What are the key signs to know what you are having a panic attack rather than just feeling nervous?

During a panic attack you tend to feel like you have no control and can't take the situation anymore and you would rather prefer to leave quicker and your breathing gets heavier, on the other hand,when your nervous your afraid to try new thingies and hold back and won't take a risk and go from there.

When I had my panic attacks, I could always tell I was going to get one because I would get hot flashes - super cold one minute and then hot the next. It told me to go get my crayons and colored pencils and calm music to try and work through the attack.

Physical responses such as accelerated heart rate, sweating, shaking, or chest pain, people often describe a panic attack as feeling like they're having a heart attack. It's extreme in every sense. When I have panic attacks, my arms even start to go numb and during my most severe attack, I couldn't stand or walk on my own. (Of course, this doesn't apply to everyone, but it's an example of how physically pervasive they can be.) Mental/emotional responses are severe as well. Thoughts are irrational and extreme, and the person having the attack likely can't think of a reason for being so anxious. This then heightens the anxiety and comes with thoughts like, "Why am I feeling this way? Am I dying? What if this never stops? What if I'm having a heart attack?" Again these are just examples. I would say the key signs of a panic attack are the physical responses. Also, a panic attack will reach it's peak within ten minutes and then the anxiety will decrease. If you're just feeling nervous, that nervousness can last a lot longer.

For me, my heart will begin racing, my thoughts will be racing, and I will have the urge to flee, to hide, and will be struggling to fight back tears. I will feel more frantic then I do when feeling just nervous.

expecially when i can stand close to no one, i start to run away from everyone, kinda closing myself

Hmm, when I had my panic attack, I thought that I was getting a heart attack. My heart was beating incredibly fast; my breathing quickened and I felt incredibly dizzy. If you've experienced an adrenaline rush before, a panic attack is something like that, only several times more intense. So, you should be able to tell the difference between a panic attack and just feeling nervous :)

Sometimes your heart starts racing and you feel as though you cant breath.. You just feel a mix of emotions and its all so overwhelming, like everything is closing in on you..

I start feeling hot and dizzy. I start feeling like I’m loosing control and start hyperventilating. Confusion and uncertainty start to kick in and you start to feel like you are absolutely dying. It’s hard to speak and get the right words out. To others it doesnt make sense.

My first panic attack was 35 years ago. I was home from college, by myself because my father had a new girlfriend miles away and my sister was with her boyfriend all the time. I just came out of an awful relationship, I was supposed to study abroad the following semester, and made a lot of other campus commitments as well. I felt overwhelmed by my situation and incredibly alone. The first thing I noticed was that I was having trouble breathing a lot. I found it hard to catch my breath. My thoughts were full of worry and started spiraling out of control. I felt like couldn't stop my mind from racing and I felt shaky and nauseous. For a week, I couldn't eat or go outside. I thought I was losing my mind. My summer job as a camp counselor started and I remember going to work feeling like I was in someone else's body. The breathing problems and confusion continued over days, kind of freaking out my co-counselor, but luckily she was the perfect match for me because she got me out at night, and made me laugh during the day, and after a couple of weeks I was back to normal.

A panic attack is much more intense than ordinary feelings of nervousness. You may feel like you are totally about to lose control, as if you will have a heart attack, and may even pass out. Your breathing will likely become fast and shallow making you dizzy, along with shaking, sweating, an unbearable feeling of intense fear or dread, and a disconnect from reality. During a panic attack you won't be able to focus on what it is you are meant to be doing, and may find you need to escape outside or to a bathroom etc. After one panic attack, it is common to feel a fear of repeated attacks. In summary, if you have a panic attack there will almost be no doubt in your mind that you had one as opposed to just feeling nervous.