Senior Member
Bad panic attack today. My heart is racing but I refuse to check it. Breathing deep my head feels calm but there's some anxiety. How do you ignore the fast heart rate even though you can feel it everywhere? Do you just continue in life as normal and not pay any attention?
I missed my meds last night, took them today but might be related. Also ate a lot of sugar yestreday.
The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away.
“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” - Richard Feynman
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Senior Member
I think logging in here and typing my experience calms the anxiety. Feeling calmer, but still in the eye of the storm.
Panic is a strange thing. Joe always says the attack doesn't control you, but the reaction/response to it does. I believe this.
When I'm like this I get scared to move because I feel my heartrate slow down then I move and it goes fast again. My body tenses up and my stream of thinking becomes very rapid. And this is where the panic begins. The stream of thoughts are negative.
My response today has been different. Yes I've put my finger to my pulse. But not as much as usual, and I have genuinely done my best to ignore this one. It's as if my brain needs the panic for the reassurance that "it's only panic not something serious". I'm not sure if anybody can relate to that.
My heart is down to 120bpm, it was far higher before but I didn't count. And now I feel the panic slowly starting to pass. As always.
I'll keep checking my heart until it's back to its normal speed and once it is, it's like a sigh of relief and a happy feeling. I wonder if there's a dopamine hit there? This is why I think panic attacks are reassurance that "it's just panic and nothing serious". I hope somebody understands that.
But, can confirm ignoring does work. It's painful going through 10 minutes in full panic while trying to carry on as normal but it's better to go through panic calm, than it is to fear.
I usually resort to a valium, but this time I didn't.
The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away.
“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” - Richard Feynman
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Senior Member
The Heart has always been a source of anxiety for me as well. So I completely get the struggle there. About 4 hours ago I had a 5 min period of some skipped beats. Hasn’t happened again, and even though I know they’re benign, it feels like I’m almost “waiting” for them to come back again so as a result my stomach is all fluttery and anxiety is raised. Doing my very best to just ignore it all and stay calm. That’s what I do when the heart rate is increased too. Keep breathing, try to ignore it, find something else to focus my attention on.
Senior Member
Good advice glassgirlw. It sucks doesn't it? But staying calm is key so you're doing the right thing. I think mine has passed now. Typing on here always helps to focus on something different. I get a lot of skipped beats but these days they don't bother me. I had lots of skips during this attack too.Originally Posted by glassgirlw
And now it's the urgh feeling. Time for a bath and a cup of tea.
The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away.
“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” - Richard Feynman
☪️️
Senior Member
I also find that logging on here and even just posting to others helps dispel my anxiety a little bit. It goes back to that “distracting my focus” theory. Plus, it might help someone else, so it’s a win win lol. I’m glad you’re feeling better and the panic is easing!! It always is a relief!
Senior Member
I'm not sure ignoring it is exactly the right term I'd use. I think 'accepting' is better.
I've found over the years that it's possible to get into such a state of stress and tension that it's gonna do what it's gonna do no matter what. Once in a while my heart rate will stay up around the 120bpm mark for hours on end, 10-12 hours at least.
Mine does the same as yours J, it'll hover down to about 100 and then if I move or walk around it shoots straight back up to 150.
It'll settle down eventually, but until then all you can do is distract yourself. I also find that it will come and go, up and down. Like you say, don't keep checking it. You know it's fast. Just remember the experiences of the last few weeks and how stress can build up. In some respect having coping mechanisms is a double edged sword as it allows you to absorb more before you feel it hard.
Senior Member
It's completely gone now. Sorry, you are correct "accepting" was the term you used. If I didn't accept the situation it would have got to the point I'd have been sat on the toilet shaking, feeling sick and getting myself into a worse situation. It sucks when the heartrate becomes actual tachycardia. Adrenaline is crazy stuff.
Re coping mechanisms ... yes completely agree. And when the coping mechanism fails to work the resulting anxiety is a bigger episode.
The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away.
“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” - Richard Feynman
☪️️
Senior Member
Back in the bad old days I used to get myself into cycles of this. You can develop range of acceptable heart rates for any given situation and then start being hyper vigilant about it not meeting your expectations.
What's odd is that 20 years ago I would spend the weekend on cocaine and happily live my life at 120bpm......constantly. I dread to think what damage I did, but what's done is done.
Even now, if I order a pizza and my heart rate goes up close to 100 afterwards (and sometimes it just does with junk food) I really have to check my reaction to it. You have to just tell yourself that your heart is doing something completely normal given the right kind of stimulus, and in your case the stimulus is obvious.
But what's done is done, today is a new day.
Senior Member
That’s actually what started my “heart obsession” 25+ years ago. Coming down off a week long crystal meth bender and my heart rate was all over the place...for some reason I noticed it and it sent me spiraling. Ended up in the ER thinking I was having a heart attack...ended up just being a massive panic attack. But it’s affected me mentally ever since.
Just say no to drugs, kids. It’s not worth the life-long issues you’ll develop as a result.
Senior Member
What's odd is that in the several years I was taking drugs I never once experience any anxiety of any kind, whatsoever. What I do think however, is that it was part of the 'accumulated stress' that inevitably leads to anxiety and a decade later is when it really hit me hard.
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