Anxiety Support Group

Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...

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First time panic attack

Willaim73
Willaim73

I am new to this. Earlier this week i was at work in our machine shop, I went to got to the bathroom and when i came back an odd feeling came over me. I felt like i was being squeezed and my vision became blurry. The room began to spin and my heart began to pound in my chest, I couldn't seem to get a breath of air and then i collapsed as all the strength went out of my legs and I began to shake like crazy. My boss saw all of this happened and got me into his van to take me to the hospital. As soon as I got outside I began to throw up. It took an hour and a half for me to calm down and I was completely drained and exhausted. the Hospital sent me home but I spent the rest of the day highly anxious and on the edge of another attack.. My wife final drove me to another ER close by us as I couldn't sleep of function. I was just walking around in circles. This time the ER realized what was going on and treated me as GAD and gave me some Ativan. Thank God. within 20 minutes I felt great. The sent me home with a small prescription to get me through until I see my doctor on Friday. I have never had anything like this before but I have been under tremendous pressure over the last few years and my wife thinks its finally taken its toll. I cant for the life of me understand how someone can live with this disorder on a daily basis. Its down right disabilitating and that's an understatement. I literally felt like I was going to die. If it wasn't for this Ativan right now I would be in some serious trouble. My wife is a psychologist and has been a great help in showing me exercises to distract the mind but I still live in constant state of anxiety now. This all came out of nowhere with no warning and now it feels like its here to stay for a while..

jannytheresa
jannytheresa
I haven't had a full blown panic attack in years. I do remember what you are
describing---It is outright frightening. I recognized it as anxiety immediately but continued having the attacks for a few weeks until I got some medication.
I wish you well.
You will get through this. Resting helped me some and talking about what was happening. Happy that your wife is trained and can help you
mtd
mtd
You say you are under a great deal of pressure. That’s understandable. We all get that way at times. However, it has now manifested into a panic attack. Now is the time for you to take action, before it gets worse. The longer you go without treatment, the worse symptoms can get. Your wife, as a psychologist, should be well aware of this. You need to start therapy ASAP, start learning about anxiety and it’s manifestations, treatment options, meditation and deep relaxation breathing, acceptance. Your condition is highly treatable, medications relieve symptoms temporary ly, but don’t fix your thinking or how you deal with stress. Through educating yourself and practicing learned techniques you can overcome this. I can’t stress enough that NOW is the time to get help, before it gets worse. It can be done, but you have to take the necessary steps to make it happen.
arfie
arfie
Hello William. Welcome to DS. Sorry for what brings you here but glad you are here.

As a lifelong sufferer of anxiety disorder, I am always tempted to envy people with sudden onset anxiety. I am clueless what an anxiety-free day feels like and. . . However, the envy never holds up to the closer look. The sudden onset appears to be quite the shock to the system.

Setting that aside for now. . .

Peer support is one of my primary tools for managing my own anxiety. As useful as the pro help might be, pros are like reference books that never leave the library. My peer supporters are the ones who help me through the process of elimination to find the right theories for me and help me translate that Pro=grade Higher Learning into my more humble daily life.

But that is me and every case is unique.

Gentle support while you find what works for you. Welcome aboard.
You are not alone. . .
BrianH42
BrianH42
I remember my first in grad school. I was in the ER twice. I Wrestled with anxiety and panic attacks for 6 months. I had to make some life changes but most importantly I had to stop having an escape or get out mind set and to accept it. It took time to fade but I started to feel like myself again. My faith also was a huge help.

I still have seasons but I have to remember not to have a flight mentality. You are lucky you have your wife. Prayers for you!
rmb
rmb
I haven’t had a panic attack in really long time but remember how it scared the crap out of me at first. For me, once I understood what was happening to me, the attacks became much easier to manage and then the intensity faded. So I don’t believe you have to resign yourself to having them for the rest of your life or that they will always be as intense.

I have had anxiety for as long as I can remember. It definitely ticks up under stress. But I have found that accepting it and working with it vs against it really helps make it manageable. Even when my anxiety is on 10, I usually can apply the tools I’ve learned to de-escalate.
maria718
maria718
Wow. I have a lot of anxiety, but never had an attack like that. From reading what you wrote, now I know how bad it can get. And I thought I had it bad!!! Thanks for writing about this. It sure must have been scary and I hope you get better real soon, make sure you take the meds, do mindfulness exercises, do whatever needs to be done. Good luck to you!
Community LeaderMid
Mid
Welcome to the anxiety board at DS.

You've taken the important first step in writing it out.

Here's the important thing, you are the only one who can change the moment of panic in the moment. Stop, pause, breathe, repeat until you feel the calm.

I had a series of panic attacks and when I had one in the doctor's office, it was then that I learned this one. That sense of panic is anxiety's helper charging your battery to operate in the moment.

When you have been under pressure without releasing the contents over time, the battery gets the notice and charges up.

Keeping a daily journal helps to sort out the thoughts, emotions, feelings, and separate the words that you can do action on to improve your better balance.

Here's to finding your better balance and to get your anxiety back within a working range.
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