Panic Attack While In Class

[Pippi]

Today I had my first ever in-class panic attack. We were taking a quiz that I should have aced, but my mind suddenly went blank and none of the questions made any sense to me. My heart started racing and I just sat there, staring stupidly at my paper while my classmates scribbled away their answers. I am a 4.0 student who has never, ever failed a quiz, and I've never had a panic attack in class before. I had to write my professor a note explaining what was going on with me, and she said it was okay for me to go home. Embarrassing.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Hi
Do you have panic attacks? I hope you are ok? do you know what triggered it? Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[Red Feather]

Sounds scary. I am glad you have enough trust in your professor, to let her know what was happening. I have had panic attacks in odd situations before. Just be sure not to blame yourself for it happening. It is a way for you to tell yourself that you need a lot of self care and time to sort out how you feel. Take care.

 

[Pippi]

Gizmo, yes, I do have panic attacks every now and then. This was the first time it ever happened so publicly, though. As for the trigger, I think it was a culmination of stressful events. I went to the health center yesterday and found out I'm battling two infections, and I talked with the nurse about the panic attack. She says this kind of thing happens every year to a handful of seniors just before graduation, and that I'm likely stressing over the end of college and the future. This makes sense to me, as I have serious adjustment issues when it comes to major life changes such as this. It's easy for me to stress myself into sickness without even realizing it's happening.

Thanks Nadia. I took yesterday and today to myself to heal and relax.