nstama
06-12-11, 14:51
This is my first time writing in a site like this one but I have read some of your stories and it is very helpful to know that people are going through the same feelings and problems as I am, although I do not wish it upon anybody. So I want to thank you all and to thank this site in general for making it easier to cope with my panic.
I am 19 years old and have not been suffering from panic and anxiety for very long but at times I feel it is getting worse and all I want is for it to stop. I started feeling random bursts of anxiety at the end of my senior year in highschool, but this was not a very big deal. It was almost like a bad version of the butterflies but I knew it wasn't the butterflies because I wasn't excited or nervous about anything, it would just happen. I could deal with that though and did not have much worry about what was to come.
My first panic attack was last summer at my moms house in Oklahoma. It was the summer before my freshman year of college and every doctor I have spoken to believes that the stress of this new experience is what caused it. I disagree because I have been a world traveler for years and have been in situations where I have had to change my surroundings and experiences and I am not nervous about these things. Who knows though. Anyway it was at night and I had fallen into a light sleep and suddenly woke up out of breath and scared. I didn't know why I was scared and out of breath so that only made me more scared. I realized my heart was beating uncontrollably and I was shaking, and had some chest pains. I felt unreal and very weird. For awhile after this experience I felt like something was wrong with my health. After this attack I experienced others during the days and nights and was most of all, extremely afraid of having more.
The attack that has scarred me the most is one I had on my way to college. Me and my mom were driving from Oklahoma to Savannah, Georgia and were taking turns driving. While I was driving I started to feel weird, and scared, my chest was burning and my heart was beating fast. We stopped once so I could get out and walk around. We switched and my mom was the one driving. We were on a main highway when I started to feel horrible. I was shaking and my chest was in extreme pain, I really thought I was having a heart attack and was going to die right there. I tried to stay as calm as possible mostly for my mom because she had to continue driving until we could find a place to stop. Once I realized the attack was not getting any better I told her I needed to go to the hospital. It took 2 hours to find a hospital and in those 2 hours the attack was still going on. I got there and they did some tests and gave me some medicine to calm me down. Everything was fine medically, but I didn't feel much better mentally. Every since that day I have been having panic attacks. Some are less intense then others. But I am exhausted. I have realized now that most of my attacks occur when I lay down to go to sleep. I will be in bed reading a book or on my computer and will be fine. But once I lay down my body gets scared, my chest burns and I feel unreal. It really takes a toll on my body and my mind and it takes me a very long time to fall asleep.
I have recently quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey and have realized that maybe this also has something to do with my panic. Although it is a good thing that I quit, the quitting may be affecting my stress levels and the way my body reacts to things.
My new mission is meditation and exercise. I will let you all know how that goes. More than anything in the world I want this to be over, and I want to feel better. Having this happen to me has made me realize how good health mentally and physically is all you need to lead a happy life. The rest is choice. And if this problem ever goes away I will take every advantage I get to make my life the happiest it can possibly be. And I hope that all of you will do the same.
Thank you all for being here and for sharing your stories.
I am 19 years old and have not been suffering from panic and anxiety for very long but at times I feel it is getting worse and all I want is for it to stop. I started feeling random bursts of anxiety at the end of my senior year in highschool, but this was not a very big deal. It was almost like a bad version of the butterflies but I knew it wasn't the butterflies because I wasn't excited or nervous about anything, it would just happen. I could deal with that though and did not have much worry about what was to come.
My first panic attack was last summer at my moms house in Oklahoma. It was the summer before my freshman year of college and every doctor I have spoken to believes that the stress of this new experience is what caused it. I disagree because I have been a world traveler for years and have been in situations where I have had to change my surroundings and experiences and I am not nervous about these things. Who knows though. Anyway it was at night and I had fallen into a light sleep and suddenly woke up out of breath and scared. I didn't know why I was scared and out of breath so that only made me more scared. I realized my heart was beating uncontrollably and I was shaking, and had some chest pains. I felt unreal and very weird. For awhile after this experience I felt like something was wrong with my health. After this attack I experienced others during the days and nights and was most of all, extremely afraid of having more.
The attack that has scarred me the most is one I had on my way to college. Me and my mom were driving from Oklahoma to Savannah, Georgia and were taking turns driving. While I was driving I started to feel weird, and scared, my chest was burning and my heart was beating fast. We stopped once so I could get out and walk around. We switched and my mom was the one driving. We were on a main highway when I started to feel horrible. I was shaking and my chest was in extreme pain, I really thought I was having a heart attack and was going to die right there. I tried to stay as calm as possible mostly for my mom because she had to continue driving until we could find a place to stop. Once I realized the attack was not getting any better I told her I needed to go to the hospital. It took 2 hours to find a hospital and in those 2 hours the attack was still going on. I got there and they did some tests and gave me some medicine to calm me down. Everything was fine medically, but I didn't feel much better mentally. Every since that day I have been having panic attacks. Some are less intense then others. But I am exhausted. I have realized now that most of my attacks occur when I lay down to go to sleep. I will be in bed reading a book or on my computer and will be fine. But once I lay down my body gets scared, my chest burns and I feel unreal. It really takes a toll on my body and my mind and it takes me a very long time to fall asleep.
I have recently quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey and have realized that maybe this also has something to do with my panic. Although it is a good thing that I quit, the quitting may be affecting my stress levels and the way my body reacts to things.
My new mission is meditation and exercise. I will let you all know how that goes. More than anything in the world I want this to be over, and I want to feel better. Having this happen to me has made me realize how good health mentally and physically is all you need to lead a happy life. The rest is choice. And if this problem ever goes away I will take every advantage I get to make my life the happiest it can possibly be. And I hope that all of you will do the same.
Thank you all for being here and for sharing your stories.