Panic Attack

[Maleficarum]

I had my second (in my life) panic attack today, and I do not even fully understand why. I have never responded on that emotional level to events around me, so what triggers these things? I am looking for personal experiences... not clinical responses, please.

[Leimanu]

I'm not a medical expert, but I've had some panic attacks when I was in Peace Corps. Service was a stressful experience and I had some scary things happen, and never had panic attacks before. They're scary, for sure.

The body has different ways of handling stress, specifically if it thinks it's being attacked: fight or flight. It's a helpful response when one is being attacked. But panic attacks happen when nothing's happening at all, there's no trigger. Some people even think they're having a heart attack because it can feel the same, such as a tight chest and shortness of breath.

A panic attack is just a response to stress when there really isn't a trigger. They're scary, but you can talk yourself out of it and try to calm down. The nervous system is responding to something, but your brain can be calm and tell yourself that you have no reason to feel this way and that you have the power to calm down. You have control of this situation.

You didn't say what situation you're in, but I'm assuming something stressful. Using some relaxation techniques in your day, not just in the panic attack, can be very helpful to stopping these.

[CyningaDena]

Those can be some incredibly scary shit, and the adrenaline surge/post-adrenaline shakes last for quite a while. Are you doing okay now? Do you have a good crew of friends or family near you to help you regroup after that? I know they're not as full-on traumatic as getting stabbed or something, but they're also not something you can just shake off in 15 minutes, either.

I haven't had one in years, so take this for what it's worth. But mine were never really "triggered" by anything in particular (although I found I could make them happen with things like mirrors or places very crowded with strangers, and playing around with that control actually taught me a lot about handling them and cutting them off when I felt one coming on). For me, they were sort of the boiling point for long-standing high stress. Something in my life would stress me out and make me anxious, and since I thought a Big Man should just nut up and ignore emotional pansy-stuffs, I wouldn't deal with it head-on. So all that anxiety built up until it would take over and paralyze me. Once I found ways to deal with my stress levels and anxieties, the panic attacks went away.

That's my anecdotal experience. There are some people for whom anxiety disorders are just a biological fact of the body, though, and no amount of "talking it out" or "working through your stress" can make it totally go away for those people. So don't dismiss clinical responses entirely if that might be a possibility for you. At the very least, I hope you'll consider finding a counselor who can help you suss out the options and discover what circumstances might be condusive to your panic attacks. There's so much benefit in getting an outside view. A good counselor can see patterns that you're too involved in to see yourself.

I hope you are well! Please check back in at some point and let us know how you're doing, okay?

Edit: I didn't see Leimanu's response before I posted, but yes to everything she said. Especially her practical advice.

[Thilde]

It's hard to say because I don't know anything about your situation. Everybody is different, so your triggers will be pretty unique to you, though they may share common elements with the general population of those managing anxiety. I'm one of those; I've had several panic attacks in my life, though thankfully none for a few years now. My life is hallmarked by peaks and troughs of anxiety, and not a single day goes by that I'm not aware of that...I've come to accept it as part of who I am. Doing this has made me more able and willing to do what I need to do to take care of myself. In a nutshell, my triggers are sensory overstimulation (noise, lights, colors, people), poor sleep, and poor diet. I manage my anxiety by watching my diet, avoiding caffeine, making sure I get enough sleep, and meditation practice. The meditation has been key for me, for reals. I can't even begin to describe the benefit of meditation for people who struggle with anxiety and panic; the breathing techniques, the emphasis on nonjudgement, the cultivation of a peaceful inner space, it all helps support a person's ability to return their fight or flight mechanism to normal (i.e. only triggering at the zombie apocalypse or some other justifiable circumstance).

All that to say, I don't know what your triggers might be. It might be specific situations, i.e. a disagreement with a loved one, a stressful incident at work. Or it might be generalized, such as sensory stuff. Or, it might be internalized thoughts/feelings that are bobbing to the surface and causing you some cognitive dissonance. Similarly, I don't know what will best help you. It might be meditation; it might be therapy; it might be meds; it might be a self-help book; it might be hypnosis. Everything L and C said above, I second. If you have family or friends you trust, talk to them if you can. If not, perhaps a counselor could be helpful in helping you identify your triggers. I speak from experience...as a person with anxiety, a history of panic attacks, and a longstanding struggle with severe phobia of medical stuff, AND as a person who also happens to be a master's level social worker and clinically-trained therapist with a special interest in anxiety treatments for college students and adults. The best thing about anxiety and panic is that it is within your power to manage. You can work with it, understand it, and learn what helps you the most...it doesn't define you, limit you, or make you a bad person. There are resources out there to help you.

Like C said above, if you feel comfortable, drop us a line or a PM to let us know how you're doing, and feel free to ask more questions if you want. You're definitely, DEFINITELY, not alone.

Be well!

[turandot500]

(hug) so sorry you had to experience that. I totally agree with the previous posts, they're very helpful. I have more panic attacks when I am overwhelmed, sometimes not even conscious of being stressed out, but if I have a hard week and I've been keeping my emotions locked inside, they build up and then I have an attack. What helps me is to get out of situation when I feel smothered, like take a walk if I am overwhelmed talking with my ex or go somewhere by myself if I'm claustrophobic in a large crowd. Meditating, prayer if you are religious or just reading motivating/inspirational stories help me keep my mind clear. I have used some essential oils to calm me down, Balance by DoTerra is nice, other brands make a similar blend. Try to get enough sleep too! After a panic attack, I am exhausted, so take a nap, listen to calm music, drink some tea, whatever soothes you. Hope this helps!

[Maleficarum]

Thank you all. I appreciate the feedback.

Ok... let me try to be more specific.

My life is full of stress right now. Due to my own negligence and a bit of dishonesty with my wife i managed to fail a series of classes and not receive three sets of tuition reimbursement that we were counting on to manage our month to month finances this year. We both came to the conclusion that I just don't put a priority on school and we were wasting money down the road on student loans. So we put her back in school instead. I work full time, she stays at home with our three kids. Oh... did i mention we have three kids, ages 5, 4, and 2. *eye twitch*

So... a series of rather serious fights and a history of failing to meet the financial needs of my family has put me into a bit of funk this year. I have suffered from bouts of serious depression in the past and it usually manifests as a self-destructive behavior of some sort. This time... i have just been emotionally withdrawn and financially irresponsible. Due to all of this, my wife has withdrawn from me emotionally. We used to have a really awesome, close bond, now, not so much. To top this off... my great-grandmother (102) is dying. I can completely accept that she has decided it is her time and she is not in any sort of pain, just a slow fade. But, she raised me, and she is more like a mother than anyone else in my life. Other than my wife, she is the only person that i have ever had a close emotional attachment to.

My wife and I adopted a low-carb/whole food/paleo-ish lifestyle about 2.75 months ago. Because she has had such success with Atkins in the past, but not with pure Primal or Paleo, we have been keeping to an extremely low-carb menu (under 20g net for her... under 50g net for me). We have only had two cheat days in that time, so we have remained mostly in a state of ketosis (tracked by means of diabetic keto-stiks).

Two weeks ago I started running again. I continued to pursue my body-weight workouts, but added some sprints and easy cardio to the mix about 3x a week.

Here is where I think my problem is. I increased the stress on my body from exercise by adding in the low-intensity and high-intensity cardio without increasing my calories or my carbs. I was basically starving myself and increasing the levels of cortisol in my body to an excessive level. I have been "fat" for most of my life. This lifestyle is really awesome and I can see the 15-18% bodyfat me under the surface. I had awesome energy and attitude two weeks ago (before cardio)... now i am a nervous wreck.

Life Stress + History of Depression + strict low-carb + chronic cardio = hormonal disaster

I am a poster child of how NOT to change your lifestyle. Ok... so going forward, I have decided that I need to stop running for two weeks. When I ease myself back into the game I will increase my carb intake post-workout with root veggies and possibly white rice. I have decided that it is also my mission to make my wife fall back in love with me, so i am returning to a healthier attitude and making some serious life changes when it comes to organization and meeting my obligations.

[Thilde]

Wow, that is a lot of stuff of your plate, man. I feel ya. I think the key thing here is that you've already become aware of how those things are affecting you. That's the biggest hurdle for a lot of people (myself included, often). It sounds like you have a very good understanding of the key players in what's going on for you emotionally and you have what looks like a solid plan to address your situation. I definitely can see where the physiological stress of increasing your activity while not also increasing your caloric intake would impact your mental wellbeing, especially in light of the key specific emotional stressors you've got right now (conflict in your marriage and the grieving process as your great-grandmother prepares to pass on), not to mention 3 young kids! Our bodies are resilient as all get out, but they're not invincible, and sometimes they just can't manage the stressor load especially when it comes from all sides. Your plan sounds like a good one. I wish you all the good things in your endeavors to nurture yourself and your relationship with your wife! The only thing I would add (as a total outsider who has no real insight on your particular situation ) is, do you have anyone, aside from your wife, you can talk to about all this stuff? The problems with your classes, raising 3 young kids, having difficulties in your marriage, and having a loved one pass away are all individually pretty big things for the mind to grapple with....combined, they're surely a lot to bear alone. I'm not saying I think you need therapy; I definitely think you can overcome what you've described to us with the plan you've outlined. I just wonder if that plan could be further supported by having someone you trust to talk to about how all these things are affecting you, be it a friend, family member, church staffperson if you're religious, or a counselor.

Anyhoo, thanks for checking in again, and good luck!

[CyningaDena]

I'm nodding vigorously while Sambie talks. Everything she said.

I hope all goes well for you as you make your life changes, and I hope you'll keep touching base here as you make progress toward your goals. An online community might not be the same as real live flesh-beasts, but we've got your back as much as we can!

[turandot500]

Yeah, Sambie gave some great advice. I hope you're feeling better this week! I feel for you, I have two kids (6 and 3) and relationship problems, I left my husbnad nad moved in with my parents a few months ago. We're trying to work things out, it takes a lot out of me. But we finally agreed that we need outside help, we are looking into counseling. I'm not saying that you do, just that having another person to guide or simply listen is really helpful. I'm sure you're totally exhausted, the anxiety is your body telling you its overloaded, take it easy on yourself :-) Of course, still work towards your goals but don't over do anything. Maybe find more activities that give you a workout but are fun and release stress, like today I took my kids to the park and had a blast playing soccer, rather than running on a treadmill by myself. And like CyningaDena said, we are community and are here to help one another!

[Maleficarum]

This week is going pretty well so far... im not running... i am making a commitment to myself that i need a bit of time off from that particular chronic stress. But, i did walk on the treadmill for 90 minutes while watching the Dark Knight... gave me some motivation and distraction.

I feel centered. Which is an odd thing to say... given the trauma i put my body through last week, but i truly feel like myself. Im not sure how to describe it, except to say that my body feels more "normal" than it has in years. Catharsis? Maybe i hit a hormonal reset switch? I am not the same person i was a week ago. My wife even asked if i was on drugs, to which i responded, "if i were, would you want me to stop?" The answer was "no."

I have energy. I have motivation. I am finishing tasks that i have procrastinated on for months if not years. I am resolving conflicts that have lingered for a very long time.

[Breakfast]

I had A LOT of panic attacks in 2010. In retrospect, I think it had to do with the apartment's mold problem that we found out as we were moving. It was triggered by headaches, but I'm sure it was also triggered by crappy food. Sugar can cause panic attacks and I was eating the most sugar in my life at that time. I have anxiety and OCD, and I don't usually get headaches, so they were causing dreadful intrusive thoughts. When I moved my panic attacks significantly lowered, plus I now have Xanax if I happen to get one.