Overcoming Panic Attacks

Wanted to share my story with you about my anxiety problem as I am hoping that if you are reading my experience as a panic attack sufferer, I may help you in some ways.

Anxiety is an awful emotion to feel, a feeling that cannot be easily controlled and you are unaware of it creeping up on you. Different levels of anxiety lie in all of us all the time. From a simple thing like "Oh no, I've got school/work tomorrow" to something a lot more nerve wracking like a scary job interview or when your boss is waiting for your work to be done (I know I'm not the only one). When we are stressed, our anxiety levels are much higher and some of us become a lot more sensitive to it. For those of you who are calm and fearless, you will have a much more lower anxiety threshold (I am jealous of those of you who are like this).

I've suffered with panic attacks for i don't know how long, so I'm writing my story for those of you who struggle to understand, need advice or need someone else to understand.

What happens during a panic attack? Adrenaline is released, thus causing your heart to beat faster, and your muscles to tense. Our digestive system shuts down, making your throat dry and making you feel sick, you become more aware of sounds and smells around you (it's like someone turned up the volume and in a busy place, it was loud enough anyway). It can cause a number of different emotional sensations. It may includes, feeling dizzy, sweating, numbness in your hands and feet, feelings of absolute terror, feeling unreality and being extremely uncontrollable crying (that's what I feel).

What actually helps me? Slow, take a deep breath, and I also think it’s important to write down how you are feeling if you feel like you are about to panic. Once when I was on the tube, I started having a panic attack, so I whacked out my phone and started frantically writing how I felt and every time something changed mentally or physically, I’d write it. This weirdly, calmed me down a lot quicker. I don’t know if this is because it distracted me, or because it made everything slightly more logical. In a panic attack I always say to myself, "I can do it no matter how I feel. I am proud of myself. Breath slow and low, stay in the present. You are courageous."

The more I resist panic, the worse it gets. The more I develop the habit of acceptance, the more progress I make toward my goal of overcoming panic attacks. Please share your experience. It will help others just like you reading my story. Cheers x