On Thursday I had a panic attack for the first time. It scared me, it was absolutely terrifying. Since then I've been exhausted, barely able to eat and having diarrhea. I took time off of work and have just been at home resting. I've been sleeping through the night and taking several naps a day and still don't feel like I've gotten enough sleep. I've been making myself eat little snacks through out the day but I'm not able to eat much. Despite not eating much, since my panic attack I've had diarrhea so I've been trying to make sure I drink enough water during the day.
Does anyone have any advice on how to get through this? Certain foods to eat to help give me energy or that can help with diarrhea? I'm almost afraid to leave my house because of the diarrhea. I tried to go out on Saturday just to go to the grocery store and by the time I got dressed and ready I was exhausted and needed a nap.
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ESLC
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I was driving when I happened so thankfully I was able to pull over and call 911, I had no idea what was happening. When the EMT arrived they did help me regulate my breathing and I was able to get it under control. Thankfully I haven't had another panic since Thursday, my body is still trying to recover though.
Hi, ESLC. Panic attacks suck. I had my first when I was put on Zoloft for my depression -- an entire night of panic attacks until I blacked out in the morning. They are so exhausting, so completely understandable that you're so tired. Hang in there. The only things I've found that help are doing whatever it is that keeps you calm and healthy overall. For me that's meditation, exercise, remembering to actually eat before my stomach eats itself, and removing the jerks and unhealthy social relationships from my life. But they still come up. Like an addiction it's a daily battle.
Thanks for the advice! It was certainly scary and exhausting. I've just been doing my best to stay relaxed and calm. I think I should look into meditation, I love yoga so I'm sure meditation would be good for me!
The breathing exercises with the meditation helped. I also really got into fresh flowers to help. Browsing the sale flowers at the grocery store, picking them out, cutting them, arranging them, etc. The feel of the flowers, the smells, having the flowers around to look at all helped.
Hi ESLC and Welcome to the Anxiety Forum, your first step in getting better. What happened Thursday was a frightening experience to say the least. For whatever reason it came on. Sometimes our bodies and our minds get so overwhelmed with Life that this is a way of getting our attention and making us slow down our pace. It worked didn't it. Unfortunately though, the scare is so intense that even though the Panic Attack is behind us, the effects of the attack on the body are still there. . But...the mind is holding on to that thought and putting you into the fear of fear cycle. The "what if" cycle. That is what is causing the tiredness, the diarrhea and exhaustion.
It no longer is caused by a physical component but a mental one. Once you work on letting go of that fear, the body symptoms will settle down and go away. Our minds are powerful instruments that can do us harm as well as good. Don't allow this one time event cause you to change your way of life by making you stuck and living in fear. Talk with your doctor, maybe a therapist to address any issues going on in your life right now. Sometimes, short term medication can help but it can be done with you changing your way of thinking.
My recommendation is to go onto YouTube, start learning the benefits of meditation and deep breathing. Use the great audio videos that are available to us to quiet our mind and bodies several times a day. There are short audios 1-2-and 3 min long as well as 10-15min which I recommend at the beginning. Anything longer, you are more likely to tune out.
Study the deep breathing videos, take in the proper way of breathing. You can't have any adverse affect when deep breathing. Breathing is free, breathing is with you at all times. Driving, shopping, working, walking and even relaxing and watching tv. No one can see what you are doing but the benefits are there within you. It lowers your stress level as well as the culprit which is Adrenaline causing the symptoms.
Come to the forum as often as needed to get the emotional support you need so that you can continue to go forward. You are never alone. We stand behind each other with understanding, comfort and care. Welcome to your virtual support family. xx
Thank you so much for this post! I took your advice and found a deep breathing exercise on YouTube. I felt so relaxed after! I did take a nap after the video but when I woke up I felt refreshed and was actually able to go to the store. Thank you again!
I'm not sure exactly. I'm always stressed about something and there have been times in my live that I've been under much more stress than I am currently. I was just driving and driving (even in heavy traffic) doesn't upset me so it seemed to come out of no where.
hi, just a note to say that often it doesn't do any harm to check your environment. look at how you heat your home, does a boiler or a chimney need a look at? what about your car, how healthy is it, does it need a check? what about the exhaust? sometimes, an external source can cause some health issues. just giving things the once over at least eliminates concerns about things like carbon monoxide leaks. think about it, it's just a simple precaution...
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xx
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