Really high anxiety, or panic attack, right now

[Fay13]

How do you tell if your anxiety has reached the level of a panic attack.

For example, right now I feel incredibly anxious and panicky, I feel really sick (emetophobia is a big issue for me), shaky, like I might burst into tears, my heart is pounding and my stomach is churning. But how do I tell whether it has actually gone from “just” high anxiety into a full panic attack? And is it useful/necessary to make the distinction – I feel how I feel right now and whether it is high anxiety or a panic attack doesn’t change that. I actually feel the worst I have done in a while and am sitting at my desk and all I want to do is cry. I feel like my normal calming techniques aren’t working and that is making me panic more as I can’t seem to control it – I know the best way to deal with it is to accept it and not try to control it, but how do I do that right now??

[AppleCinnamon]

Sorry to hear, feeling the same right now, I hope you find some comfort in that.

We are both very anxious, yet we are able to visit this website and type our messages. While the high levels of stress and adrenaline makes us feel both physically and mentally horrible, we can still respond in a rational way. With regards to the distinction between panic and high anxiety, panic attacks are often described as being sudden and out of the blue; I wouldn't say that this is necessarily true for me personally as I have had them most frequently at times when I expected them to happen. For me personally, I wouldn't describe the current physical sensations as panic attack because at that point I wouldn't have been able to reply because it is simply too overwhelming. I don't know if there is anything that works for you, but one thing that works for me besides medication and when calming techniques are not working is looking for distraction such as reading your story :). Also, tensing your muscles helps get rid of the access adrenaline (also the reason why we are shaking). But these are obviously just coping mechanisms to get through this right now, no real solution to the underlying problem. All the best.

[ana]

Lowering your anxiety levels as soon as you notice them rising is the key. It's easier said than done, though, I know, but you can't go into full blown panic mode if your anxiety is a 5 or 6/10. My advice would be to start paying attention to your breath, distract yourself with either work or by talking to a friend, do some exercise, and most importantly, pay attention to your thoughts because it is your (anxious) thoughts that feed your anxiety. Hopefully, you'll be able to stop anxiety in its tracks and not let it escalate to a full blown panic attack.