Is this panic attack?

[anx mum]

About an hour ago was overcome with a feeling i couldnt breath felt i wasent getting enough air what is this is it a panic attack? Started feeling anxious so took kids outside to get some air

[gypsywomen]

yes love it was awfull arnt they xxxits a lovely day ,i been in the garden have you got a big garden ,,cant wait till,wearmer weather ,nothing seems as bad when its warm xxx

[anx mum]

yes love it was awfull arnt they xxxits a lovely day ,i been in the garden have you got a big garden ,,cant wait till,wearmer weather ,nothing seems as bad when its warm xxx

Is a nice day today got this horrid breathing symptom and pressure n chest been doing relaxion cd. We got a nice size garden just big enough really

[mtatum4496]

I've also had this symptom before, manifesting as if my throat were closing up and no air could get into my lungs. Anxiety and panic attacks can trigger a number of different symptoms that make you think something major is wrong when it fact it is simply your fatigued nerves over-reacting. That is why I like to refer to my anxiety and panic disorder as The Great Liar :)

[anx mum]

I've also had this symptom before, manifesting as if my throat were closing up and no air could get into my lungs. Anxiety and panic attacks can trigger a number of different symptoms that make you think something major is wrong when it fact it is simply your fatigued nerves over-reacting. That is why I like to refer to my anxiety and panic disorder as The Great Liar :)

How long did u have the thoat symptom for?

[mtatum4496]

It popped up from time to time for a month or so during the Christmas holidays, and then seemed to fade away in favor of other manifestations. I found that if I close my eyes and focus on taking a really deep breath, one that causes me to expand my tummy a little bit rather than my chest, the sensation would fade out pretty quickly.

[anx mum]

It popped up from time to time for a month or so during the Christmas holidays, and then seemed to fade away in favor of other manifestations. I found that if I close my eyes and focus on taking a really deep breath, one that causes me to expand my tummy a little bit rather than my chest, the sensation would fade out pretty quickly.

Horrible isnt it feels like my nose is pegged. Am trying breathing exercises.

[mtatum4496]

Yes, it does feel horrible - for me, I think the worst was that nagging thought of "I can't, I can't" even though my body was (and is) perfectly capable of breathing.

There's something relevant to this in a book called Hope and Help For Your Nerves by Dr. Claire Weekes that I really enjoy, . In one chapter, she describes a patient who had trouble breathing. She asked the patient to hold his breath for as long as he could. After about a minute and a half, he couldn't manage any more and had to expel and then quickly take in a breath.

Dr. Weekes reminded him that when his body decided it needed breath, it kicked into gear and made him breath - it simply is not possible for our minds and wills to stop us from breathing when our bodies say "I want air now!". So even when our nerves are playing tricks with us, making us think we can't breathe, our bodies will step in and make that breathing happen before we come to any danger.

I found that passage very comforting, and it took some of the fear out of those episodes for me - actually, it helped me remember it was my nerves causing the problem, not my lungs or my throat, and that made it easier to take that deep breath. Maybe it will help you too.