Panic attacks in shower

[RVP]

When my anxiety levels are high, I always find I can't cope having a shower for more than 5 minutes, I start to feel I can't breathe and costraphobic, I have to open the shower door to get some fresh air and I feel my heart racing everytime.

[RVP]

I don't have time for baths, but I'm not saying I get panic attacks ALWAYS in the shower, just that I'm more prone to getting them when my anxiety levels are high and I'm having a shower.

I don't even remember the last time I had a bath, maybe 3/4 years ago.

[Gotagetthroughthis]

Hey RVP,

I used to get this a bit too. It seems to be the warm water and the steam makes it feel slightly harder to breath. You could shower with the shower door open as it might make it a bit less claustrophobic, you may get water everywhere though lol

[xBettyBoopx]

I used to get this too but in the bath more. I just started to be glad that at least I could have a few minutes, slowly the tense anxious feeling went away, sometimes it's there but not as much as it used to be.

Els

[nicola1980]

Hi i get this when i have a bath, i now have to get my husband to sit with me whilst i bath for the fear of having an attack, i think its the warmth and steam that does it x x

[HoneyLove]

Hi RVP, this happened to me only once, but it was a combination of dizziness and feeling like I couldn't quite take a full breath that made me panic.

If this happens to you again try to think straight about it. Remember in the middle of all the steam it'll be natural for your breathing to feel a little weird - but that steam is actually so good for you to breathe in and clear out your nose, sinuses and lungs :)

Plus when you're feeling anxious the muscles in your chest will be tense and tight, making your breathing feel weird enough already. You're also hyper aware of the different feelings happening in your body. Throw in some steam on top of that and it's quite understandable that it'd be a trigger for you.

If you find yourself anxious in the shower again just think about the logic: it's normal to feel a bit stuck for breath when you're all wound up with anxiety, but you will always be able to take a breath and you will never stop breathing. Accept that it feels weird and you just have to live with it for a couple of minutes as you shower.

If you find yourself feeling a little more anxious or your heart starting to pound just accept that these sensations are a result of the adrenaline released when you're worrying. They;re horrible but they're not life threatening and you'll get through it.

I'm practicing this acceptance technique at the moment, and actually it works much better than you'd think! You could also try learning a quick EFT tapping technique from Youtube to cut off the panic as you're in the shower - I think this works really well for me too, I don't remember the last time I had a full blown panic attack, I always tap the panic out.