JoJo2
20-05-12, 15:57
I've been struggling with this latest round of panic attacks for about a year and a half. I've experienced them on and off for about 15 years - a few years reprieve and then they start up again. This last round, I learned a great deal about panic attacks and why they happen. I've done CBT, tried meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, tried accepting my symptoms (hard, but sometimes it works), take Xanax on occasion.
My biggest trigger is work. Especially going to a meeting at work, or even going to the bathroom - because I've had panic attacks there in the past. I'm really struggling with how to cope with them at work. I work in a very active office and I feel like I have to be at my best all of the time, with people dropping by my desk with questions and impromptu 'quick' meetings that go on for an hour.
I start to feel light-headed and then I think "oh no, this is the start of a panic attack. I can't leave. How do I get out of here." Throughout the day, I can be mindful of my breathing and cope by slowing down my breath. But I've noticed that in meetings or when someone is talking to me, I get tense and start breathing erratically or holding my breath. From there, I can get full of panic attacks where I am breathing heavily, get palpitations, and feel confused. I start feeling a bit uncoordinated and I can't think properly. I start to feel like I will fall over, pass out, not know how to get home. Once it gets really intense, I feel exhausted and really can't go on with the day.
Do other people get this confusion feeling?
Do others have ways of breathing properly - even when you get distracted? Like I said, if I think about it, I can breathe properly, but once I get distracted by a meeting, I start to breath weird and I only notice that when I start feeling light-headed and well on my way to a full blown panic attack.
Thanks!
My biggest trigger is work. Especially going to a meeting at work, or even going to the bathroom - because I've had panic attacks there in the past. I'm really struggling with how to cope with them at work. I work in a very active office and I feel like I have to be at my best all of the time, with people dropping by my desk with questions and impromptu 'quick' meetings that go on for an hour.
I start to feel light-headed and then I think "oh no, this is the start of a panic attack. I can't leave. How do I get out of here." Throughout the day, I can be mindful of my breathing and cope by slowing down my breath. But I've noticed that in meetings or when someone is talking to me, I get tense and start breathing erratically or holding my breath. From there, I can get full of panic attacks where I am breathing heavily, get palpitations, and feel confused. I start feeling a bit uncoordinated and I can't think properly. I start to feel like I will fall over, pass out, not know how to get home. Once it gets really intense, I feel exhausted and really can't go on with the day.
Do other people get this confusion feeling?
Do others have ways of breathing properly - even when you get distracted? Like I said, if I think about it, I can breathe properly, but once I get distracted by a meeting, I start to breath weird and I only notice that when I start feeling light-headed and well on my way to a full blown panic attack.
Thanks!