what exactly is a panic attack?

[HopelesslyLost]

okay so ive been getting what i think are panic attacks in the middle of my classes due to my abusive past but i cant be sure if they are or not
so what happens when someone gets panic attacks?

Thanks :)

[Snow White.]

Generally a panic attack is characterised by two key increases: a body increase and a mind increase.

In your body you'll likely experience an increased heart rate, sweating palms, difficulty breathing or shallow breathing. You may feel nauseous, need to go to the toilet or shakey.

In your mind you'll have increased worried thoughts, imagining the worst case scenario, feeling like you ate dying etc. Sometimes even if you try to talk yourself down you'll still feel anxious.

There are many different levels of anxiety and you can experience these in extreme levels or reduced and either can be very difficult to deal with. Even relatively mild anxiety deserves to be discussed, explored and treated.

But most importantly, what do you experience?

[SubculturalGirl]

If you feel like you're having panic attacks you probably are. But like the previous poster said, they're different for eveyone. For me, my hands go tingly, I get palpitations, I generally feel hot and start sweating, sometimes feel dizzy.

[HopelesslyLost]

thank you guys!
if it is a panic attack its not a very bad one
i start getting the worst case scenario thoughts as snow explained along with hating myself more than i already do and i cant stop moving my hands or something and occasionally shallow breathing

[SubculturalGirl]

It's bad if you find it unpleasant. Yeah now that I think about it I usually start thinking "What if I can't get out of here", like the other day when I had one on the tube. Whatever, it never feels good!

[Snow White.]

Sounds very worrying and unpleasant for you, do you know what triggers these feelings for you?

I'm glad you've made a post here to get some advice, good step :)

[HopelesslyLost]

ummm i haven't quite figured that one out yet :/ although i think it might just be me thinking about the wrong things that triggers them because in the middle of class there isint much i can do but think about things

[SubculturalGirl]

Yeah and possibly thinking about these things in class causes you to panic because it's not like you can get up and do something to take your mind off it. You're sort of stuck there. I understand.

[Snow White.]

I find that happens to me too. I wonder if there's something that might help you in the middle of a boring class..have you ever heard about any grounding exercises? They are designed to help you focus on the present, and facts our senses,, rather than future worries. Would something like that be helpful do you think? Anything else you can think of that might help?

[HopelesslyLost]

no i havent herd of them but ill look them up and give them a try today if i get a panic attack :) maybe a fidget thing like a pen would help as well so ill give that a try if the grounding exercise dosent work

[SubculturalGirl]

Remember to breathe, too. In through your nose and out through your mouth. It works for me when I get dizzy anyway. :)

[HopelesslyLost]

alright thank you :)

[Snow White.]

I like the fidget idea. Sometimes i try to ground by noticing really small physical details in the room,, like the hair of someone in front of me, and describing it in my mind really detailed, so that when an anxious thought comes along you can say "no,, in thinking about something else" before it escalates and go back to the other thing.

That's just one example, I'm on my phone so can't type more out, but if you google panic attack tips or anxiety attack tips I'm sure some more great ideas will come up.

Remember to breathe slowly and deeply too. Scribbling on paper may be a great distraction too, even just patterns

You can do it :)

[Solstice]

I have been learning some interesting techniques for dealing with panic attacks. Here is one:

It stems from the idea of EDMR and the fact that when a traumatic event happens, changes in brain chemistry also take place. The most notable change is that the left and right side of your brain are no longer straight passages to one another, essentially your body is rerouting some of your thoughts, making it harder for you to get to the thought you actually want and often times resulting in a panicked feeling.

First off, get into a position that you feel safe in. It's going to be much easier to overcome a panic attack if you don't feel panicked simply because of the way you are feeling. The position that I was told is best is to cross your hands in front of you and then wrap them under and then cross your feet. There is something about this position that is supposed to calm and soothe and anxious person. After you find your position you should try tapping your hands back and forth for 40+ times. This forces your brain to connect to both sides and helps decrease the feeling of panic and anxiety.

It is very difficult to explain this in writing so if you have any questions please feel free to PM me.
Take care,
Nicole

[Snow White.]

I found that really interesting, thanks for sharing Nicole :)

[HopelesslyLost]

thanks you guys :) this helped alot!
i used a grounding technique i found somewhere online
thanks Nicole ill try that next time :)

[Solstice]

You are both very welcome :) feel free to pm me if you have anymore questions or want more techniques.