What is a panic attack to you?

[jon mike]

Although I'm convinced that I have panic attacks every now and then, when I read other people's descriptions of them they never seem to be anything like what happens to me. The symptoms I read about are, a racing heart, sweating, trembling, a feeling of impending doom...
Although these symptoms do happen to me, but it's the craziness of it that effects me the most, like I am about to enter my own personal hell.. it's hard to explain but it's almost like I can't believe where I am, wherever I am? I could be in my house in the bathroom and the feeling will be that i have only just noticed where I am. It's so hard to explain but it's the worst part of whatever happens to me. Maybe it is just panic and I am focusing more on this and most people ignore it and focus more on the physical symptoms. I'm 39, I've never been able to figure it out. After something like that happens that is when the dark derealization cloud creeps over my head... I'm feeling much better over the last few weeks but I just wanted to know if anyone experiences them in this way?

[self12]

Although I'm convinced that I have panic attacks every now and then, when I read other people's descriptions of them they never seem to be anything like what happens to me. The symptoms I read about are, a racing heart, sweating, trembling, a feeling of impending doom...
Although these symptoms do happen to me, but it's the craziness of it that effects me the most, like I am about to enter my own personal hell.. it's hard to explain but it's almost like I can't believe where I am, wherever I am? I could be in my house in the bathroom and the feeling will be that i have only just noticed where I am. It's so hard to explain but it's the worst part of whatever happens to me. Maybe it is just panic and I am focusing more on this and most people ignore it and focus more on the physical symptoms. I'm 39, I've never been able to figure it out. After something like that happens that is when the dark derealization cloud creeps over my head... I'm feeling much better over the last few weeks but I just wanted to know if anyone experiences them in this way?

Hi Jon! Like you said, reading other people's views of what a panic attack is shows that we all experience it slightly differently. Some people have a racing heart, some people start to sweat while others feel a tight pain in their chest. Me personally, I don't get many of the common symptoms other than a racing heart. for me, when I go into panic mode, it's like everything is in slow motion and I can just feel the pounding of my heart. It's as though your mind is clouded and you can't make any sort of sound judgment. I guess it's like an uncontrolled adrenaline rush.. I think sometimes we could even confuse panic attacks with just simple panic. Breathing exercises can help determine which is which, id say slow breathing when you feel you are about to have a panic attack would really help calm you down. I think perhaps take a step back and think what makes you feel you're going to have a panic attack and what you can do to tackle that from happening before it does. I'm 21 and i still don't know why I experience certain things, especially with my anxiety. But for sure, we do experience different things even though what we are going through is the same. I wish you all the best and I hope you don't have any more panic attacks! They are awful.. be strong

[jon mike]

Hi Jon! Like you said, reading other people's views of what a panic attack is shows that we all experience it slightly differently. Some people have a racing heart, some people start to sweat while others feel a tight pain in their chest. Me personally, I don't get many of the common symptoms other than a racing heart. for me, when I go into panic mode, it's like everything is in slow motion and I can just feel the pounding of my heart. It's as though your mind is clouded and you can't make any sort of sound judgment. I guess it's like an uncontrolled adrenaline rush.. I think sometimes we could even confuse panic attacks with just simple panic. Breathing exercises can help determine which is which, id say slow breathing when you feel you are about to have a panic attack would really help calm you down. I think perhaps take a step back and think what makes you feel you're going to have a panic attack and what you can do to tackle that from happening before it does. I'm 21 and i still don't know why I experience certain things, especially with my anxiety. But for sure, we do experience different things even though what we are going through is the same. I wish you all the best and I hope you don't have any more panic attacks! They are awful.. be strong

Thanks. Yes good luck with your anxiety

[wpark2419]

I definitely think they're different for everyone. I am positive I have panic attacks but mine are almost all internal. I have what I call waves of fear and doom that seemingly slam in to me, my skin gets sweaty but cold...while somehow at the same time by body feels hot from the inside. I have racing thoughts and get shaky. Anyone around me really wouldn't notice anything odd but internally I'm freaking out. It's miserable.

[Ponder]

Walls pop up inside my head and begin to rapidly close in. Noise levels suddenly sky rocket expediting the speed of encroaching walls and upping my blood pressure to a point where I turn bright red. Veins begin to pop out of my head whilst body temperature suddenly increases. My speech increases, I forget words and begin to slur. It becomes quite obvious to others that I need my space. The more room I am given the quicker I am able to deescalate. If I am hemmed in ... I will explode and then continue venting as I make my way out through a path made by those wise enough to move out of the way.

Other than that ... It's just a simple case of anxiety in a world bent on stimulation 24/7 which is pretty normal these days.

Although similar ... None of my anxiety "attacks" are the same. They can vary in degree and also feeling depending on the circumstances. Attack is not a good word really. They are more like episodes. No one is attacking me and I am not attack anyone else. It just feels that way ... The clinical language does more to create the problems than it does to curb the cause; but that's another story.

Thankfully I know what to do when I get in such states. Despite the intensity as described, I choose not to make a big deal about it or see them as attacks. I'm interested in focusing on what works ... moving towards.

[gypsylee]

Good description there, Ponder.

For me it's mostly mental and nobody would know, except I can't speak much. If I was an animal I'd be one that adopts the "freeze" response rather than fight or flight. My mind starts going full-speed, jumping from one thing to the next; my heart races and I sometimes start sweating; I become super conscious of everything and sensitive to stimulation, especially noise; irritable to the extreme; fears of losing my mind..

The most distressing thing for me about a panic attack is I can't think straight. When I'm calm my mind is very switched-on and my IQ is in the range of "brilliant" (not quite genius) but anxiety can really mess with that. Learning about what goes on in the brain under stress has helped me to accept and not fight it so much, but it's not easy.

[Ponder]

I do find it interesting and can relate to the episodes that leave me more mentally effected and unable to respond whilst others may not know. Only thing is that can happen at times when I am not having an anxiety attack but simply an overload of stimulous which relates more to asd symptoms ... BUT ... can also be anxiety related. I hear what people are saying all the same about mental only episodes.