How do you deal with a panic attack when you're stuck?

[Sparkling_Fairy]

Hi all,

So for a long time, I've had problems with heat. Not natural heat. If it's warm outside and it crosses over to the inside, I can deal just fine with that. But if it's artificial heat, and especially if I can smell it, I automatically panic. No matter how much I try to talk myself down and say that if everyone else can sit there and be just fine, you're not going to die from it. But my body just won't listen!

Usually I just get up and go to a cooler place, and almost instantly calm down.
And if I get a regular panic attack, e.g.: in my bedroom where it's always cold, I can do breathing exercises and nip it in the bud before it becomes too bad.

But my question is, how do you deal with a panic attach when you can't remove yourself from the situation? Panic attacks make me feel hot, if I'm already in a hot room it gets so much worse! My heart rate goes up really high, I feel nauseous and I start feeling really drowsy!
And I worry if this happens on a bus or a train, that I won't be able to get off for a few hours and I don't know how to get over the feeling of being too hot and feeling like my body can't handle it.

It's so frustrating! I've dealt with most of my anxiety, but this heat thing I can't shake.
How do you cope with a panic attack when you can't go anywhere?

[Stecakes]

have you considered therapy for this?
you might benefit from cbt. in the meantime you could have one of this battery operated fans in your pocket when in these situations?

[Tea]

I try to distract myself, whether it's with knitting, playing a game on my phone, or just breathing exercises and visualisation, or talking to myself about something else (in my head :)).

It's worked so far, but I haven't pushed myself hard enough to be confident that I can cope with more stressful places with it yet.

[NoraB]

Distract yourself with something and do breathing exercises. Also, wear layers so that you can easily remove a few to cool you down.

[randomforeigner]

I've only had a panic attack once, in a much over-heated car (sunlight, summer) for about two minutes when I accidentally had switched on the child lock and couldn't open the doors, and instantly imagined the worst. Then I got out. It was not pleasant.

Heat is difficult. Is it that it's really hot objectively speaking, or is that you have a panic attack from normal room temperatures but it being triggered by your knowing that it's artificial heating, like central heating? It might be relevant to the problem to know this. If it's just in your mind, maybe cbt will work, but if it's a truly over-heated bus or train, suffocatingly bad air, hot and humid, cramped up space - well, I think that one is more of trying to avoid the problem. I was on a bus once, mid summer, and the heating was on full blast as if it had been mid-winter (in Scandinavia, you can imagine). It was so hot I prepared to jump off at the next stop which (sadly) was 20 minutes away. That was difficult. Luckily, the driver managed to turn the heating off, and air conditioning on, in the nick of time, but before this I was down to counting the minutes until we were to stop. Not all situations are worth enduring with the help of breathing techniques etc. even though it might help when it happens.

Dressing in layers might be helpful.

[Sparkling_Fairy]

have you considered therapy for this?
you might benefit from cbt. in the meantime you could have one of this battery operated fans in your pocket when in these situations?

I have a battery operated fan. It does help but I can only use it on my face. The rest of my body will still feel really sweaty.
But it does help.

I've done counseling. Didn't really help me.


I've only had a panic attack once, in a much over-heated car (sunlight, summer) for about two minutes when I accidentally had switched on the child lock and couldn't open the doors, and instantly imagined the worst. Then I got out. It was not pleasant.

Heat is difficult. Is it that it's really hot objectively speaking, or is that you have a panic attack from normal room temperatures but it being triggered by your knowing that it's artificial heating, like central heating? It might be relevant to the problem to know this. If it's just in your mind, maybe cbt will work, but if it's a truly over-heated bus or train, suffocatingly bad air, hot and humid, cramped up space - well, I think that one is more of trying to avoid the problem. I was on a bus once, mid summer, and the heating was on full blast as if it had been mid-winter (in Scandinavia, you can imagine). It was so hot I prepared to jump off at the next stop which (sadly) was 20 minutes away. That was difficult. Luckily, the driver managed to turn the heating off, and air conditioning on, in the nick of time, but before this I was down to counting the minutes until we were to stop. Not all situations are worth enduring with the help of breathing techniques etc. even though it might help when it happens.

Dressing in layers might be helpful.

That's interesting. I don't seem to get it from normal room temperature even when I know the heating is on.
I get it in a room where other people are also warm. I just end up feeling much warmer than them because of that. And it definitely sends me into anxiety.
I'm not afraid to ask anymore to turn down the heat. They just don't always do it, or not for very long.

---------- Post added at 15:50 ---------- Previous post was at 15:49 ----------

Thanks all of you for your replies :)

[emmegee]

I have a couple good relaxation apps on my phone. If you had earbuds you could listen to a ten minute relaxation session. Pacifica is a good one.

[Sparkling_Fairy]

Oh, thanks! I'll download that and use it if I get anxious on my flight tomorrow.

[Lissa101]

Have you tried exposure therapy? I'm not sure if it'll work but I can imagine my therapist suggesting repeated visits to a sauna, increasing the time you stay by a little each time. I guess the logic is that you'll become more and more comfortable being hot.

[Sparkling_Fairy]

I haven't tried that! I used to go swimming and then use the outdoor hot tub, but I always avoided the sauna like the plague!
Maybe I should go back and use the sauna a minute at a time. Thanks for the tip!