Hello Blue. Welcome to DS. Sorry for what brings you here but glad you are here.

It is my own general rule that I save my venting and speculation about my panic and anxiety for the safety of my therapy support network just because I don't typically expect anybody who doesn't suffer the disorders to understand. It isn't an understanding I'd wish on anybody, which only makes my therapy support network that much more valuable. Nobody understands like a fellow sufferer. DS is part of my therapy support network and I get lots of validating compassion here. Hope you do, too.

Welcome aboard.

Hello Arfie,

Thank you for the welcome. I agree with you, it seems like a hard thing to talk about with people who don't really understand how it feels to have this feeling.

I’ve had these kind of panic or anxiety attacks several times. They usually happen to me in the middle of the night when I wake up with a feeling of dread. I start feeling very intense anxiety, with thoughts about death and looming tragedy. The only thing that can help me during an episode like this is anti-anxiety meds, and even those don’t work quickly enough. You’re definitely not alone.

I'm sorry this happened to you. It doesn't necessarily mean you will get another anxious episode. Do you know if you are under any stress right now? Stress can definitely aggravate anxiety. I've had anxiety over 20 years and what helps me is therapy and medication, but it's still a daily struggle. Maybe you could think about if there are any stressors going on in your life right now and try to resolve those stress inducing things, if you can.

@Restful I don't mean to sound strange, but I am thankful that I am not alone in this struggle with anxiety. When I think back in certain instances in my life, I think I've had anxiety throughout a lot of my adolescent life, but I don't think it ever got to the point where I'd get anxiety attacks. I'm sorry that you've had anxiety attacks in the middle of the night, those seem like they would be the worst.

@GirlinCalif I hope to not get another anxious episode, but if it does happen I kind of know how to deal with it but I wish I didn't have to. We recently just got back into school for the year, but yes I am already under some stress because of the school work that I have already been assigned. I have 3 group projects already assigned (all for different classes) and then some due dates for essays already in place. I think this may have had to due with this anxious episode, because I received the information about these assignments during the first week of classes (last week). Then there is also stress caused by my family (I'm away from home for college). As far as the class stuff goes it is something I can resolve by organizing my time, but I think I just got too overwhelmed by it coming at me all at once. As for the family stress, it isn't something I can resolve right away because whatever is happening with them doesn't really have much to do with me, but yet I just worry for them.