I have panic attacks, but then sometimes I have periods (or entire nights) like this

[bandofgypsies]

I'm very very familiar with panic attacks, as I have them very regularly. When I say "panic attacks", I mean short (5-15 minute) bursts of fast heart rate, breathing, tingling of extremities, etc etc.

However, I also have periods of an hour or more on occasion in which I feel very scared for no apparent reason. It's more of a feeling of something ominous or horrible about to happen, not necessarily "panic" in the standard sense. I almost want to just curl up and cry when I get like this.

Tonight, I was feeling really weird at work, and I had a couple of hours after in which I was just a mess. I talked to my mom and cried, and I still feel kind of weird.

What are these periods? It doesn't feel like a standard panic attack.

[lesleya]

Hi
I really feel for you as i understand how your feeling, as ive just posted a similar thing myself.
I have to put mine down to anxiety and panic too. I get really stressed out at work and i wondered if your job does same to you as i get pa at work and it takes me ages to recover again. I used to think my panc attacks were like what you call them 'standard' but they arent as ive found lately. Mine can last literally minutes with a feeling of intense fear then it passes just as quick as it came then other times it can last half an hr or more, depending where i am at the time
Its good you have someone you can tell like your mum and let it out by having a good cry as its one of the best ways too give vent..
I hope you are feeling better now and i wish you luck hun.
:hugs:

[Natural Blues]

Hi,

I think that most people who have experienced severe panic attacks understand exactly what you mean. I certainly do. When I was at University, I remember having some really intense nights, feeling absolutely terrified. I literally felt like I was trapped on a narrow ledge on the edge of a cliff. What made it worse was that, unlike more common panic attacks which would only last for a few minutes, my night time episodes were lasting most of the night. I remember feeling like I was trapped inside my room, because if my housemates saw me they'd think I was insane. I was being completely irrational really, as they all would have been sympathetic.

I definitely believe that stress is a deciding factor. I had just come off the back of my exam period. I think it's your body's way of telling you've pushed it beyond your limit, and you need to get away from the stress (not always practical in modern life, but in my experience stress will always catch up with you).

Just remember that it is just a phase, and it will pass. It has done for me. I have found SSRI's to be really helpful (though I appreciate they are not for everyone). Also, exercise is so important. I never used to feel like I had the energy to go to the gym on top of everything else I had to do. But it really did make all the difference. It's so good for killing stress.

Good luck, and I'm sure things will get better. Just make sure you prioritise your health over everything else which is going on in your life (though I know it's easier said than done). x

[Nicomi]

Hi

I can completely understand. I have the short panics, usually for no apparant reason, then I have massive ones that are always related to my big trigger, work. These go on literally for hours and hours. It happened on Tuesday, it started at 5.00 pm, went through the night when I hardly slept, whenever I dropped off I would wake a few minutes later with a jump and a pounding heart. It finally stopped at about 10.00am the next day. I have spoken to the doctor about the length of time they go on for and he said it is because once my body starts producing adrenalin for some reason it can't seem to stop.
I am learning to live with it in that I just keep plodding through the day know it will stop at some point. It is just so exhausting and trying to be "normal" so people, well my children really, don't realise is hard.

I was better for a good while and for some reason it has recently started again. At least I know that it will stop and can stop.

Good luck to you:yesyes:

[Tweek]

I used to get scared for no reason too. Like something very bad is about to happen. A sense of impending doom is right like.

Don't discount the possibility that you could be sensing something real around you. Maybe you are sensitive to "vibes" and people could have been arguing or something near you and your brain sort of interpreted it as a threat, without you knowing where it came from. I'm no psychologist but I have been through the mill and understand where most of my thoughts originate. It takes a while to trace them back and you have to be calm to do it, but it helps loads.


Question everything you think and say and do. Maybe something in your life that you have ignored is trying to get out. I don't mean traumatic things, but it could be. I mean more like the way society is or stress about world events or your bills etc and because you try to just crack on with things, it has to escape somehow.


Crying is good as long as you feel better afterwards. :winks:

[milly jones]

i get long periods of intense worry and impending doom. these usually happen at night.

they have been controlled by ad's

the daytime 'shorter' ones are still present, but do not tend to progress to a full pa.

milly xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[jill]

Hi hun, :D:hugs:

**What are these periods? It doesn't feel like a standard panic attack**

You are soo right hun, they ARE NOT panic attacks, these periods are levels of anxiety.

When I first came to this great site, I was told to number my panic, anxiety. 10 being FULL BLOWN PANIC, (your worse) and 0 being, feeling normal, anything other number after that are levels of anxiety, the higher the number, the higher the level of anxiety, the lower the number the lower the level of anxiety. Aanxiety attacks, anxiety symptoms. The first thing I had to try and learn, was to know and understand that, anxiety, DOES NOT always lead to panic, this took along time.


**feel very scared for no apparent reason. It's more of a feeling of something ominous or horrible about to happen**

It is very helpfull to get to know ALL you can about panic, anxiety and its symptoms, knowing that the flight, fight response does not need PANIC, to be present, we can have anxiety and this response will kick in, hence you feeling scared, YOUR looking for danger, reasuring yourself at these times, that there is nothing to fear, use distration, positive self thoughts, helps lots.

**Tonight, I was feeling really weird at work, and I had a couple of hours after in which I was just a mess. I talked to my mom and cried, and I still feel kind of weird.**

The weird feeling can be dp/dr, when I first read about this and why it happens ohh boy, I could not understand, it is the minds way of trying to protect us from anymore anxiety symptoms, it is a ortomaitc built in response, you are supposed to welcome this feeling, mmm when I was acute I found this dame hard, cos it frightend the life out of me, but I would repeat to myself, "its ok, its my mind trying to protect me, it will pass, I will be fine.

It is good to hear you have your mum to talk to hun, I had many, many times crying with mum and my sister, I felt sooo scared, not understand what was going on with my body and mind, but I do believe, that if you have someone to talk to, to let go, to cry, this helps us move on a little, crying is a natral response when we are scared, sad or feel threatened, it lets out natral hormones which helps us.

So hun, :hugs:my advice to you right now, is learn all you can about panic, anxiety how the mind works, how we are being programmed all day every day and only YOU can say, if your day will be positive or negative, but most of all learn about yourself, learn about your fears, LEARN ALL YOU CAN, this helps us move on a little.

What you are going through is normal hun, with panic, anxiety, you are having anxiety symptoms hun, I know they are not nice and can be very scary, with alot of hard work, time and support, you can get better hun.

I know for me, I found helped sooo much, with panic, high anxiety symptoms, was to try when it was over, to walk away with something positive, even if it was just a small positive thought. I would say to myself,
"what have I learned from that" and try and answer in a positive way eg

It did not last long, it passed.
I distracted myself and it worked, it heped it stop.
I talked to sis and she helped it pass.
If it was an anxiety symptom, I would praise myself and say, yeehaaa, I did not panic, ohh I'm fab LOL
No matter how I felt with anxiety, keep doing, keep pushing, NEVER sit there and dwell, this always feed my anxiety.

YOU hang in there hun :hugs:things can get better with time and support.

YOU TAKE CARE

LOVE JILLXXX

[Yvonne]

Bandofgypsies --

Jill has written a good post above and I guess I'll only repeat what she has said.

Those feelings you are getting of being scared or of impending doom are anxiety. A full blown panic attack may not last too long - you know the ones which knock you off your feet and you can't breathe and the heart is racing like a greyhound and bouncing out of the body - but the symptoms you are describing are plain anxiety - fear of fear.

Sadly (and I'm sure you know this already) when we have experienced levels of anxiety and panic attacks we are on the lookout for symptoms all the time and so any small symptom we associate with panic keeps the anxiety there. We worry about the symptom and of course the anxiety feeds on itself hence more symptoms - all keeping the anxiety alive. It's an awful feeling and I have suffered badly this year with it. All day long you feel wired up and on red alert - not panic but feeling dreadful.

I wish I could be like Jill who can distract and say positive things to herself like "what have I learned from this" but I can't seem to do that. Distraction is of course the best way to deal with it.

I am so glad people are mentioning crying. You had a good cry with your mum and I think that's great - to have a shoulder to cry on when you are feeling llike that (and who could be better than a mum) - is good medicine, crying alone is just not the same for some reason. The crying does rid the body of the dreaded adreneline and is obviously a release valve. I get annoyed with myself for crying when I'm highly anxious because it makes me feel as if I am weak - still that's how my strange mind thinks.

I really wish you well and hope that you feel better soon. x

Yvonne