Panic Attacks Support Group

A panic attack is a period of intense fear or discomfort, typically with an abrupt onset and usually lasting no more than thirty minutes. Symptoms include trembling, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating, nausea, dizziness, hyperventilation, and sensations of choking or smothering. Panic attacks can be very sudden, appear to be unprovoked, and are often...

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Anxiety Disorders
/ Panic Attacks Support Group

Id like to make a point

journeyman3615
journeyman3615
To my surprise I have recently learned what causes panic attacks, Its NOT the fear of flying or shopping centre,or fear of crowds or lifts or fear of going to far from the house of going to bed and so on, Its the fear of having a PANIC ATTACK. Ive been focusing my attention on the fact that a panic attack even though its the most horrible sensation known to man/women, it actully cant do you any harm. its the next attack we fear, when you learn to not fear an attack (That bring it on attitude)you dont fuel it. It doesnt come, you get better. comments please
journeyman3615
journeyman3615
Wow theres a lot of ppl here with a good understanding of there condition and how to overcome it. I learned how to use distraction when things got really bad, and got real good at it, which in its self stopped me worring about the next attack, Hench no attacks or anxiety for months, however i still feel that i havent tackled the real issue of faceing the bigger fears/trigers, climbing inside a panic and defussing them for ever, to do this i know i have to get on the front line, Out of my newly created comfort zone, which will bring some panics back, maybe this should of been in my journal, I did actually go to visit one of these places/trigers last week , but no panic, i need to step out more i think?
deleted_user
deleted_user
Everytime i get a panic attack i try and say ok it's not going to kill me, but it never works. each day I get a new symptom like today i got a pain in the middle of my chest and a bad headache which i never had beofre so i think ok this time something wrong with me. How do I handle these types of panics what happen if i put of every symtom has a panic attack but it's not and something is wrong with me thats why i panic all the time. Any advice
deleted_user
deleted_user
brandi has a very good point. I often feel this way, that is "what if". The only way I can survie it is to say to myself "what is going to happen is going to happen". It doesn't matter how much I panic about it because it changes nothing, if anything it can only effect me in a negative way.
deleted_user
deleted_user
brandi66,when I first started getting my panic attacks(1994) I thought there was something wrong with me physically.My major systems were chest pain/discomfort and trouble breathing.I thought I was having a heart attack or there was something seriously wrong with my lungs.At the time I went to several doctors and had myself checked out from head to toe.Everything was normal which was hard for me to take in.Surely there has to be something wrong with me physically???Nope.Just my head messing with me.Hmmm.That wasn't easy for me to digest.They suggest I see a shrink."What?I'm a 27 year old manly man.I bench 315.I can run a marathon in the desert.I'm USN.I know how to kill people with my pinky."The usual macho BS common to my gender.Well I took their advice and saw someone that might be able reassemble my brain.

That has been sometime ago and for the most part I have learned to deal/live with panic attacks and the physical symptoms.I still get the same feelings quite often.It still feels like I am having a heart attack.To date,I must have had 4753 heart attacks just to be conservative.

At one time I tried to tell myself "what's the worst thing that can happen to me?Die?" Well I'm really not afraid of dieing.For me feeling like I'm dieing 10x a day is worse.

Not really sure where I'm going but I just wanted to let you know your not alone and to share my experiences.

My advice is to get yourself checked out from "head to toe" by a doctor/doctors that you have confidence in.And when they tell you your perfectly fine learn how to believe in it.

Exercise and eating right can go along way in boosting the "belief that I'm physically ok".