Panic Attacks Getting Worse....

[Nicole0317]

Well today was okay at first.
I got to go to a girls engineering thing that some of my teachers had to choose 75 14year olds to go to it and I actually got chose so that was exiting until. I started having a panic attack during the flipping lecture so I'm just sitting their and I started to have a panic attack and it got really my bad my heart was racing really fast and felt like it was about to pop out of my chest and then it felt like pins and needles through out my arms and got to the point where I couldn't even open my hands and I was shaking like crazy and basically looked like an idiot and I would have just gotten up and left the room to go to the "restrooms" if it wasn't for the fact that I was sitting in the very front and the bathrooms were somewhere in the back and I new there was no way no one would notice me shaking and my hole flipping chest pounding so I just sat there for 20-30mim having a panic attack and my muscles were so tense that my hands were pressing against the ground (since that's where I was sitting) and it bruised my knuckles since they were pressing against the ground so hard. Ugh it was terrible and it didn't help that me vision was like totally off I mean the whole room was blurry and I could hardly even see anyone.

 

[hodge]

Oh, I'm so sorry you went through that today, Nicole. I know it's hard, but next time try taking deep breaths . . . in through your nose, hold it a second, then out through your mouth. It takes a little while, but it does work.

 

[hodge]

Oh, and congrats for being chosen to go!!

 

[joeylittle]

in through your nose, hold it a second, then out through your mouth.

I'll jump off of this one.
There's a thing called "4x4 breathing", or "square breathing".
In (through the nose) for a slow count of four.
Hold it for a slow count of four
Blow it out (through the mouth) for a slow count of four.
Hold for a slow count of four.

You really have to just stick at it; it can take a few minutes to work, that's just your brain calming back down.

If you feel like you can't control your inhale that well, focus first on slowing down your exhale - purse your lips like you'd do if you were blowing out a candle, and then just let the air come out as it can from that opening; you don't have to really control it. Once you have your exhale lengthened, it's easy to move on to something like the 4 by 4.

I'm sorry you had to sit with that horrible feeling - but you survived it. Next time it happens, you can also remember that it will eventually pass. (and do the breathing! :))

 

[Friday]

I'll jump off of this one.
There's a thing called "4x4 breathing", or "square breathing".
In (through the nose) for a slow count of four.
Hold it for a slow count of four
Blow it out (through the mouth) for a slow count of four.
Hold for a slow count of four.

You really have to just stick at it; it can take a few minutes to work, that's just your brain calming back down.

If you feel like you can't control your inhale that well, focus first on slowing down your exhale - purse your lips like you'd do if you were blowing out a candle, and the just let the air come out as it can from that opening; you don't have to really control it. Once you have your exhale lengthened, it's easy to move on to something like the 4 by 4.
)

- Strong second at both Joey & @hodge on this one! The bolded part is one of my tricks. I've called it "blowing wind" for years... (Until international forum meant learning that's slang in some places for blowing sunshine up someone's ass ;) Oops )

Anyhow... It's both an athletics trick & pregnancy/giving birth trick for off gassing some of the adrenaline & other chemicals to recover faster... And it helps stabilize my breathing / make more room for air when I'm shallow breathing, so I can actually take a large inhale, period.

- What you're already doing... Pushing your hands into the desk, or feet into the floor? That's using large muscle groups & intentional movement (somatic nervous system) to override the tiny muscle movements and autonomic nervous system. Keep doing that. Ideally... Go for a walk or use your muscles in some way that isn't injuring yourself... But you've already got the right idea going, just naturally. Keep it up. Deliberate small movements can help as well (wiggling your toes inside your shoes, tapping out piano fingerlings, fine attention to detail in various forms).

I've had panic attacks every day for the past 3 years. While my body may still spin up? My mind doesn't. They're not scary to me. Annoying? Yes. Frustrating? Ditto. But they are also completely manageable. Nothing to be afraid of. Just a thing to sort out. You'll get better / faster at sorting them the more you practice. To the point you can even recognize one is coming on before it does and subvert the sucker. I've been relearning how to do that... But I had it down cold for over 10 years. All of this? It's temporary.