What do anxiety feels like to anon? What about panic attack?

It makes my muscles tense up as if I was about to receive a blow, it makes me unfocused as if I was facing annoying flashing lights, it overwhelm my social skills as if I was surrounded by too many people talking at the same time, it makes me forget to breath and it makes me want to stop existing.

>>16516526
Yes. All of this.

The only 2 places I feel comfortable is at work and at home. If I'm on my free time I don't feel comfortable going anywhere. Even if it's a place I want to go

can't breath, dizziness, feeling faint, paranoia.
I get a stupid fear of going through doors if I know there's people on the other side.

>>16516511
I can't think. Say more then I mean to. Breathing become irregular so I have to control it to appear normal. Short, shallow breaths. Not enough air to keep up with my heart rate.

I used to have the worst panic attacks. Then my dad forced me to wait tables. This helped me over it. Hurray dad.

heart races
body feels cold
palms/armpits tingle and sweat
breath is shallow
ringing in ears
stomach knots up/hurts/nauseated
lips feel numb
throat constricts/feels dry
mouth and lips feel dry
body shakes
neck and shoulders hurt from tensing
thoughts jumble up and turn to mostly "ESCAPE" "STOP" "GET OUT" "DANGER" "WRONG" "GO" "THREAT" etc
world feels fake; things look fuzzy, noises sound tinny
crying
saying things I don't mean to say, things that aren't true or accurate
bargaining
pointless illogical arguing

>>16516579
>Say more then I mean to

oh fuck, yes.

It makes me nervous and overrides my sense of self. I get tunnel vision sometimes and completely shut down emotionally.

A panic attack feels like I'm having a swelling sense of doom looming over me. I don't know how else to describe it.

>Tight throat
>Frustration
>Confusion
>Head either blanks or gets too full of shit to make any sense
>Overwhelming urge to become fidgety
>Desperately want to detach from the situation
>Feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders and trying to tell myself it isn't is a naive defense mechanism... because it clearly is
>Still can't think of a proper solution/answer/whatever. Getting the hell away from here is the ONLY solution.
>Fidget MORE
>Sweat MORE
>Hate myself MORE

>>16516511
i had an oral presentation college english class today. too scared of it.
>got super fucked up on otc drugs last night
>slept in late
>missed class
>might be my 4h time missing class
>im fucked.
>my parents dont know yet
>my anxiety got me again

Also be aware that if you hyperventilate for too long, the acidity of your blood rises, which interferes with the signals that control your muscles.

This happened to me once and I had no idea what was happening. My body started locking up, I couldn't move, I was absolutely freaking out. I barely managed to dial 911.

Turns out if I had just managed to slow my breathing, everything would've gone back to normal. Once I calmed down I could move again. $500 emergency bill to say that I needed to relax.

Anyways, not knowing what was happening only made my panic even worse. If I had known what it was I could've avoided this, so I want to make sure you all know, too.

The best way to breathe to relax is to take long, slow breaths, longer on the exhale than the inhale. longer inhale increases the fight-or-flight response (think a shocked gasp), while a longer exhale increases relaxation (think a sigh after something stressful).

it's all in your head. just learn to ignore it

>>16516511

Never had a panic attack.

For me it activates fight or flight and my personality leans toward fight so therefore I become more aggressive for seemingly no reason. I also get fierce migraines and it raises my blood pressure. I'm on blood pressure meds because of this shit. Worst part is my therapist wants me to learn to live with being anxious because I have ASPD and she feels the anxiety keeps me in check.

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>>16517598
>ignore it
this is wrong you must embrace the now even if it scares you . learn to identify how you feel and know that everything is temporary.

read some jon kavat-zinn

>>16517608

Oh yeah coffee makes it a lot worse. Shit is so goddamn aggravating. Marijuana used to help me a lot but I have to look for a job so for now I have to deal with this otherwise I'd ditch the meds which I feel are useless.

>>16517598
For those who don't know, this is fairly useless advice.

Yes, it IS all in your head... but that's exactly the problem. Your head is also where you keep literally EVERYTHING ELSE. Your head is a very dangerous and confusing place to have problems, and it's very easy for them to latch onto other aspects of your life and fuck up your whole situation.

>>16516511

Generally been described as "That moment when you feel like you're about to fall off the bed from a dream, or from a chair that has been balanced on only two legs and you leaned too far, that kind of moment, but stretched over a very very long time."

>>16517232
oh anon. I'm sorry.

>>16517591
>not knowing what was happening only made my panic even worse


This is the story of my very first, second, third, and fifteenth panic attack.

Thank you for sharing that about the locked muscles.

>>16517598
>it's all in your head

well... technically yes. So is a brain tumor.

>>16517608
This sounds like my partner. He thought he didn't understand my anxiety until he started reading books and realized we both deal with the same thing with different reactions - mine is flight, his is fight. So when I get shaky and heart starts racing and can't breathe and start to cry because I feel like I'm under attack, he feels exactly the same way - but instead of crying, he shuts down and turns on the rage.

>>16516511
Usually I just get nervous, but a few times I've completely freaked out. My adrenaline going through the roof then I usually make up some excuse about a work emergency and literally run away because I have so much energy. One time I went on a 3k run from their place to my place because of it.

>>16516511
I find it like that feeling when you arn't sure if you left the oven on back home

it's like always waiting for something bad to happen, jumping at everything, always assuming the worst

it's cycling between hyper-vigilance and exhaustion

it's like living in a dream because you've been awake for two days, slept 18 hours and woken up in the middle of the night

>>16517598
Sure. While we're at it, what's up with depressed people? Have they tried, like, not being so sad all the time?

>>16519763
Right, like just cheer up and smile more gosh it's not that hard, I was sad once and I got over it

>fidgety
>always hear someone happen
>stress out
>depression later

Racing thoughts. Fast heartbeat (can feel it in my chest). Sweaty. Dry mouth. Sometimes a tingly feeling in my head and/or all over my body. Sense of doom. Feel the need to escape.

Mine is more of a control issue and agoraphobia. My "safe place" is my house. I can't let other people drive because I need to be in control of where we are going. When I go to the store, I make mental notes of where the exits are "just in case,' though it never happens.

Having anxiety sucks. During the days when I feel fine, there's always still like..a background anxiety. Like, it's always in the back of your head, reminding you that it's still there. Also, it's physically and mentally exhausting. You feel like you're always on the verge of going crazy, so you spend so much enegry just trying to hold yourself together. After a panic attack, I feel tired and just want to sleep the day away.

Interestingly, I had bearable anxiety and panic attacks while taking Zoloft. Then, about 4 years ago, I had the absolute worst migraine I've ever had. I had to go to the emergency room to get put on intravenous pain meds. The migraine lasted for 3 days. During that time, I couldn't really keep any thing down, so I was throwing up my Zoloft. Since that day my panic disorder has been out of control. My doctor said that she has heard of that happening to others before..

Anyway.. The book Hope and Help for your Nerves by Dr. Claire Weekes has helped me a lot. I really recommend reading that book and any of her other books too. She explains everything I'm feeling to a T. Best anxiety book I've ever read.

>>16519827
>During the days when I feel fine, there's always still like..a background anxiety. Like, it's always in the back of your head, reminding you that it's still there.

Exactly this. Brain is constantly running scenarios in the background and it is exhausting.

I'm reading "Anxious in Love" and "Rewire your Anxious Brain" next. I'll add that one to the list. Thanks.

I have a question for anyone suffering from anxiety here, whether or not I might fit the bill. A bit of context, in most social situations I handle myself pretty well, except for trying to get to know strangers just for the sake of forming friendships/dating, even if drunk. Whenever I go out in public I'm fine but the idea of going up and talking to strangers and introducing myself makes me very anxious for whatever reason. The times I've built myself up enough to try it, I think I fit a lot of symptoms that people have described; freezing in place, heart rate increasing, fight or flight telling me to gtfo, self loathing, especially ex post facto.

I guess I really just want to know, is it possible to have social anxiety for just a specific situation? And do I even fit the bill or am I just experiencing typical angst. Anyone else experience this?

>>16519861
Social anxiety is pretty much described as feeling panic/nervousness/anxiety in any social setting.

Do you worry that you'll say something wrong to these strangers? Like, you'll been seen as stupid or do something wrong? Feeling depressed and overanalyzing it after the encounter, or even before, can happen. You can feel depressed about it for hours or even days afterwards.

For me, I'm a very talkative person, so getting to know people isn't too much of a hurdle for me. I do, however, have social anxiety in the fact that I always feel like people are looking at me, as if they know I'm panicking.

>>16519884
I just want to add to my own post...

I do feel like you may have social anxiety. If you feel like it's really hindering you, you should know that you can get help(:

If you don't feel comfortable going to see a doctor, who may either prescribe you medication or send you to a psychiatrist to do some therapy (usually cognitive behavioral therapy), there are tons of other resources. There's plenty of books, articles, and forums you could read, but in the end, psychiatrists are usually the best to go to.

>>16519884
>>16519897
>Do you worry that you'll say something wrong to these strangers? Like, you'll been seen as stupid or do something wrong?

I couldn't tell you honestly. The fact that I can't explain it makes me think it might be anxiety because I know it's irrational but it's still persistent. I wanted to get a second opinion, though, before I went to a professional and potentially wasted my money or time. Thanks for the advice friend :)

>>16519773
>always hear someone happen

Huh? You lost me, breh.

>>16519758
I relate to this anon.

>>16519921
No problem (: hope you get better!