Panic out of nowhere

[beauty]

Has anyone else had panic change their life out of nowhere?

I find it hard to believe that a few weeks ago and for the last 6 years I've been panic free and enjoying my life. Then one day a few weeks ago I had a random panic attack and it's been downhill from there.

I want to understand why this happened...I was happy and other than usual everyday stresses wasn't really worried about or going through anything bad. So why would it just happen now? It's so random!

I'm assuming it means I had some built up worries in my subconscious? Or was very stressed without realising it?

Has this happened to anyone else and can anyone relate?

[Oosh]

I think underlying panic attacks is that fear of escalation. It's not so much a fear about any specific thing. For me it was fearing the escalation.

After all we panic a lot normally.
Youre young, don't even know what panic attacks are. Loud noise behind you. You jump. See what it was. Realise there's no danger. Then say "phew. Omg I nearly jumped out of my skin then." It's like by default there is a dampening effect. So you feel the panic start, then quite quickly dampen and you relax.

I think panic attacks are when the dampening effect is missing and the panic escalates.

I found the secret to stopping my panic attacks was putting that dampening effect back. It can start if it needs to, like normal, but then I WILL feel that dampening effect drop on it like a damp towel dropped over a small fire.

Many years later I can feel in danger of having one just by a memory, a thought.
I think something that traumatic will always be there if you go to the right place.

It doesn't mean anything though. Yes you could have been anxious about something, a quick suggestion that you're losing control, trigger panic, all without you knowing much about it.

But it also could have happened because of a slight feeling you felt that your brain mistook for panic, escalation, panic.
Eg I like rooms cool. I like lights non-bright. And I know that's because I associate these things with my attacks.

It could just have been a memory of a feeling.

Whatever it was, it doesn't mean anything.

Continue to dampen any escalation and return to your earlier default.
Do NOT think about them, forget. That's the biggest tip I could give for panic, anxiety etc just forget.

Take care

[beauty]

Thanks so much for your reply oosh, that makes a lot of sense. It really did feel like it came from nowhere however like you said perhaps it was a memory (possibly subconscious) of a feeling or condition that triggered it off.

I really hope I can return to my former self, I already feel trapped in that panic cycle and can't see a way out. I really want to forget like I did before but it's so hard. It is consuming all of my thoughts, it's the first thing that pops into my mind when I wake up. Even when I'm distracted the thoughts seem to be there lurking in the background..

[Emphyrio]

You should read some Claire Weekes - Hope and Help for your Nerves. Some people get trapped in a cycle of panic and assume that something is physically wrong with them in some way - she teaches us how to break that cycle.