Panic attacks

[Mel_P]

I live with anxiety. Most days I am anxious about something. Along with anxiety, sometimes I get panic attacks. Yesterday a panic attack lasted about 3-4 hours. I was very aware of the trigger, when it started, what was going on physically and mentally. I was at work. An outside influence pressed my panic button. I was ok during the event, however afterwards my chest was tight, my heart was racing, I had sweaty palms, and sweaty armpits. I went outdoors, I went for a walk. I read a book in the sun. I went back to the office, and the panic button was still on. I had herbal tea and chatted with nearby colleagues about what was going on for me. I was able to open up a little, and a colleague told me his partner also had panic attacks. I felt comfortable. Yet the panic button still remained on. It was exhausting. Finally after about 3-4 hours I noticed that I was starting to feel better. It was a awful experience. Debilitating. How can I shut my panic attacks down? I feel really down today. What tools do people use to get their panic attacks to subside? Do other people open up more at work to let their colleagues know what is going on for them?

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Mel P,

Thanks for your post. I'm sorry to hear that you're having these panic attacks and they sound like they're pretty uncomfortable for you! I'm hearing that you're really noticing your triggers and even though the panic button was on you were able to stay calm.

The good news is that there are lots of different ways to manage panic attacks and shut them down, but the bad news is that it takes practice, it takes time and not one particular technique is going to work for everyone. If you want the fast road - a therapist is going to be the way to go since they can ask you more questions about what's going on and get a good idea about what's going to help. Having said that though, there are lots of self-help techniques.

You mentioned in your post 'an outside influence pressed my panic button'. I think it's important to know and understand that the outside influence is you - or more specifically - your lizard brain. Have you ever heard of the fight/flight response? This is basically 'the panic button' of our bodies.

Unfortunately we can never 'shut it off'. In a sense that is a good thing because sometimes it's essential (it helps us survive). But what we can do is - manage the triggers (what is it that brought this on? What did you notice first?) and manage the aftermath (tight chest, heart racing).

There are a few ways to do this -

1) Being able to learn to relax. When our bodies are in an anxiety state we're much more likely to press our panic button then if we were in a calmer state. This is a huge part of why things like knitting, colouring, walking, gardening, sewing etc are so popular - it's about helping the body keep calm.

2) Recognise your trigger. What happened first? What caused it?

3) Recognise your response. What is it that was running through your mind the last time that you had one? Were the things you were saying to yourself helpful/negative? See if you can be mindful of some of that self-talk that comes up as this can either escalate/de-escalate your anxiety.

As an example, a response like "oh it's happening again, I've had so many - I feel awful like I'm having a heart attack" vs "here is another one but that's okay because they won't last forever. I am safe and I'm going to focus on my breathing..'

As for tools, not sure what you are referring to specifically - apps/books/websites?

I hope this gives you a place to start!

[Croix]

Dear Mel P~

Romantic_thi3f has given some pretty good advice and I don't want to add to it except to say that I find the free smartphone app called Smiling Mind to be a pretty good help. It is sort of like "guided meditation" (I am hopeless at the real thing) and with practice takes the mind right away for current life and hassles. There are both short and long exercises.

Croix

[Always]

Hi

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I also suffer from anxiety and at the moment i have regular panic attacks early in the morning before work.

My panic attacks cause me to sweat, cry, my chest tightens, ears ring, heartbeat skyrockets and I struggle to breathe.

Previously i have done CBT which was extremely helpful. One form of CBT i love is ACT - acceptance and commitment therapy. If you find the book called the Happiness Trap by Dr Russ Harris - it's super helpful. This really helped me cope with a lot of situations that caused me distress.

Unfortunately for me at the moment my panic attacks are coming in the middle of the night, when I've been sleeping (I'm having bad dreams about work then waking up to realise i have to go to work in a few hours) so i don't really know how to stop them once they've started. I just rely on the CBT strategies to help me calm after.

I hope you are able to find a strategy that works for you and helps you turn off the panic button.

[blondguy]

Hi MelP

Good on you for having the courage to post!

There is excellent advice posted above and Romantic_thi3f and Always are spot on with how to tackle this awful set of symptoms.

I used to have chronic anxiety followed by depression for a few years and understand how you feel.

• The earlier anxiety is treated the better the recovery
• Like Romantic mentioned "it takes practice"....determination and a strong desire to heal...It can take time
• The poster above (always) mentioned "ACT - acceptance and commitment therapy"...This is spot on as it helps us not to be fearful of a panic/anxiety attack. Once we truly accept that these symptoms are only feelings...they cant feed on our fear anymore....the panic attacks will reduce in severity MelP 🙂

The Good News! Your panic attacks will lessen in intensity and you will have your peace of mind back....

It will take some time and some frequent counseling. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose MelP

I think you are amazing by having the pro-active attitude with your health and posting with us

Thankyou for being a part of the Beyond Blue forums. I really hope you can stick around...your posts/questions are more than welcome 🙂

You are not alone MelP...this is a very common health issue

Paul

[NicolaC]

Hi Mel!

I'm so sorry to hear you're experience panic attacks but want you to know you can get control of this.

For some reason, your brain has perceived this outside influence as danger, which is why your body has gone into a state of alert and triggered the panic. But there's no danger.

You're doing the right thing by going for a walk and moving around. As soon as you start feeling this panic start to move around because your mind thinks your body is getting away from the danger.

Try and come up with a positive thought to pull you back into that moment and out of your current mindset while having a panic attack, this is called and 'anchor thought', and think about that positive thought, say it out loud continuously while counting backwards 5-4-3-2-1. This will interrupt the pattern happening in your brain and give your mind an explanation to get your body to calm down.

This may not work for everyone, but I can only share what has helped me in my panic attacks and hope it does the same for you. I opened up to my colleagues at work and realised one of my best friends was going through the same thing, it helps you realise there's nothing wrong with YOU. Anxiety and Panic Attacks aren't you, this is something that tries to trick people into feeling a certain way. When you see it as a separate thing attaching itself to you gives you strength to fight it. You can do it!

Best of luck Mel,

Nicola 🙂

[kanga_brumby]

Mel most of the advice given so far is on the money. Everyone is a little different. With me I tend to just go sit quietly somewhere listen to soothing music and try to meditate when mine come on. I tend to just meditate on what is the front cover of the hitch hikers guide to the galaxy, Which says. " Don't Panic." till I stop panicking no matter how long. Which can be unnerving after 3-4 hours. Just remember there is no danger.

Peter

[Josh_F]

Hi Mel, I have so much empathy for you. The moment I read your post and saw the referenced attack as lasting 3 to 4 hours I was right there beside you. I have told medical professionals recently that I can deal with 10 attacks a day that last no longer than a minute... but the ones that last for several hours leave you emotionally destroyed and only seem to further the fear of fear itself.

Your friends on the post have given you wonderful and proven advice while acknowledging your decision to take a walk and attempt to break state as being extremely wise, so good on you.

like many things in life, I have learnt when it comes to panic attacks, we look for the quick fix or bandaid solution. The attacks themselves reflect a system of your nervous system that is functioning beautifully (albeit at the wrong times and for the wrong reasons!).

the quick resolve to panic attacks is as everyone has suggested above. Really we are trying to get the mind to ‘break state’. Going for a walk/reading a book or other activity is a way of using our body to get the mind to break state. This sometimes works but in your case (and I suspect many others) it doesn’t resolve symptoms. This is because the body listens to the mind more than the reverse. Ironically one of the few times the mind responds to the body is in the flight, fright or freeze state, when the body receives trauma or physical pain.

You are mindful of different triggers in your environment and this shows a good level of adaptation to managing attacks in the early stages. Not sure if you have considered it but hypnotherapy may be a suitable solution to enhance your ability to reduce panic attacks as a result of known triggers.

the process of hypnosis would induce you into a relaxed state and have you repeatedly visualise or internally expose your self to triggers and provide suggestions as to the ease at which your mind and body can manage an attack to the point where you no longer notice them occurring. This may serve to remove attacks completely from known trigger instances, while retaining the amazing resource that is your flight, fright/freeze response for when you actually need it to operate.

Hypnosis doesn’t need to be a long process but can work like a weight training session for your mind and retrain your mind (just like a muscle) as to how you want it to perform effectively.

has anyone else had anpositive experience with hypnosis for treating panic attacks or other forms of anxiety?

[blondguy]

Hi MelP and Everyone!

Excuse me for highjacking your post Mel_P

Hi Josh_F

Thankyou for helping out Mel_P. I have been involved in mental health as a anxiety sufferer for a long time and have had success with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I am not aware of any success with hypnotherapy from my experiences. Anxiety disorder is partially chemically based which is the hard part.

If you do have any success with hypnotherapy please let us know as the forums are always open to any good news where treatment is concerned!

Thanks again Josh and NicolaC for posting with us 🙂

My kind thoughts

Paul

[stroppytom]

The way panic attacks manifest themselves is a bit different for everyone. In my case, for example, they come in a cluster which may last a few months and then disappear for a few years. I am "cancerphobic" and any doctor telling me that I have any form of cancer would send me into a deep, deep depressive episode and anxiety. My heart will race, my hands shake, I have hot flushes (and I'm a bloke!) and I will lose interest in everything. Worst of all my appetite will vanish instantly.

The reason for my cancerphobia is because I tended to both parents when they were dying of that horrible illness and the illness is in the family line so it scares the living daylights out of me.

I find that self-talk can help. "You're going to be alright...you'll get through this...the panic won't kill you"...etc...etc... I also find that sleep can sometimes help. If you have a dog or a cat then just stroking your pet affectionately can sometimes help as well. I think you need to explore methods to reduce your anxiety with a trusted psychologist or psychiatrist. Oh...and remember, there are pharmacy medications which may also help you. You might want to think about a very popular herbal remedy which goes by the name of Ashwagandha. I take it and it seems to help me. Anyway...I wish you the best of luck. The worst thing is when family members tell you to "snap out of it". People who have never experienced a panic attack just do not understand.