1st panic attack in ages!

[daydreamer]

Hey,

Just wanted some advice please?!

I had my first panic attack in months yesterday whilst out by myself. I'd say it was about 80% strength! Today I am more aware of my heartbeat and have had quite a few palpitations all day, thats obviously scaring me a bit, although I know they are harmless. I can feel all the adrenaline pumping through my body and I feel all agitated and wound up.

Any advice on what to do to calm myself down a bit? I am aware its just a minor setback, I just dont like feeling all anxious!

thanks

[jothenurse]

Just don't feed into it with fear. Take some deep breaths and keep telling yourself that it isn't dangerous. Sometimes with stress you may have another panic attack. Main thing is not to get preoccupied with it.

[Jabz]

Hey,

Just wanted some advice please?!

I had my first panic attack in months yesterday whilst out by myself. I'd say it was about 80% strength! Today I am more aware of my heartbeat and have had quite a few palpitations all day, thats obviously scaring me a bit, although I know they are harmless. I can feel all the adrenaline pumping through my body and I feel all agitated and wound up.

Any advice on what to do to calm myself down a bit? I am aware its just a minor setback, I just dont like feeling all anxious!

thanks

Hi. You sound just like me, if you check out my username i had posted a success story a long time ago. This month i had my first panic attack in maybe 2 - 3 years now and it devastated me, i became very hopeless because honestly i felt like i didnt want to do the whole thing all over again and guess what happened? i became even more anxious !!

the next day i couldn't do what i've been doing for 3 years without a single problem, i couldn't get on a bus and go to work..so i drove..which made me feel even more hopeless and guilty...because here i was at point 0. This is what a setback does, it makes you feel like its over, this is a dead end and theres no point of return. This WILL drive you crazy and MAKE you more anxious, please do not fall into this cycle.

So the next day (after driving to work), i took a break, regathered my thoughts and realized that I am not afraid, i've been here before and i've gotten out of it...so I took the bus to work again and everything went fine. I have heightened anxiety through the day, but its nothing.

" I just dont like feeling all anxious!" this is your major mistake, get out of this thinking, forget about it, accept the setback, accept that you'll feel anxious, but KNOW that you will get EVEN better after this setback. Unfortunately setbacks are a PART of our recovery and they WILL happen, but remember it's all in how you react to them. If you let them bother you, you will be anxious and if you just see it as a step forward in your recovery and accept them...you will get even strong.

Now is the perfect time to iron out all the kinks in your anxiety. I am trying to do the same with my setback as well.

Take care,
Stan.

[bluejosh]

I too had a panic attack today - prob around 50%. Felt exhasuted afterwards, weak and despondent. I have recently come off my meds and felt quite depersonalized yesterday so knew something was coming but that doesn't help much. Prob makes it worse! Still the thing is, I'm not scared of them anymore, I just get so Peed off and frustrated. Oh well, keep on going i guess!