pinkyponk
01-03-12, 21:13
Hi there - I'm sorry I'm asking for help on my first post, but I'm struggling!
I'm a 23 year old guy from the UK - generally health and all the rest of it.
My trouble started about three years ago. The night before I had got 3 hours sleep, I had then worked 4 hours, then driven 50 miles to visit my grandmother who was in hospital at the time. I was standing there in the hospital when I felt a bit dizzy. I was offered a chair, but declined, thinking it would pass. I ended up passing out (I don't think I actually did pass out - I can sort of half remember hitting the floor / dreaming / thinking "finally some sleep!". Anyway. Whatever. By the time I was on the floor I was conscious, aware of what had happened and when I had recovered and had a good nights sleep was fine again. The general consensus is that a lack of sleep / nothing to eat for 24 hours / heat just got to me - which seems plausible.
Since then I have regularly felt like I am going to faint (I have never fainted since though) dizzy and made sure I only ever put myself in situations where I was able to sit down. I think I had always felt I was in control of my body and the fainting episode has made me realise that I am, in fact, not in control of my body. I wouldn't say I'm a control freak, but in general I have always liked to be in control of a situation. Anyway I had never considered that this might be anxiety at all. It wasn't until my Dad said that he used to get very similar episodes when he was younger until it clicked.
For the past three years I have constantly been thinking about fainting whatever situation that I'm in. And looking at the time's when I've felt bad - it's been in situations I've been dreading.
Anyway. It's happened again tonight. I was just sitting at my desk reading some forums and bang. I felt my face beginning to feel numb, feeling rising up from my stomach, trembly hands, feeling like I wanted to lay down on the floor etc... My Dad was there and immediately said I was having a panic attack - and nothing more.
So I stood up (something I have never done when I've felt like this before!) and I didn't faint. It was horrible forcing myself to do it - but I was okay. The feelings actually passed over pretty quickly!
I now feel a little weird. Y'know that panicky feeling you get in your stomach? I've got that a bit but it's not going away. And I feel kinda disorientated. Not like dizzy or anything. The only way I can describe it is it's like I'm looking through a window. But that makes no sense! Argh.
What exactly causes all this? How can I stop it from happening now I've identified what's happening? How can I get over this "I'm going to die" feeling?!
I'm a 23 year old guy from the UK - generally health and all the rest of it.
My trouble started about three years ago. The night before I had got 3 hours sleep, I had then worked 4 hours, then driven 50 miles to visit my grandmother who was in hospital at the time. I was standing there in the hospital when I felt a bit dizzy. I was offered a chair, but declined, thinking it would pass. I ended up passing out (I don't think I actually did pass out - I can sort of half remember hitting the floor / dreaming / thinking "finally some sleep!". Anyway. Whatever. By the time I was on the floor I was conscious, aware of what had happened and when I had recovered and had a good nights sleep was fine again. The general consensus is that a lack of sleep / nothing to eat for 24 hours / heat just got to me - which seems plausible.
Since then I have regularly felt like I am going to faint (I have never fainted since though) dizzy and made sure I only ever put myself in situations where I was able to sit down. I think I had always felt I was in control of my body and the fainting episode has made me realise that I am, in fact, not in control of my body. I wouldn't say I'm a control freak, but in general I have always liked to be in control of a situation. Anyway I had never considered that this might be anxiety at all. It wasn't until my Dad said that he used to get very similar episodes when he was younger until it clicked.
For the past three years I have constantly been thinking about fainting whatever situation that I'm in. And looking at the time's when I've felt bad - it's been in situations I've been dreading.
Anyway. It's happened again tonight. I was just sitting at my desk reading some forums and bang. I felt my face beginning to feel numb, feeling rising up from my stomach, trembly hands, feeling like I wanted to lay down on the floor etc... My Dad was there and immediately said I was having a panic attack - and nothing more.
So I stood up (something I have never done when I've felt like this before!) and I didn't faint. It was horrible forcing myself to do it - but I was okay. The feelings actually passed over pretty quickly!
I now feel a little weird. Y'know that panicky feeling you get in your stomach? I've got that a bit but it's not going away. And I feel kinda disorientated. Not like dizzy or anything. The only way I can describe it is it's like I'm looking through a window. But that makes no sense! Argh.
What exactly causes all this? How can I stop it from happening now I've identified what's happening? How can I get over this "I'm going to die" feeling?!