first panic attack for almost 5 years

[randompizza]

Hi all. I'm new here and while I'm happy to find a forum dedicated to anxiety, I'm not so glad to be posting. I just had a panic attack. My last panic attack was in late 2011. I'm so disappointed and plain sad about this. I don't know what triggered it, which makes me worry. It was so out of the blue that I thought it was a heart attack, just like I did with my first one. Then I realized I was having a panic attack when I began shaking. Has this ever happened to you? After many years? Does this mean I'll always have them, for no particular reason? The psychiatrist I saw back in the day told me this could happen, but after all this time I though I had "won". Thanks for reading.
Dee

[SanFranLarry]

Very normal. I get a bad one every now and then and like you, I don't know where it comes from. Maybe they build-up, I don't know. The good thing is, you knew what it was. It is a weird little thing his anxiety (or in my case GAD).

[Kirk]

Anxiety sometimes comes out of nowhere for me also. I hope you feel better soon.

[Olives]

Something must have triggered your attack, I don't think I'd worry too much about it if normally you can control your anxiety levels.

[randompizza]

Thank you all for your answers. Although it didn't last as long as the old ones, it did take me by surprise. I guess this is a lesson and I shouldn't underestimate them. Isn't it curious (for lack of a better word) that our mind is doing this to us? Sometimes it seems I'm talking about an outside force.

[AliasEQ]

Hi all. I'm new here and while I'm happy to find a forum dedicated to anxiety, I'm not so glad to be posting. I just had a panic attack. My last panic attack was in late 2011. I'm so disappointed and plain sad about this. I don't know what triggered it, which makes me worry. It was so out of the blue that I thought it was a heart attack, just like I did with my first one. Then I realized I was having a panic attack when I began shaking. Has this ever happened to you? After many years? Does this mean I'll always have them, for no particular reason? The psychiatrist I saw back in the day told me this could happen, but after all this time I though I had "won". Thanks for reading.
Dee

Welcome! :)

The thing is - don't think of panic attacks as something you need to "cure". It can not be "cured". It's not a disease. We cause our own panic attacks, they don't just pop up out of nowhere.

If you have the mindset that panic attacks is something that is not from ourselfs, you will never conquer it. It is we who cause it upon ourself unintentionally. Our defence mechanism is out of control. It is we who fool ourself into thinking that we are in danger. To be able to conquer, to overcome it - we need to learn how to take control of it. When we do have control over it, it won't ever trouble us again. I feel like it's impossible for me to get a panic attack. Even if I did, I know how to control it. And even if I didn't know how to control it, I'd learn how to control it.

Look around here on the forum. There's great people from all over the world with great advice on how to control it. The thread stickers are great for example.

Wish you the best!

Elias