First Panic Attack for several years

[Night_Owl]

I can't remember the last time that I had a major panic attack probably because it's been a good few years since I had one although I did start to have one one day over the Chrismas holiday whilst having lunch with my girlfriend in a pub but it only lasted a few minutes and I managed to stick it out but was very close to getting up and running out.

I have been doing so well and thought that maybe the days of seriously bad attacks were over but yesterday I took the bus to a town about seven miles away got there OK but coming home the bus was quite full so had to sit near the front and next to somebody else and from the moment I sat down knew this was going to be the journey from hell :scared15: and I was right the bus was slow stopped at every other stop,some little kid rang the bell by mistake so we stopped and the driver waited and nobody got off.Anyway got about half way and I could take no more and had to get off not exactly in the middle of nowhere but as good as I thought I'd rather walk the last three or so miles than endure another ten minutes of torture.

As soon as off the bus I felt fine :yesyes: I walked about a mile to the edge of town where I knew I could catch another bus and knew that it would be virtually empty there were a couple of other people on it and I was fine so I'm pleased in a way that I was able to get on another bus soon after (my first ever panic attack was on a bus and I took me about eight years before I got on one again!)

My girlfriend wants to go to the cinema on Valentines day but after that panic attack yesterday I'm not so sure :shrug: she suffers form anxiety and agoraphobia herself so will understand if I don't feel up to it I just hope I can tell her whats happened instead of keeping quiet she knows about my anxiety but I have'nt really explained how bad my panic attacks affect me and sometimes prevent me from doing things like going to see a movie.

Thanks for reading I just needed to tell someone whats happened.

Night_Owl

[Tero]

Good luck.

Plan some early morning activity, not so crowded.

[MiniatureDisasters]

Thanks for sharing, I'm glad you managed to deal with the situation the other day. Buses are the trigger for my panic attacks too usually.. The idea of getting off in the middle of nowhere freaks me out too though so ... :D

Personally, I would try to go to the cinema as if you avoid it, it may become a big issue and every trip to the cinema from then on might become an issue along with other places because of a fear of getting one. Maybe you could explain to your girlfriend the problem and go on Sunday afternoon instead or early afternoon / early evening Monday to ease yourself in? I know that if I'd avoided getting the bus rather than sitting through all my panic attacks I'd probably be a recluse by now :) But now I know I've dealt with them in the past and can do so in future. Try to tell yourself you should be absolutely fine rather than thinking that you will have an attack, with myself I usually find it's a self-fulfilling prophesy. Just remember that if you need to leave you can.