Anxiety and Panic Attacks
You are definitely not alone when it comes to the anxiety you are experiencing. As a matter of fact, practically everyone feels a panic or anxiety attack at some point in their life.
I myself used to experience anxiety and panic attacks. I have been over them for such a long time that I had forgotten about them and that I ever had them until I met with a few clients, who kind of jogged my memory as they shared their stories with me.
I remember getting them mostly when I was driving. It almost seems too silly to mention here, but maybe you can relate to this. I lived in Los Angeles. I was a pretty stressed out person for being as young as I was at the time, 19 I think. And during my long, slow drives home from work, I would sometimes imagine that odorless fumes were somehow getting in my car. I thought maybe it was coming from my air conditioning. I would begin to smell something, even though I thought it was odorless, I wasn't all too rational about it. I would literally start feeling like I was getting sick, my eyes would water, I would feel faint, my heart would race, my palms got all sweaty, my breathing was heavy. I recall having to pull off to the side of the road for fear that I might faint or even die.
I went to see a doctor, who suggested I see a therapist, who suggested I see a biofeedback technician. Well, I wouldn't even allow the biofeedback monitor to be hooked up to my body. I was afraid of that too for some reason. Maybe they didn't know much about Panic Attacks or Stress back then, or maybe I know so much about it now that I take that for granted, but it seems so ridiculous to me now that not one of these people suggested that I learn how to properly breathe, let alone how to relax! As a matter of fact, I don't even recall when or how this information was taught to me. What I do know is that I look at driving in a whole new way. Other situations which may present some feelings of threat or fear can also be handled in a much more calm and relaxed way as well, whereas up until around 5 or 6 years ago, I used to have a horrible fear of needles. It was so bad that I went about 8 years of my life without having any blood work done. Finally I was faced with a couple of situations where I could no longer run away from it and had to go. One of those was a re-visit to the dentist to have a cavity filled. I remember being in sheer terror all day long the day of the appointment. I cried all day. I brought a friend with me and I did black out for a very short while after having the shot.
Today, while I really do not enjoy needles any more than I did back then, I would never put off anymore. I can go by myself. I can feel mostly at ease the day of the appointment and when it comes time to having blood drawn I know how to remain calm and relaxed. I turn my head like most and just let go.
Having worked with a number of people who have panic attacks, what I have learned is that the reactions to them are usually quite similar.
What do you think the number one thought a person has during their panic attack? Or more importantly, what is YOUR single biggest concern?
Well, if you are like most, it's the actual thought of dying from a heart attack.
It's no wonder though, because during a panic attack your heart starts racing as if you just climbed up the empire state building. What's very interesting to note, however is that even though it may not feel like it at the time, your heart is designed to react in the way it does during a panic attack. That's right! So, unless you have a heart condition, a panic attack is not usually a threat to the heart.
Another common concern I encounter and you may have is dying from suffocation.
Now, what is interesting to note here is that you have less of a chance of dying from suffocation during a panic attack then at any other time, why? Because you naturally take in more air. You might feel like you have a shortness of breath. What causes that is your bodies increased demand for oxygen, or you may be hyperventilating, or over breathing, both of which create a surplus of oxygen. You will not die of suffocation when you have too much oxygen in your lungs.
Let's cover some more of these thoughts. Perhaps you just understanding what's happening with your body will help you in some way. The next most common thought people have is that they are having a stroke.
Strokes and panic attacks have nothing to do with each other, so you can relax about that!
Then there is fainting. We're not going to go into all of the explanations of what people experience during a panic attack. I just wanted to give you some idea about the commonness of its effects and to put your mind somewhat at ease that your body is reacting the way it was designed to react in a threatening situation. You wont faint, you're not going crazy or having a nervous breakdown, you are not losing control, you wont fall down. your large muscle groups have plenty of oxygen for you to move. And panic attacks never really last for very long. it's a very short-term situation that last for only a few minutes.
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