Woke up in the middle of the night, shaking

[davidthegnome]

Hey everyone. Well, I had a big PA last night but am slowly feeling better and calming down. It was a really scary one though and brought me down a lot cause I thought I was over them. It all started out last night with some high anxiety, my sister used WAY too much laundry soap last night and the smell bugs me for some reason. I could smell it in my room with the door shut. At first I wondered if I was having an allergic reaction, or maybe imagining it. So I asked my sister and her bf if they could smell it too and fortunately they could.

After realizing I wasn't losing it, I figured it must have just been high anxiety and irrational fear, so I did some EFT and went to sleep around 11. Woke up at 1:30 or so sweating like a pig. My legs were shaking like mad, my breathing felt real shallow, my hands were cold and it felt like someone was squeezing my head. I was just so scared these things haven't hit me in a week, which is really good for me, so I figured they were done.

I also got this feeling like my adam's apple was going to jump out of my throat, I had no idea what the heck that was and it spooked me. I must have done like twenty rounds of EFT before I was able to get back to sleep and I woke up feeling disoriented and still kind of anxious. I just feel drained, that thing nailed me hard last night when I was least expecting it. Woke me up when I haven't woken up in the middle of the night like that for weeks.

I keep wondering if it was that pizza I ate, or maybe I smoked too many cigs yesterday. Or maybe I've been repressing my anxiety without really noticing it so it exploded forth. I dunno, all I know is these things suck.

Sorry all, just not feeling like my usual self this morning. I'll pick back up again and try to be more positive. Just had to share this because I was so afraid and wonder if all this crap is really normal. Do any of you have stuff like this? It just really, really scared me so much I couldn't even get out of bed last night to get a glass of water after I'd woken up.

God bless you all, sorry for rambling so much,

Dave

[terry]

hi david this has happened to me aswell but not for a very long time so i totaly no where your coming from when these things happen dont be afraid as that is what pa feeds off of the next time it happens dont fight it i know it sounds silly but just take some deep breaths and do what most people run from let the sensations flow through your body get to know these feelings except them insted of running from them this does work we only fear the fear pa will not kill u the more u except the weaker it gets i promise terry

[Ma Larkin]

Hi Dave, I totally agree with Terry. The more you accept, the weaker it gets. It tooks me over 2 years to really get to grips with panic attacks. I couldn't get my head around all the different symptoms associated with panic and anxiety. I was convinced I was having a heart attack at first, I couldn't cope with the hyper-ventilation (my worst symptom) and the shaking. Then, if it wasn't a heart attack, it was heart disease, then a tumour, etc., etc. In the end, I accepted that panic/anxiety will not kill me, it's just a pain in the ass and when I get panic attacks/anxiety I just tell it to get lost! My anxiety symptoms would last for days but now I can be over it within an hour.

Instead of being scared when the symptoms start, try and train your mind that "this isn't going to hurt me, it's nothing serious - its just anxiety and it will pass". I busy myself, my kids think I'm mad when I chuck a box of cornflakes on the carpet and start hoovering them up, but that's how I cope.

Good luck mate.

Les, x

[davidthegnome]

Thank you both. The sensations are just so odd and scary. I'm going to cope with them though, I know they can't hurt me, logically. Telling myself that when they strike is a little harder, but I can do it, I know I can. I'm just gonna keep on pushin, I'll get through this. Heck, I've had all this and worse before and it's never brought me down.

I'm just going to tell myself from now on that they're only symptoms and go back to whatever I was doing. I'll make it through, we all will.

Thanks for the support, it is deeply appreciated.

God bless you both,

Dave

[RachelC]

Ok, this site is making me feel so much better. All the weird things that happen to me have happened to others.
Would you believe that once I had a panic attack because I did laundry and the smell of the soap filled the apartment?
I thought I couldnt breathe, that I was having an allergic attack and that i was suffocating me. It wasn't, of course, but I had a PA all the same.

[Brandy snap]

Yes David, I have a problem with certain smells. I have to open every window in the house if I use bleach as I think it is harming my lungs. It actually gives me a sore throat even when it is just the smell in the air. Another smell I can't bear is greenfly or aphid spray - when neighbours spray their flowers and shrubs I then have to close all the windows for the same reason. So I constantly dread that they will spray their greenfly on the same day I've used bleach as I wouldn't know whether I should open or close the windows! I'm phobic about most chemicals as I think I mentioned before - oven cleaner, mildew remover, Mr Muscle descaler etc. Sorry I can't be much actual help, but I do understand, and isn't it nice when the smell has gone, even though at the time you think it will be in your nostrils forever? The prospect of any of these smells induces great anxiety for me. I hope you are feeling better soon and we will all wake up to a better day tomorrow. Brandy Snap xx

[Wilburis]

Hi Dave

Thinking of you. Hope you feel better.

A weird thing that almost sets me into an attack is when my cat sleeps on my bed and starts to clean herself, the ever so slight rocking motion I feel, makes me feel very anxious!!

Could you please let me know how to do the EFT thing.

Many thanks - Liz xx