devin42
30-10-11, 01:22
I've had my symptoms for over 2 years, and at first the panic was really bad (how it began) but then it became a peripheral part of my life and I was really close to how I'd describe normal.
Then I got another bad panic attack around ten months ago, and a lot of anxiety. Still wasn't too bad, and I functioned as normal with a bit of worry. After that there was a two week period on holiday where I had loads of panic and (for the first time I think) depersonalisation, feeling removed when all I focused on was the anxiety. It honestly for the first time felt like the world was ending.
I managed to focus again with my mates in school, on normal stuff, and through distraction managed mostly to forget about the worry. Then came another really scary window of time (on holiday again) when I worried that it could never end...I mean a lot of panic attacks, followed by a spacey detached feeling, then anxiety in between, with a few brief moments of normality.
I got home and carried on life as normal again, though my calm was a bit more tenuous. I had a couple of panicky incidents followed by a few days of anxiety in the summer.
Then, I got panicky at the new college. When I'm not anxious, it's an amazing place to learn and meet great people. When I am, it's a lot scarier than the school. Now, even though I'm going out with my friends, in places I always felt safe in, I'm getting the anxious symptoms, really spaced out, awful concentration, detached feeling and panic attacks every day or other day. Based on this evidence, it definitely feels like I'm getting worse, and that's the main thing that keeps the panics going. I know I'm not going to die or that anything terrible will happen, but it feels like it's becoming a lot more difficult to enjoy the things I love.
I have these optimistic periods where I feel fine and can say - 'wow, that was just a false impression caused by stressed out nerves. When I calm down, these things will stop'. Then short hours later I'll have a panic attack and that feeling, those positive thoughts go out of the window.
Thanks for reading, any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Then I got another bad panic attack around ten months ago, and a lot of anxiety. Still wasn't too bad, and I functioned as normal with a bit of worry. After that there was a two week period on holiday where I had loads of panic and (for the first time I think) depersonalisation, feeling removed when all I focused on was the anxiety. It honestly for the first time felt like the world was ending.
I managed to focus again with my mates in school, on normal stuff, and through distraction managed mostly to forget about the worry. Then came another really scary window of time (on holiday again) when I worried that it could never end...I mean a lot of panic attacks, followed by a spacey detached feeling, then anxiety in between, with a few brief moments of normality.
I got home and carried on life as normal again, though my calm was a bit more tenuous. I had a couple of panicky incidents followed by a few days of anxiety in the summer.
Then, I got panicky at the new college. When I'm not anxious, it's an amazing place to learn and meet great people. When I am, it's a lot scarier than the school. Now, even though I'm going out with my friends, in places I always felt safe in, I'm getting the anxious symptoms, really spaced out, awful concentration, detached feeling and panic attacks every day or other day. Based on this evidence, it definitely feels like I'm getting worse, and that's the main thing that keeps the panics going. I know I'm not going to die or that anything terrible will happen, but it feels like it's becoming a lot more difficult to enjoy the things I love.
I have these optimistic periods where I feel fine and can say - 'wow, that was just a false impression caused by stressed out nerves. When I calm down, these things will stop'. Then short hours later I'll have a panic attack and that feeling, those positive thoughts go out of the window.
Thanks for reading, any advice would be greatly appreciated.