Has This Happened To Anyone?

[Mack24]

Hi Everyone-
I was wondering if anyone has ever had this happen to them. I was waiting at the cashier in a department store while Christmas shopping this weekend and I thought I was going to have a panic attack on the spot. Out of nowhere, my legs became shaky and I couldn't get the thought out of my mind that I would faint in front of everyone. (I have only fainted 1 time in my life, back when I was 16 years old due to an injury.) I made it to my van and relaxed, drove next door to get some lunch and everything turned out okay. The thought of fainting or a serious medical condition paralyzed me. I am in great health and have no reason to believe I am a candidate for a heart attack or fainting spell. HELP!!! Has this happened to anyone? It's the strangest thing because it is so irrational and there is not a logical reason to have the thoughts that ran through my head. I was pretty shaken up for a couple hours after I settled down. I have had anxiety/panic attacks since the Fall of 2001 that I have been able to (mostly) control with diet and exercise. The only thing I can think of, is that I had a caffeine drink on an empty stomach. Could it have been nervousness from the caffeine and then I let my anxiety takeover? Any help/comments/experiences would be appreciated. Anxiety has provided me with some very dark days in my life and I learned to talk about it and listen to advice of others.

[tidalpine]

Yes!!! all the time!!!! stay away from caffeine for a while.
If you feel like this again, try to eat something. I struggle with the same thing, but i also have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and my low blood sugar can cause me to feel this way too!

[Fahrenheit]

It seems like the caffeine might have contributed, yes. If it made you feel odd (the shaking legs), you anxiety might have pounced on that and run away with it. One a physical level, once the cycle starts, it takes time for the stress chemicals released in your body to dissipate, and, on a mental level it is hard not to get sucked into a cycle of anxious thinking. You say you have had panic attacks in the past - have you noticed a pattern to them? That might give you a clue as to what happened here, and can help to prevent attacks in the future. It sounds like you managed to nip this one it the bud, so the work you have been doing is paying off. Keep building that skill!

[cloudy black]

hello Mark yes anxiety is a very dark adversary to deal with. it is through this forum that i am starting to talk about my anxiety and i do get times when i have both anxiety and depression together :( and i was talking to someone yesterday and through talking i realised why i even came to the forum (not usually a 21 century kinda person where using social media is concerned. far too anxious for that! lol) and for me i have had the last 2 years o dear is it that long i have felt extremly irritated with everyone to the point of hostility and so the only avenue left to me was to retreat but i even then i get megga annoyed with myself.

has anyone else had this intense irritation with others over a long period of time? i had lost desire to be around people and was so dismissive that it was becoming corrosive to me. and going for a meal yesterday was a testing point to see how i am doing and i actually enjoyed myself. so the forum is helping me. my flat is a tip thou! so big thanx to everyone out there! because i had come to a very dark place indeed. it is by reading other peoples posts that i realise that i am not alone and i can put my own experiences and pain to some positive use so once again a big thanx cloudy black

[Mack24]

Thank you very so much for the feedback. Your experiences and advice give me another viewpoint to look at my anxiety. Very, very helpful.

[The Intolerable Kid]

Sure, I have. The suggestion from tidalpine about low blood sugar is a good one. Standing in one place for too long in an environment that is way too hot also can cause fainting for me.