I had the bad one, the teacher was talking about the stuff that gave me the attacks, and I started crying in the middle of class. She didn't care.

To cope, I usually just spend time on my computer, go places, and just stuff to get my mind off of things.

When I have to talk infront of the class i stutter and get nervous, which is what i call little
When I over think. I can get over these in a day or two
When I see stuff that worries me. It's been since April and I'm still not fully healed

Here's how I explain the attacks:
Someone threw a brick at me, right as the wound healed, another one was thrown.

I know I'm kinda all over, but yeah. Here is my experience.
 
In a year, I probably have up to five panic attacks, and I can go months on the edge of having one. It's pretty rough, but it could be worse. People have a lot worse.
 
i have panic attacks Lol it used to be worse tho, now i mostly just get anxiety attacks (which are almost the same as panic attacks tbh lol just that they can last for way longer and don't usually come out of nowhere) and dissociate.

also idk abt your situation but panic attacks usually happen when youre awake, what you experienced sounds more like sleep paralysis but obviously idk, i just think panic attacks happen when youre awake
 
I don't suffer panic attacks, more anxiety attacks.
I have recently stopped seeing my therapist, my one saving grace, my best friend and only person who understood, because my parents can't afford it.
Up until recently, I thought that I had panic attacks, and I was terrified of having a bad one like you described in school or a public place.
Now, I know that I have anxiety and depression (haha classic right wow I'm so basic lol XD (note the sarcasm)).
My young, immature step sister was once having a tantrum and was screaming and my dad was accidentally in the way of the stairs where my step sister was (and it's not like she needed help immediately she was fine) and my step mother pushed him aside and was yelling "move, can't you hear she's having a ****ing panic attack??"
My dad didn't understand why I was spaced out and kinda unresponsive for about 20 minutes afterwards. Honestly, I don't even understand why that comment set me off.
I don't even know why I'm writing this, I guess to share my experience. I'm sorry.
 
i'm not sure if i have panic attacks , but i have some of these symptoms that come about totally randomly , could just be sitting in class & a feeling hits, or in socially demanding situations such as being requiredd to present to an audience or even small class:

i feel really hot and flush (like a hot flash probably), im very red too, i become literally unable to breath, no matter how hard i try to breath i end up choking on my own air, i get really shakey if i'm standing, especially in the legs. in extreme, nerve-wracking situations my heart will beat so fast i get literally paranoid that other people close to me can hear it through my ears or something.

the worst time this ever happened was a few months ago during college, i had to do a presentation for my drawing class on an artist , i even pushed the date back as far as possible by skipping class the day i was originally supposed to present.
i was okay while presenting, obv a bit noticeably nervous to the class, but once i sat down, and the next person was presenting, it hit me. I stopped being able to breathe . I was literally choking, and it was so loud, i felt like a fish out of water, and i was so embarrassed by how loud it was and that i was interrupting my classmate, i had to run out of class to the bathroom, huddled on the corner on the bathroom floor, gasping to get my breath back & then crying from how shameful & scary it felt

it probably is some kind of panic or anxity attack, considering my father has anxiety too (along with a whole cocktail of illness) but to me it feels mostly physical, rather than mental. i don't feel scared of anything except me being unable to breathe, even that time when i was sitting down after my presentation, i was feeling a bit of relief that i got it over with, and yet it still hit me? i dont know if its a health problem or mental problem. i always thought that for it to be a panic attack, i must feel an actual feeling of anxiety/panic before the physical sensations hit? and like i said before, it can happen totally randomly, even while just sitting in class during a lecture or something. it could also be an asthma attack, and im confusing my anxiety with it? i was diagnosed with it when i was younger but the main concern was we had cats & iwas severely allergic to, and my parents just gave them away. i never got an inhaler or anything, and i also havent had long-term breathing problem since we got rid of them , though breathing problems flares up again around dogs . whatever it is though, its really embarrassing

anyways as for the advice part, just avoid situations that can trigger feelings of panic or anxiety in you. thats what i wa trying to do when i skipped my presentation date , yet i feel i cant explain my deal to my teachers (i have social anxiety) bc im scared i'll be "babied" or that they'll hold disdain for me.

as for your friends, they shouldn't belittle what a panic attack really is, or maybe they just don't know what it is? try explaining to them, also, even if they're "just having a tantrum", you also shouldn't belittle their emotions. break downs come in all forms, not just panic attacks, and one isn't more extreme than the other unless your life is actually at risk (and not just feeling like it's at risk)

Omg I thought I was the only one with those symptoms when it comes to presenting. My heart literally feels like it's going to pop out of my chest, and I'd always beg if I can send a presentation by video or make a private appointment (some professors unfortunately aren't available/kind enough to do so). Omg that is some of the worst I've experienced as well, also needles.

- - - Post Merge - - -

I've had quite a bit.

Most of it is because I over think things, but I had this one back in April.

I didn't want to eat, I only wanted to sleep, I felt horrible, and I cried.

6WbGJux.jpg

Most of the things I worry about are stuff that people say I shouldn't be worrying about.

Maybe two weeks after I had the bad one, the teacher was talking about the stuff that gave me the attacks, and I started crying in the middle of class. She didn't care.

To cope, I usually just spend time on my computer, go places, and just stuff to get my mind off of things.

When I have to talk infront of the class i stutter and get nervous, which is what i call little
When I over think. I can get over these in a day or two
When I see stuff that worries me. It's been since April and I'm still not fully healed

Here's how I explain the attacks:
Someone threw a brick at me, right as the wound healed, another one was thrown.

I know I'm kinda all over, but yeah. Here is my experience.

You're so beautiful! I know that's off topic but I hope you know that. And that you always have someone to talk to.
 
I don't get them as much as I used to but I still get them a lot before work.
I either get really scared or really angry. There's no in-between.
 
I get panic attacks almost everyday. I know it feels terrible almost as if you're being drowned. Doctor told me it was due to stress and social anxiety. The things that mostly help me are crying I know that sounds dumb but it helps. Going to school is the worst since I don't like being around people, it makes me have an attack.
 
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I rarely get panic attacks anymore (thank god) but I still get anxiety attacks a lot, and they usually last like hours if not the full damn day/spread over to another day. I make sure I know my own limits, and I avoid situations that I know I won't be able to stop the panic in, and if the situation is unavoidable I make sure I have an exit strategy. I'm getting better at dealing with situations when I'm anxious, and it definitely helps when the people around you are patient and understanding. I don't leave the house much because of anxiety, but I did manage to get a new job so that's progress
 
never had one, i usually disconnect if i'm overly stressed out or overwhelmed.

i've seen a gal have one in an exam and b?y she just couldn't stop
 
I can have anxiety attacks almost every other day depending on my mental state.

Panic attacks less often but my last one had me in the back of an ambulance and at A&E because I couldn't catch my breath at all and was going unconscious fml
 
I've suffered from social anxiety and panic attacks for as long as I can remember. I had my first panic attack when I was 4 and Santa Claus came to visit my pre-school class after a lesson on stranger danger. It did not go well.
When I was in high school, I started having panic attacks on a near daily basis because I was badly bullied and knew the other students were talking about me. It got to the point where I started having Grand Mal seizures caused by stress.
Despite all of this, I still was not diagnosed with social anxiety until I was 23 years old. I am 27 now.
 
Last year or so I got an anxiety attack for being stuck in an elevator with a bunch of other people. The shortness of breath sucks for real. I think it affected me cause I get really anxious in crowded places and can sense the dread coming.
 
I luckily don't have panic attacks, but I struggle with anxiety attacks. I've had the all hyperventilating, to nausea, to just feeling lousy after.

I hated it. It would just drain me - and they would often occur from conflict and worry. I would take lorazapram to help calm me down (and stop any other anxiety attacks occurring). For the long term I focus on my overall health - with exercising being the most important, and sleeping well.
 
I never had them, but after my heart rate near 300 bpm after running I have had a few episodes where walking uphill triggered panic in me. I'm on Zoloft now though.
 
I usually have one in speech related class tbh and I dont think its normal for me tbh
 
I have actually been dosing and have shot up in bed from a panic attack and it's such a horrible and scary feeling.
It actually felt like I was dying, my chest was sore, tight and I just couldn't get a breath.
I'm actually suffering from anxiety right now with tightness in my chest and feeling uneasy. It started last night and I have no idea why.
I just need a good night sleep but I just can't seem to settle which is just making me feel worse.
 
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