anxiety/panic attack - i am in the midst of one right now.
anyone else have them? what do u do to calm down im fucking freaking out i know the feeling will pass but that doesnt help right now





anxiety/panic attack - i am in the midst of one right now.
anyone else have them? what do u do to calm down im fucking freaking out i know the feeling will pass but that doesnt help right now
if you were having a real panic attack you would not be able to type right now. trust me.
I have had panic attacks before - its the absolute worst feeling on the planet. :-( I couldnt move my fingers, my face and nose got numb... is that what you are feeling? Like a heart attack is coming? I almost went to the hospital a few times, but luckily I had someone who understood what was happening and just helped me get through it. It takes a good few minutes for it to start subsiding, but the effects can last hours.
Try to breathe in through your nose, and exhale slowly. Mine always happened on the car ride home. I cant tell you what to do to get rid of it only because mine got so bad that I needed/ need meds for it. I havent had any since (knock on wood) but thats the only thing that helped me. And reading. I joined a forum for it to see tips from other people. :-( PM me if you need to talk.
Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and concentrate on relaxing all your muscles one at a time. If you're too freaked out for that, call a friend and talk about other things - DO NOT talk about your panic attack or whatever started it. Distraction is the key. If you find yourself thinking about the panic attack, remind yourself that it's just a STUPID panic attack (remind yourself it's stupid); you've survived every other one, and you'll survive this one too.
This always works for me.




Panic attacks run from being completely paralyzing to a milder kind. They are all still real.
I can't really give you much advice. I'm seeking medication for these and depression, so hopefully that will work
Try to breathe? Eat something in case your blood sugar is also low?


not true! there are many different levels and stages of anxiety,i think if you dont have any helpful advice you should keep your negitive comments to yourself
anyways,what sometimes works for me is a hot/warm shower or bath and try not to be alone friends and family can be calming exspeically if you feel like your gonna pass out.
you should definally go to a doctor and get yourself some xanax it works really good.hope you feel better soon
i have been dealing with debilitating social anxiety and panic attacks my whole life. there are lots of other things out there that can seem similar, but a full on panic attack you cannot function, point blank.
for me i get dizzy cant breath get tunnel vision and sob uncontrollably. there would be no way i could get on a forum and make posts.
theres plenty of things she could be feeling that are unpleasant but i cant imagine anyone in the midst. of a panic attack being able to type legibly.
Ive gotten panic attacks while driving. Thats the worst because Im pannicking about driving over the cliff, the big rigs hiting me, or me hitting someone. I'd always wanna pullover and call someone but I feel embarased to have to tell anyone that I get attacks. I just try to slow down my breathing and concentrate on getting home. I know it sucks.
The first time I had a panic attack, I went to the ER. I didn't knwo what the hell was wrong with me.
I have since had a few mor epanic attacks, and lately, I have been able to feel them comming on before they get blown out of porportion, and I can tell myself, Don't do this. Not now. Get a grip. I'll call someone, talk about the weather, or anything to get my mind off it, and just keep telling myself, come on. Get a grip, theres no need for this.
If I can't get ahold of myself and it esclates into a full blown panic attack..there's nothing I can do but wait till it passes.



I would also have to disagree, I think panic attacks can be mild to full blown.
Anyhoo I would try what one of the above posters said about eating something incase your blood sugar is low( my blood sugar usually adds to my anxiety), depending were you are you can try a number of different things. Just try to concentrate on breathing, distractions are key, Think positive thoughts, remind yourself that you won't have a heart attack/die. Try breathing through your nose and letting your breath go through your mouth but do it very controlled. I like to fidgit or move sometimes, try to excersize it will keep your anxiety much lower. Sometimes it's good to try to face the things that make you have anxiety attacks( even though it is very very unconfrotable). When I would drive to work alone I would call my dad, and he would talk me through it. Try talking to a family member or friend about your anxiety so they can help you out. Remind your body to relax, tell yourself to relax each and every muscle. I don't know if your on meds or not, my dad reccomemed this awesome herbal supplement called Kava Kava, its supposed to promote relaxation and reduce stress, it's a nice alternative to medication or you can usually combine it with your medication like I do. (Lexapro 20mg). Have you tried a therapist yet, they can help your with tatics to cope, or like behavioural conginitve therapy, hypnosis. But I definetly reccomend you get Kava Kava, it comes in a liquid or capsule, I like the capsules. Anyhoo if you have any questions just PM me. Just remember you don't have to go this alone talk to family and friends, try meditating yoga...etc![]()
Feel better.





maybe take a xanax?? idk, i don't have experience w/ anxiety attacks. are those anti-anxiety meds for attacks, or just in general??
but sweetie, take deep breaths, close your eyes, and go to your 'happy place'. i know this sounds retarded, but when i think about going home (to the philippines) it relaxes me soo much! think of a place where you've got good memories, or imagine a place where there's nothing but beauty and calm...good luck!
and the yoga idea..great! yoga is fabulous!
I always have to breathe in and out of a paper bag. That is the only way I can calm down.
I call my mommy. seriously. Sobbing. Totally unintelligible, and I just need my damn mother!
She understands, not the cause, but that I just need her to soothe me. And calm me down.
They usually happen when I'm driving. When I get to a light, and someone is next to me.... I just panic, and feel like they're going to attack me, and I get a feaver and can't breathe and I cry so bad.
Figure out the trigger, and maybe you can avoid it. I can't avoid mine, unfortunatly.





well thats your experience isnt it? not mine. I have been seeing a psychiatrist for many years about my anxiety problems and I have a psychology degree myself so I dont need you to diagnose me over a computer. thanks very much.
Thanks to all the OTHER posters for their helpful advise tho. It passed very quickly which mine usually do but I made the thread so I didnt feel so alone![]()
^^I've noticed that some people with anxiety/depression issues take comfort in telling themselves that their problems are more "severe" and "legitimate" than most everyone else's. Seems to help them somehow, make them feel special.
I've had a huge problem with anxiety for a while now but only recently named it and fully realized what was going on, so I'm just learning. No real advice to give. So sorry you're dealing with this. It's a real bitch. Just imagine if you had a "real" one like people who are "truly" sick! lol





Thank u so much ladies for starting this thread. I suffer from panic attacks as well and take Klonopin for emergencies. It's the worst feeling in the world and hopefully I won't have to be on the meds for the rest of my life. I get panick attacks right b4 going to work and during...especially if it's slow and if I'm having "one of those nights". I usually end up doing good at the end of the night and make $$$$, but still freak out right b4 my shift. I drink also, which probably isn't good while taking the meds, but I just wanna have fun while I'm at work. Does anyone else go through this? Things have gotten a lot better, though...I don't drink as much as I used to.





I have someone tell me all the things that I have an will have in the future.
I fuckin HATE HATE HATE when people say 'it'll be alright, don't worry, I'm here for you'.
Y'know what that implies?! It implies something is wrong! Telling me it WILL be alright and that you HAD to be here for me tells me something is up and I start running around like a chicken with no head. It makes it worse.
Tell me good things. Tell me logical things I can, do, and will have. Tell me I have a nice dress, a lot of money, a good surgeon.... just don't tell me it'll be okay.
Look like a woman
Think like a man
Act like a lady
Work like a dog
- My Great Grandmother Bessie's Recipe for Success





My experience was different. I either needed to take time to myself until it passed or sit with my friend or mate until I felt safe again. Maybe you can decide on a friend to call whenever it comes over you. Journaling is very good too. It keeps your mind moving and reassures you as you work through what's bugging you.
“What a caterpillar calls the end of the world we call a butterfly.” - ECKHART TOLLE
Originally Posted by lilithmorrigan
Same here. I thought I was the only one!
It also freaks me out when people suggest drugs - weed, Valium, Vicodin, whatever. Drugs make it SO much worse because instead of knowing I'm just having a panic attack, I start freaking out that I'm having a fatal reaction to the drugs. Please, please, please do not push drugs on me if I'm having a panic attack! Just mentioning them is going to make it so much worse!




Thanks for posting this thread. I suffer from BAD panic attacks. I had to quit dancing and moved back in with my parents for nine months because they were coming in waves .
Best news ever... they can't kill you no matter what. Mine used to happen while driving. First one happened while doing 85 on the interstate and i didnt know what was happening to me. Horrible. DIdnt drive on the interstate for THREE years after that. Finally do now... yay!!!
I take an herbal tincture called Rescue Remedy at work if I feel a high level of anxiety at any time during the shift. Usually within 20 minutes i've forgotten that i was feeling anxious.
I yell at my panic attacks internally now. I tell them, before they get full blown that I don't feel like having one, that i have better things to do, that you're not interrupting me, etc etc etc. I get downright nasty and indignant with them internally. It also helps to separate it from myself and to keep me from blaming myself or trying to find a reason that it happens to me. I treat it as an unwanted visitor from outside myself that I do not deserve. It helps a potential episode go away. I do this to myself a lot on stage. And it's not performance anxiety either... it's just the fact that I know that having one on stage would be one of the worst places to have one... and thus... a perfect place for the bastard to bother me!! Funny how that works.
Yekefah, as always, has brilliant advice regarding this. they are STUPID panic attacks. And they are. Stupid. Tell them so!!
Many hugs going out to you right now and to all the others here dealing with them.





Hey babe, I just got an over-the-counter medicine called nerv-o-heel (yeah, sounds stupid)... it's supposed to be a homoepathic medication that works. I haven't had it long enough to be sure, but try it.![]()
Look like a woman
Think like a man
Act like a lady
Work like a dog
- My Great Grandmother Bessie's Recipe for Success



Has anyone else tried Kava Kava it works superb for anxiety!![]()





^ I cannot find any of that stuff! I used to take it when I was going through my divorce to help me sleep and get through the depression of the separation. I would like to take herbal remedies instead of Klonopin for these bastard attacks...but I'm scared of mixing the herbs with the Effexor I take. They most likely have it online, though. The attacks are so much worse when I am PMSing. I'm paranoid all the damn time and have crying fits that come from nowhere.![]()
The first few times I had panic attacks, I called up my boyfriend and he convinced me to sit down and relax and held my hand until I recovered. Now that I'm used to them, I just remind myself that I'm not going to die, stop whatever I'm doing and sit down on a couch and watch TV. Or if I'm on the road I'll call up a friend just to distract myself. I don't really believe in a lot of drugs but you could get Xanax and just take them when you think you're going to have them. It can be addictive... the herbal stuff seems nice, I should look into that myself.
I've been getting panic attacks more lately too, they come from out of nowhere sometimes! They do range from mild to completely paralyzing. I have a few emergency Xanax in case they get really bad. Like Michelle Jade said, they can be very addicting, I haven't taken one in almost 8 months.
Sometimes to calm down I'll rock back and forth and try to keep a picture in my head, something relaxing like the ocean or a waterfall to try and block the thoughts that are racing during the attack.
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