Worst panic attack ever
I had this panic attack on monday. I was sitting in a corner shaking for four hours, while humming under my breathe and watching childish cartoons. I was shaking so violently that I had to hold onto myself, almost hugging myself.
Normally I call my mom (yeah, I'm 26 yo woman calling my mom) when I have panic attack, but this time I felt kinda frozen, and couldn't really move. Paranoia moved into my mind too, and I didn't know what to do. I was so shaken that I don't even remember when I actually managed to fall asleep.
It was the worst panic attack I have ever had, and I had to handle it alone. I don't know, I just feel like *** now, and has been for days :S
@TheMadHatterWasHere I'm sorry to hear about this panic attack. I understand the stress of panic attacks and I hope you are feeling better! It's the worst when you're by yourself and have to calm yourself. Have you tried reaching out to the crisis line? I'm not sure if you're in the US, but you can call 988 when you're having these panic attacks.
Something that has worked for me to feel better after is treating myself as if I am my own child. Be the parent you needed when you were younger and stressed out
@TheMadHatterWasHere I'm not an expert on this topic or giving medical advice. I'm only speaking from personal experience. During covid a Dr. dismissed my symptoms as me having a panic attack and told me I needed SSRI antidepressants and therapy....so I did what he said...and then I had another mini stroke, and then another one. It looked a lot like a panic attack! I have family members with a heart condition that was dismissed as anxiety for over a decade too!
So it frustrates me to no end that mental illness is so stigmatized that other medical issues are often dismissed and overlooked.
Anxiety can be a symptom of many other things too, sometimes it is just anxiety and sometimes it is not. I know it can be really easy to get down on yourself and feel like you are failure when this happens. I was doing it too...but it was not in my mind that my blood was clotting and my blood pressure was going through the roof, nor was the heart condition in my family's mind.
What that Dr. did to me was called "medical gaslighting", it is not a mental illness in patient causing them to miss a diagnosis, it is a cognitive error and bias the Dr's part. I realized it had been going on most of my life with me and the Dr's I was seeing after that happened to me.
I try to go to DO's (Doctors of Osteopathy) now because they get more thorough training on how the body works as a system. They have helped me the most!
Hugs! I wish you the best!
@Heart4art I am probably not having a stroke, but I will take it into consideration. Thank you for the reply :)
Thank you for your great suggestion of seeing Doctors of Osteopathy. I think it would be of help for me. Hope your days are going better
@TheMadHatterWasHere
Hey, I hope you're doing better now, it's okay to feel and have panic attacks. Anxiety, paranoia, and depression are all human emotions and we can have them at any age you don't need to be embarrassed to have to call your mom. A safe place can be anyone, your boyfriend, best friend, or mum. Just know that you are not alone we are here to help you out :) Have a great day, sending peace and love.
@Ifra123 Just feels stupid though. I mean I'm almost 27 yo, and I have to call my mother late at night, bc I can't control my anxiety :S
I do have paranoid schizophrenia too, so paranoia is a part of my day to day life. I'm just so tired of feeling like this. I wish it would get better, but apparently it doesn't. Had a panic attack last night and tried to handle it myself, which ended with me crying on the phone to my mother bc I was so shaky and scared.
@TheMadHatterWasHere
Hi, Hatter,
How are you feeling tonight?
So what if you have to call your mother to help you feel better. Honestly, no one here will judge you for needing to call your mother. If anything, people here would wish that they could call their mother, or had a mother who cared, or wish their mother was alive, or just wish they had anyone that they could call. I say you are blessed to have each other. It's a good thing. :)
I just wish I had some wonderful advice for you to. Do you have a psychiatrist or a therapist or a psychiatric nurse practitioner or anyone in the mental health support that you can see? Because I think you need help in the respect that this shaking and not being able to talk has to be extremely hard on you physically. I can imagine that your brain is firing on overdrive while this is happening. I'm sure you would love it if they could give you some medication that would control the shaking and not being able to talk.
And please let me apologize if I am talking like there is something wrong with you in a "condescending" way. It just sounds like you have a mental health issue, like I do, like many people do, and like probably most of us on 7cups do.
I had a thought. Could you call a crisis line when you are not in crisis and tell them what happens to you and that when it hits you can barely speak. Then ask them what they suggest for how you can communicate with them when this is happening to you. And/or ask them what they suggest, or if they have a process in place to help people who cannot speak. And/or ask them if they can recommend someone who can help you. It's so important that they can help you, and maybe they can help best--at first--when you are not in crisis. :)
Love and blessings,
tree
I absolutely agree with your comment. You should never be ashamed of contacting someone who’s close to you for help.
@TheMadHatterWasHere
Hi, Hatter,
(big hugs) I hate those shaking panic/anxiety attacks. But I've never had one that lasted for hours. You poor thing. That must take so much out of you.
Take or leave this suggestion, for what it is, free. My therapist and I came up with an idea to help keep my skills in front of my eyes, so that when I had an anxiety attack, I could see my skills when I needed them. I made bracelets out of beads that spelled out my skills and put them on elastic. Then I knotted the elastic. If they looked cheap, it didn't matter. They helped me. The words were, "meditate," "pray," "ground," "sun," "water," "dance," "forward," "refocus," "deep breaths." I wear them almost every day. They have helped me. They don't cure the anxiety attacks, but they help.
I wish I could ask for your address. I would make the bracelets for you and send them to you for free. I'd be happy to help.
Does watching cartoons help? I find watching mindless things help distract me. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I watch Dance Moms. Those women act horrifically, but they are so much more messed up than me. And the dancers are beautiful to watch. I love to watch dance.
I talked too much about myself, but I'm trying to help, by example of what works for me and to say that you aren't alone. You're surrounded by people like you who want to help the only way we can, by reaching out to you here.
Love and blessings.
--tree
@purpleTree4652 I'm only happy to follow the suggestions. Thank you for telling me what helps you. Maybe some of it can help me. Childish cartoons or Disney Channel shows from my childhood mostly helps a lot, and I can kinda relax a little while watching. Deep breathes makes me panic even more, bc then I really realize I can't breathe like I normally do.
But childish cartoons and some yoga programs works for me mostly.
@TheMadHatterWasHere
I'm glad that cartoons and yoga help you. Those are great skills. :)
Sending love your way
@TheMadHatterWasHere
Hello Hatter, that sounds very frightening. We're here for you, have you tried grounding techniques such as the 5 4 3 2 1 method. 5 things you can see, 4 things you an hear, 3 things you can smell, 2 things you can touch, and one thing you can taste. Hopefully, that may help a bit. Although, if you need more support I would be happy to chat with you 1 on 1 if you would want to do that. :)
Oh no I’m so sorry to hear that. I also get pretty bad panic attacks but definitely none as severe as yours. Whenever I get them, I try to distract myself from the overwhelming fear by thinking positive and doing things that give me comfort. I hope you’re able to overcome your panic attacks in the future.
