Panic attack with no physical symptoms

[Suziewuzie]

I feel a little disheartened that I'm posting on here again for help, as I've been anxiety-free for such a long time that I really thought I'd beat it!
This time around my anxiety is causing me to have attacks where, on the outside I look completely nornal except for maybe shaking hands, but internally my mind is a complete whirlwind. I'll notice that I feel a little anxious and then all of a sudden it spirals into "this is it, I'm losing my mind, I need help, I'm going crazy, I'm going to be sectioned" and just gets bigger and bigger until I can't focus.
I really like to try and make sense of everything that I feel & think and I try to listen to what my mind is saying to try to work out what I'm really scared of. It seems that in the midst of panic I'm convinced that I'm 'not normal' and I don't really know where this has come from.
I read about people who have panic attacks when driving on motorways or getting in lifts etc and this all seems perfectly acceptable but how the heck do I start to tackle anxiety about going mad/losing my mind?
I have counselling once a week due to a recent difficult break-up & my counsellor is fabulous but she's constantly asking what my triggers are & what I'm REALLY scared of and I don't know what to tell her. I think it would be easier if I WAS scared of something in particular like motorway driving because then we'd be able to take steps to get over it, but when you're anxious about anxiety itself what is the answer?
Sorry for the 9am ramble guys, it's too early to feel like I'm losing my mind!

[ankietyjoe]

Anxiety doesn't have to have a trigger as such. Quite often it can be a symptom of an overall state of stress or worry. If you have a history of anxiety, it could even be a reaction to being tired, run down or sick. In fact any stressor on the mind or body can trigger anxiety as the mind and body are so closely linked.

In terms of 'feeling crazy', that is a very common symptom for a lot of people. I'm not sure there's much value in trying to work it out as it's quite possible that there's nothing TO work out.

I think you need to take a step back and less intense look at what's actually going on. Take a mindful look at your life. Are you stressed? Do you need more sleep? Is your diet good? Are you getting enough exercise?

Next time you feel 'a bit mad', just let it happen. It's no different than any other symptom. If you treat each and every symptom of anxiety as it's own thing it becomes a never ending battle, but if you accept that anxiety can cause multiple different symptoms and deal with it as a whole, it's a far simpler prospect.

[Suziewuzie]

Thanks Joe! Now that I've calmed down I completely agree with your comments. When I'm in that zone it's impossible to think rationally so I end up completely focused on what I'm thinking, convinced I've got to figure it out, which obviously then makes it spiral more and more into panic. I become so obsessed with fixing myself when I get like this that I actually tend to make it worse by giving my anxiety ALL of my attention.
Thank you again for your helpful reply x

[ankietyjoe]

I used to experience what you're describing and it is hard to deal with. It's like your mind runs in parallel with itself. There are thoughts occurring that you have no control over.

What I discovered was that if I simply repeated familiar numbers, birthdays, addresses etc it helped me ground myself back in reality. I always found the most effective ways of dealing with anxiety are the simplest ones. It's about the practice of not overreacting to the sensations and thoughts that anxiety often creates. So in this case for example, your reaction is to try and figure out what is in fact a random triggering of thought or emotion. Our fight or flight system is being fired with no danger, and people who suffer from anxiety will often search for the danger that isn't there, keeping the cycle going. In almost all cases simply ignoring it is the best way to deal with it. When you strip back CBT, meditation, mindfulness and any successful treatment of anxiety it's just another way of ignoring how it makes you feel which in turn makes it go away over time. Analysis is almost never the answer for general anxiety.