Panic attack again 😔

[Lexirae_]

I was fine then got up to go to the bathroom now I’m having a really bad panic attack 😔 I’m trying to calm down but I’m freaking myself out I don’t know what to do 😔 anyone have any advice?

[JAYnLA]

Can you take a hot shower or bath? Breathe, and engage your 5 senses as much as possible. It helps me.

[Lexirae_ in reply to JAYnLA]

I usually steam because I feel like it helps with the right muscles, and I’ll like squeeze frozen ice pops but I’m all out right now 😩 I might have to take a shower, I stood up and noticed my heart rate but freaked out even more because I used an electric massager on my chest because my muscles were hurting and after it creates kind of a numb feeling so both sensations are freaking me out, the rush of adrenaline caught me way off guard too 😔 I put on relaxing sounds and am trying ice to see if it’ll help 😔 thank you

[Hidden]

It sounds like you might be on sensory overload and possibly engaging in your senses, fears, and worries. Here's a fun exercise that squeezes out all the tension and energy from the muscles. Learned it on 10 Percent and it's by Sharon Salzberg (spelling?).

Breathe like you would for deep breathing techniques. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Deep in the belly, and identify the feeling you feel most prominently. Focus only on that....and when the mind wanders off...catch it...return it to the prominent feeling. Now, start by scrunching up your face like you drank the most bitter thing (really bad beer, something way too salty LOL) and hold that nice and tight. After about a few seconds of holding it, let the muscles relax and recognize the tension/stress flowing away. Feels great, right? Do it three times. After that, we move towards the shoulders. We'll scrunch up our shoulders inward like we want to reach our ears with them. Again, each time, we want to identify all of the things subsiding and flowing away. Three times again. Next, while you're breathing, feel your back muscles...do you notice any tension areas? Use the breathing to stretch out those areas naturally. Afterwards, it's time for arms! Make a fist first with your right arm...flex hard! Notice the tension leaving you as you unflex. Do this with the left...and then repeat three times. Finally, it's leg day time...stretch your front calf on your right side by squeezing your toes/foot back stretching that muscle out. Each and every time we stretch and let go, we want to think about all of the bad stuff going....the tension and stress. Much like the arms, you'll do this once on each foot and then repeat three times. If you can, ignore all other sensations and focus on the breath AND the tension leaving your body. You can repeat this if you need to, but I've done it so bad where I was a bit sore! It's great as a true anxiety exercise.

I think we bottle up so much and have too much energy. You may find that you need to exhaust this energy....some exercises will have you shake your limbs for a long period of time. Others will have you walk and stretch your body out. I hope this works for you because I hate when we can't seem to let go. You'll need to give yourself permission and self-love to feel strange during these anxious moments. It's just your body protesting against logical thought -- surely, it says, we're in danger!!! -- but we're not. If you notice any symptoms such as profuse sweating, extreme dizziness, bad pains from your chest or arms, maybe ask someone around to check on you just to have a safety valve...it's unfortunate that a heart attack and an anxiety attack are very similar. The odds are, much like other times you've felt this way, it is anxiety. So, perhaps having someone call you in ten minutes or have a family member/friend that lives with you check in would be a good idea. Above all else, I hope you're able to relax and convince your mind and body...we're okay. Take care and please let us know how it goes...and if you need an ear. Take care and feel better!

[Lexirae_ in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so so much I’m going to try all of that now! One thing that freaks me out is deep breathing because I have terrible posture and I (sadly) breath shallow 24/7 and the deep breaths make me feel like I’m going to pass out 😩 I’m going to try to work on my posture and breathing and see if that long term helps me 😔

[Hidden in reply to Lexirae_]

You bet and I know what you mean! I hate it because I am typically hyperventilating, so the last thing my body is ready for is some "deep breathing". It's always hard to give good advice because during the panic of everything, it truly is hard to fight our body's instinct. If you can do the exercise without the breathing, I think it'll still work...it's a like a mental health massage letting all the stress and all "flow away". One of my favorite lessons on my mindfulness stuff. Best of luck though and I really hope the anxiety takes a long lunch break to let you be.

[dbeck128]

Have you heard of ASMR on YouTube? You might benefit from it. When my anxiety is too bad I will sit there and make myself focus on the video. I also like to sleep with the light on and TV on when my anxiety is unbearable.