Ok, I've been getting panic attacks. A lot of them. They're taking over my life. Sometimes they happen when I have to speak in front of people. I used to LOVE being in front of everyone and being the center of attention, but now I am horrified and have panic attacks. I can't even eat in resturants anymore. I hate having people looking at me. I am changing. The people around me see it, too. If any of you have panic attacks/anxiety/stress like this please give me some advice. I have to read a report for one of my classes on Monday. Thanks a lot.
Re: I have panic attacks even when I'm not stressed
I remember when I was at work and another co-worker that was above a lady and myself had to have a mini-meeting with us and I started to feel weird and it was awful cause I couldn't flee I had to be there and listen.
Later that same day the entire dept had a bigger meeting and I was sorta in the middle of the group and it hit and I felt woozy. It sucked.
I have also been talking to people where I was doing a majority of the talking then it hit and I feel kinda ill and faintish.
Just remember that the attack won't kill you. Panic attacks aren't even attacks, it's your inner survival instinct kicking in. I think of them as premature survival events.
Let them look at you, you deserve to be looked at. You have something to say and a reason for saying it. Maybe you can go over your speech and make fewer words a bigger impact on extra ones.
Be like Yoda, he doesn't really have a lot to say but what he does say really goes a long long way.
Re: I have panic attacks even when I'm not stressed
In the short term, you're probably going to have to suck it up and really do some relaxation exercises and prepare to give your report as best you can. Just take baby steps and keep reminding yourself that it will all be over soon. In the long-term, if you're not in any therapy or on meds, you will probably want to consider one or both. If your problem is social anxiety or performance anxiety, SSRIs and possibly beta-blockers have been known to help, along with talk therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. It sounds as if your attacks only occur in social situations, and if that is correct, it is more amenable to treatment than anxiety that just occurs "out of the blue".
Re: I have panic attacks even when I'm not stressed
Quote:
Originally Posted by hoosier_guy
I remember when I was at work and another co-worker that was above a lady and myself had to have a mini-meeting with us and I started to feel weird and it was awful cause I couldn't flee I had to be there and listen.
Later that same day the entire dept had a bigger meeting and I was sorta in the middle of the group and it hit and I felt woozy. It sucked.
I have also been talking to people where I was doing a majority of the talking then it hit and I feel kinda ill and faintish.
Just remember that the attack won't kill you. Panic attacks aren't even attacks, it's your inner survival instinct kicking in. I think of them as premature survival events.
Let them look at you, you deserve to be looked at. You have something to say and a reason for saying it. Maybe you can go over your speech and make fewer words a bigger impact on extra ones.
Be like Yoda, he doesn't really have a lot to say but what he does say really goes a long long way.
Re: I have panic attacks even when I'm not stressed
I dont think you need medication.
All anxiety sufferers have some kind of mental malfunction, and it has to do with negative thinking. We get anxious because of the way we think about certain things. You have to realize why you are giving yourself anxiety and stop the negative thought processes that precipitate these panic attacks. You have to basically reprogram your mind.
I find the best way is to ignore thoughts of anxiety...for instance if you are about to go into a meeting and you find yourself 'feeling' that way just ignore it and plow forward and be positive about it. Eventually you will totally desensitive your mind to the situations and you will become at ease.
I used to have crippling social anxiety and thought I didn't realize it at the time, I was basically always questioning myself and getting stuck inside my head. Now I don't do that and I have literally ZERO anxiety most of the time. I find when I start to overthink things and question myself I get it back.
Just igniore the feelings as what they are 'irrational' and maintain a positive outlook.
I think if you go deep you'll find your subconscious telling you to be afraid of those meetings for no particular reason at all.
Remember anxiety is simply irrational fear. If you can ignore that irrational fear and replace itwith a positive attitude I GUARANTEE it will go away.
