Have you ever had a Panic/Anxiety Attack?

Question

If so, how did you get through your attack? What did you do that worked?

Answer 1

Yes, I have had many.

I now have medication for them (Valium), and I take a small amount when I have an acute attack, but for many years I did not have medication for the acute attacks.

Quite often, they came when I was driving because of a car accident a long time ago when I was nearly killed. I would have to pull over to the side of the road and just work really hard to calm down. About the only thing that worked for me was trying to focus on my breathing to the exclusion of everything else. I did try talking to other people, mainly my husband, but for some reason talking was not a relief for me in any way. I just had to ride it out, and focus on my breathing. Sometimes, if my mind was too scattered to concentrate on breathing, I would focus on something else, such as a physical object in my vehicle, and stare at that until I was settled enough to concentrate on breaths. Focusing on a specific part of music, especially the drum part, was also very helpful.

The thing that was a real challenge for me was that I would hyperventilate, which made me light headed, and only seemed to make things worse. Also, if I was around people (yes, they did come at times when I was not driving), I became extremely anxious about being touched or talked to, so I had to excuse myself and go be alone.

I did have a therapist tell me that some of the tips for getting through them include:

--Removing yourself from the situation, that's if you know that the situation is a trigger for you. For example, a woman who has been raped may have an anxiety attack if she finds herself alone in an elevator with an unknown man. The first thing she should do is get off at the next floor. Removing a trigger, if you know of one, will help you gain some semblance of control over yourself more quickly.

--Deep, controlled breathing. This helps you keep from hyperventilating, which makes you dizzy and can actually make the attack worse. Also, many people have a vagus response to deep, controlled breathing, which helps to slow down pulse rate and control blood pressure. Even if you don't have a vagus response, deep breathing is well recognized as having a calming effect.

--Focus on something else. Many mental health specialists recommend intense focus on something either solid, like an object or rhythmic, like music. I know when I have been too freaked to control my breathing or focus on it, I have been able to calm down by listening to something specific in a piece of music, such as the drums, or the base line only.

--After you have managed to calm yourself a bit, take stock and remind yourself of why there is no reason to panic. This one is tricky for me, because there isn't always a trigger for my attacks. However, if you do have a trigger, realizing that the thing that made you panic in the first place is gone does look like a good option. For example, when I have them while driving, I sometimes get out of the truck if I am somewhere safe, like a parking lot, and walk around the truck. I look at the fact that it is not damaged, which means that I am not damaged. I also focus on the fact that it is large and solid, and that I would not be injured as badly if I were hit now as I was when I was hit years ago in a small car.

If your attacks are interfering with your life, you need to talk to a doctor about them. You also need to talk to a doctor about them if they bring on associated problems like extremely fast heart rate, or breathing problems. Often, anxiety is a symptom of underlying issues, so those need to be ruled out, as well. It can be scary to talk about with a doctor, but it can also save you a lot of grief.

Answer 2

i have had two attacks while driving. its scary. The thing was that i was in a bad mood and began to freak out like the moron that i am in the car. it felt like i could not breath but i was so, i just began to calm down right away only because i knew that i was having a panic attack. i just began to inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth for a while until i was relaxed.
thank god i knew what a panic attack was and what to do or else i would have got into a bad accident. hope i was able to help, good luck

Answer 3

I felt like something bad would happen or sometimes I thought I was having a heart attack. It was always a for a brief period maybe 2 hrs. I went to the Dr. he gave me something to calm me. Hope that helps

Answer 4

Use a paper bag to slow down your breathing because you can hyperventilate, also try using positive thinking when you are having an attck let yourself know that you are ok and this feeling will pass soon works for me !

Answer 5

Yes indeed i have.When i was in 4th grade.I had extreme fear of sleeping due to nightmares and could not sleep at all.What my mother did was to take slow deep breaths and to exhale slowly.Belive it or not,she also made me whatch cartoons to distract my mind.And yes it worked.

Answer 6

hypnotherapy can fix that problem you have. fear brings it on