Why do panic attacks start when yr not feeling anxious

[mandie]

Hi

Why do the attacks start when yr feeling ok.

I was sitting in the car waiting for daughter to come out of school. I was reading my magazine, listening to music, feeling good and then all of a sudden i felt an overwhelming sense of panic. I thought omg im gonna have an attack now. My heart was racing. I wanted to run but had nowhere to go.

I got out of the car for some air, it was quite hot in there, calmed myself down and caught it before it really went anywhere.

I dont understand though, why did it happen and does anyone else get it out of the blue like that

love mandie x

[juanna]

It may be GAD that you have which is generalized anxiety disorder which you can read about on this site under anxiety; because with that you become anxious quickly for no reason & thats my problem.. Hope i helped...

[mandie]

Thank you.

I did notice my doctor putting that on my sick certificate.

I will read up on it now

love mandie x

[SueBee]

Hi Mandie, I've recently been listening to Clair Weeks recordings and she puts it quite bluntly that we panic because thats what we are used to and we have 'trained' our minds to behave this way. It becomes second nature to panic and you have to learn how to break the cycle.

Sounds like you had control of it today though and stopped it in its tracks so WELL DONE!

[Lainie]

It's because your nerves are sensitized. Read anything by Claire Weeks. She was my lifeline!
Lainie

[Tom_M]

Hi mandie

It's like Lainie said, you get sensitised. But just to add to it. Though our concious minds are not aware of it, the subconscious part is always working away in the background, analysing everything we do. It could be visual, smell, taste, or any other sense that can trigger an attack. We don't actually know it at the time, but our subconscious as picked up on something that it as associated in the past with a fight or flight response.

Tom

[never2late]

Though our concious minds are not aware of it, the subconscious part is always working away in the background, analysing everything we do. It could be visual, smell, taste, or any other sense that can trigger an attack. We don't actually know it at the time, but our subconscious as picked up on something that it as associated in the past with a fight or flight response.

Tom

It certainly is one of the more fascinating things to suffer from, I'll give it that.

Once one manages to get that 2nd fear under control (or, hopefully, eliminated all together), one can take the time to "watch" what is going on with a better sense of clarity.

Observing one of my panic attacks from start to finish, while letting it run its course entirely, was a turning point for me.

I think that it knows that I'm now on to it, and I've got its number (as they say). The symptoms are still there -- however diminished -- but the fear is entirely gone.

It's starting to get the hint to pack its bags and hit the road.

[mandie]

Thanks for all your replies

I have a clair weekes book and although everyone says how its helped them, it just hasnt dont anything for me.

love mandie x

[Bill]

I think your statement provides a clue....

I got out of the car for some air, it was quite hot in there,

Your body started to react to the heat which triggered your mind into feeling you couldn't breathe and that suffocating feeling then made you feel trapped which triggered your panic so you had to free yourself by getting out of the car to cool off which then eased the panicky feelings.

Panic very often isn't caused by a conscious thought but by a feeling, a sense or subconscious thought. We wouldn't run away from a lion because we'd be thinking we're going to eaten. We'd run because we "sense" danger because of our subconscious knowledge telling us a lion means Panic! In your case it was Heat.

Going beyond why heat would trigger a panic for you - you'd have to delve more into the things going on in your life (any pressures you're under) or events in your past that have created a fear of something in the present. Once these issues are tackled, heat then wouldn't trigger a panic because you'd no longer feel "trapped by fear".

[mandie]

Thank you Bill for that reply.

I have got alot of pressures at the moment, mainly money worries but iv had these worries before and coped so im annoyed at myself that im now having the attacks and anxiety

love mandie x