Im having a breakdown right now help!

[Tae]

I dont know why i just started freaking out on my way hom, heart started beating weird, my legs felt funy i started shaking and a wave of confusion hit me and i started getting dizzy and then i was getting upset and sad and worrying about everything and right now im still worrying i just want help with this


has anyone ever felt like that?

[beachbabe23]

yeah ive had it plenty of times your fine. you just need to try some relaxation methods and take deep breaths. i read when i get anxious i just started lately and it works wonders. ive had this for a year and sometimes i think im the only one in the world but im fine. so try methods and deep breaths and you will be perfectly fine :)

[Tae]

Thanks, I dont know why i just got so upset and panicing and felt like i let people down, I even told my girl friend i was sorry and ill try and make up for it tommorow because it feels like i did something wrong to her


*sighs*

[bba]

Ahhh..dont apologize for it. you didnt do anything wrong. if you apologize for it then your anxiety will increase because subconsciously you're telling yourself you should have stopped it.

[Robbed]

Thanks, I dont know why i just got so upset and panicing and felt like i let people down, I even told my girl friend i was sorry and ill try and make up for it tommorow because it feels like i did something wrong to her

It doesn't matter why it happened. Trying to figure out WHY it happened in order to avoid the problem in the future is most definitely the WRONG thing to do. Basically, random panic/anxiety attacks out of the blue occur because you are in a high-stress state. And when you are in a high-stress state, your mind starts to operate erratically. This means that such attacks can come out of the blue, and without either being in a frightening situation OR having thoughts that could have provoked the attack. Learn to accept this as nothing more than a symptom of your anxiety. And rather than living in fear of future attacks, simply accept that they are going to happen for the time being. Also remember that it is fear of SYMPTOMS (and not situations) that keeps stress levels high, and anxiety disorder alive for the vast majority of anxiety sufferers. Only by losing your fear of symptoms will your anxiety problem gradually go away in the long term. But, as I tell everyone, be patient. Learning not to react to symptoms with fear does NOT happen overnight - it takes time (and LOTS of it). Also, recovery takes time, and setbacks (where anxiety gets worse for a while after getting better) are the NORM.

[Tae]

Bumping this thread for some more insight! Thanks everyone!

[Matt_H]

C'mon. This is the ANXIETY FORUM. We've all been through this! It freakin' sucks. You seem fairly new to this lovely world of ours, so I'll give you my layman's explanation of panic and why/how it happens.

Panic is your body's natural response to danger. It's essential to our survival. When our body feels that our life is being threatened, it goes through a variety of changes, to setup our body's for what is commonly called: Fight or Flight. One of the most noticeable changes during this time, is a boost of adrenaline. Adrenaline is a hormone that is secreted during this "life threatening" situation. It increases heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac output, among other things.

Now when this "fight or flight" response is triggered for no apparent reason, it causes a panic attack. The same thing is happening to your body that would normally happen if you come face to face with a bear, or something. Well, if you did come face-to-face with a predator, this boost of adrenaline would save your life. It would help your body either get the &%$# out of there (flight), or stay and fight with superhuman strength. If you're sitting there, well its a different story. Your body is releasing all of this adrenaline because subconsciously, something triggered this response. So what happens when your body triggers the fight-or-flight response when you're sitting still with no danger. PANIC! You'll notice changes in breathing, and other sensations. The tingly feeling in your legs is actually probably really simple to explain. Another part of the fight-or-flight response is limiting oxygen to the major organs in your body. Well when your leg muscles aren't getting the normal amount of oxygen they'd usually get, you may feel a tingly or pins and needles-type sensation.

Makes sense? All of this panic, isn't you going crazy. It's your brain just trying to prepare you for a danger that doesn't exist. And the biggest part of overcoming panic, is discovering what this unreal danger is and how it's triggered.

Panic has never killed anyone, or made anyone "crazy". It is EXTREMELY stressful and frustrating to suffer through panic, but it will never ever physically hurt you.

I hope maybe understanding the physical aspects of panic, and what your body is doing will help you cope through it. It makes it easier to picture what's going on and why. There are many techniques to overcome panic. Just as much, there are plenty of medications out there to help you through times of panic, when talking yourself out of it just might not work. If this starts affecting your quality of life, I'd recommend seeing a mental health professional. Therapy can do wonders.

Good Luck
-Matt

[northstar]

tae, those exact same symtoms happen to me when i don't eat for quite a while or when i eat something really sugary or full of fast burning carbohydrates. it's called hypoglycemia and it's pretty easily managed by eating a good healthy diet. often when it happens to someone for the first time it can leave you with incredible fear and anxiety regarding having another attack. for me it's as simple as eating a banana to get rid of the anxiety and feed my blood sugars :)

think about what was happening around the time of the attack and it may help you out. had you not eaten in quite a while? been overly stressed or ill lately? had you been drinking coffee/tea/soft drinks? or is it possibly related to drugs (prescribed or otherwise)? there are many reasons for panic attacks and it's quite possible to get over them, believe me i know :)