Inside a Panic Attack: What It's Like When Anxiety Strikes

a post by Haley West for the Tiny Buddha blog



“Those who suffer from mental illness are stronger than you think. We must fight to go to work, care for our families, be there for our friends, and act ‘normal’ while battling unimaginable pain.” ~Unknown

It’s strange having a panic attack while surrounded by p eople. I’m experiencing something so private and so personal, but unless I externalise it, they are completely unaware. It’s almost an art to be able to hide it — to train myself well enough to function in front of others to the point that, if I do reveal to them the nature of my anxiety, they reply, “I had no idea.”

If you’ve never experienced a panic attack, they are almost impossible to explain. But I’m going to try.

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What a Month of Daily Panic Attacks Taught Me About Anxiety

a post Sabrina Wang for the Tiny Buddha blog



“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” ~Jon Kabat-Zinn

It happened in the middle of an intimate moment, about a month before my wedding.

One minute I was enjoying a kiss from my fiancé and the next thing I knew, I was clutching my face and writhing in agony.

At first, there was a loud thud in my chest, as if my heart had skipped a beat.

Then out of nowhere I started getting this strange sensation—like the kind of feeling you’d get on an elevator that’s going down too fast. The feeling was so disorienting I couldn’t help but let out a startled cry.

I felt what I would later describe as “the draining” — it was as if all the blood had poured out of my body in a split second and I was left with an icy, numb, and shaky shell.

I was convinced that I was going to die.

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When Your Anxiety Doesn’t Have a Trigger

a post by Margarita Tartakovsky for the World of Psychology blog



It’s very common for Kristin Bianchi’s clients to tell her that they’re feeling anxious, but they’re not sure why. They say they recently haven’t experienced anything particularly stressful or anxiety provoking, so it doesn’t make much sense.

Consequently, “they frequently become worried about the meaning behind these seemingly random feelings of anxiety,” said Bianchi, a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in treating OCD, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and depression at the Center for Anxiety & Behavioral Change in Rockville, M.d.

In other words, she noted, “they become worried about worrying, or frightened of fear.”

When many of Regine Galanti’s clients initially start working with her, they, too, describe their anxiety as just happening. Galanti is a licensed psychologist and director of Long Island Behavioral Psychology, where she specializes in using evidence-based treatments for anxiety and related disorders in children, teens, and adults.

Many of us believe our anxiety comes out of the blue. It just feels so random and sudden—startling us like the siren of a smoke alarm, or a squirrel jumping out of the bushes.

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7 Simple Ways to Ease Anxiety

a post by Therese J Borchard for the World of Psychology blog



Anxiety serves a life-saving role when we are in real danger. Adrenaline pumps through our system, and suddenly we can run like Usain Bolt and lift a 200-pound man without much effort. However, most of the time, anxiety is like a fire alarm with a dead battery that beeps annoyingly every five minutes when there is absolutely nothing to worry about. We experience the heart palpitations, restlessness, panic, and nausea as if a saber-toothed tiger were 20 yards away.

Thankfully there are a few simple gestures to communicate to your body that there is no immediate danger — that it’s a false alarm… yet again. I have used the following activities to calm down my nervous system that is ready for an adventure, and to ease symptoms of anxiety.

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A Panic Attack, the Wrestle Within

a post by Annabella Hagen for the World of Psychology blog

Samantha felt overwhelmed by her school assignments, her relationships, and her job. She often felt like she was walking a tightrope while holding a pole that contained all of her “should” and “must” type of thoughts. “It’s not a matter of if, but when I’ll fall and crash!” she’d repeat.

She would imagine placing her thoughts and feelings in a bottle and shutting the lid tightly. “I place them there so I can cope,” she would declare.

She recognized her panic attack cycle: stress, anxiety, tension build up, and suppress until it shatters. Then starting all over again. She hated her panic attacks, but said she always felt better after experiencing one.

• Do Samantha’s struggles sound familiar?
• Do you wish you could extinguish anxiety from your life?#
• Do you believe you can “control” what happens in your body?
• Is suppressing, stopping, ignoring, or fighting your emotions and sensations giving you temporary relief but not the long-lasting results you want?

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Grief Isn't Something You Live Through, It's Something You Live With

a post by Ellie Batchiyska for the Tiny Buddha blog

“Obstacles do not block the path, they are the path.” ~Zen proverb

I thought the concept of a “cold sweat” was unreal and paradoxical until the evening of August 27, 2014. That was my first cold sweat. My first of a lot of things.

My heart jack-hammered in my chest.

I heard my pulse in my ears.

I gasped for air on my dorm room floor in New York, while my mom tried to calm me down on the other end of the phone in Los Angeles.

“It’s just a panic attack, sweetie. Just breathe deep.”

No, no, no, I thought. Panic couldn’t possibly evoke this kind of physiological response. My arm hurt, my chest hurt. Was it possible to have a heart attack at age nineteen?

I didn’t sleep for days after that. I was afraid I wouldn’t wake up again.

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I wish I had heard about living with it rather than through it when *my* father was killed in a road traffic accident. It has taken me a very long time to get to the point where I can accept that the feeling of loss will be with me until I die but that I *can* live with it.

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What You Need To Know About Panic Attacks

a post by Rachel Fintzy Woods for her Cultivating Contentment & Happiness blog for the World of Psychology blog

Anyone who has experienced a panic attack will tell you that such episodes are among the most painful, terrifying, and seemingly unbearable experiences he or she has endured. Panic attacks can come out of the blue and generally last no longer than ten minutes or so – but that ten minutes can feel like an eternity and have a traumatic impact on you.

Common physical symptoms of a panic attack include:

• Heart palpitations
• Shortness of breath
• Tightening in the chest
• Dizziness
• Faintness
• Choking sensations
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Tingling in the hands and feet

Common psychological symptoms of a panic attack include:

• Feelings of unreality or as if things are surreal
• An intense urge to flee the situation
• Fear of going crazy
• Fear of dying
• Fear of doing something uncontrollable

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When Life Hands You (Rotten) Lemons

a post by Lucy Coats for An Awfully Big Blog Adventure



I've written several times on these pages about mental health and well-being. I think that it is important to talk openly and honestly about the struggle that many writers, including me, have with depression, anxiety, panic attacks and associated conditions, although I am aware that not everyone is able or wants to do this. Despite the enormous strides which have been made in widening public conversations and awareness about mental health in general, it is still a sad fact that, as an 'invisible illness', there are those who still dismiss it as a self-indulgence, or think we should just 'pull ourselves together'. I wish it was that easy.

For personal reasons, which I will not go into, this summer has been full of the (rotten) lemons which title this piece, hurled at me one after another. I do not wish to make lemonade (the normal advice for when life hands you them). For one thing it would taste bitter and vile for lack of sugar and sweetness, and for another, nobody would wish to drink it. These particular rotten lemons have been toxic to both mind, body and creativity. Not only do I feel physically poisoned, (not least because my physical body has reacted very badly to the combined stress of anxiety, depression and panic attacks, enhanced by what my doctor tells me is an excess production of cortisol), but my creativity levels have gone through the floor.

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How Yogic Breathing Helped Me Overcome Chronic Panic Attacks

a post by Osmara Aryal for the Tiny Buddha blog

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” ~Amit Ray

I’ve battled chronic anxiety and PTSD my entire life and am no stranger to that tight pressure grip that dread and panic can have on the body and mind.

On my worst days, I’d feel my chest and throat tighten as I struggled to breathe.

Chronic panic attacks would leave me curled up in the fetal position, unable to move or stop panting.

On my best days, I’d manage to get by, thanks to my numbing out with food and alcohol, self-medication, or mindless TV watching.

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How to Use Yoga Therapy for Anxiety

a post by Heather Mason for the World of Psychology blog



Anxiety can stymie our lives in so many ways. Whether it’s a debilitating panic attack, constant worry or an all pervading fear, anxiety is often an unwanted companion that seemingly only wants the worst for us. However with the right help, guidance and support, there are a variety of techniques that can help.

Of course it’s important to note that we’re all different, and what works for one person may not be as effective on another, but from personal experience, my own road to recovery led me, thankfully, to yoga therapy.

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That picture is enough to put me off for life but I am starting to go to a yoga class this coming week – armchair yoga for seniors.

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Panic attacks suck

a post by Wil Wheaton for his own blog (WIL WHEATON dot NET)



I had panic attacks all night long, last night. Each time I fell asleep, I woke up what felt like minutes later, in absolute terror. Like, imagine that you’re on an airplane and everything seems fine, and then it suddenly drops like 1000 feet. You know how you think you’d feel? The rush of adrenaline, the certainty that you were about to die, the helplessness to do anything about it … that’s how I felt all night long (all night, yeah).

I recall four specific times this happened, because each one had some different physical sensation when I woke up. There was the hot tingling in my arms and legs, there was the sense that I was not quite awake, but awake enough to know that the terror was about to hit, and then struggling in vain to prevent it, this cold wave that started in my chest and spread out all over my whole body like ripples in a pond, and the time my heart was beating so hard, I thought I was having a heart attack. Oh, and each time I woke up, I didn’t know where I was. Once, I didn’t know who I was. So I guess that’s five times I can recall, but I know it happened more than that because I didn’t get any meaningful rest. Also, a lot of the neurochemicals that I need to function are only created in my brain when I’m sleeping, so my dumb brain, which is already sort of challenged to give me the juice I need to exist, didn’t get to do its thing. That’s been really great.

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Everything You Need to Know About Panic Attacks and How to Stop Them

a post by Haleigh Missildine for the World of Psychology blog



Your heart is racing. The world is spinning. You feel like you might throw up. You’re just sitting in class — it’s a normal day, nothing has happened. Yet you feel terrible. You can’t think straight — or you’re thinking too much. You might feel like you’re going crazy. You consider calling an ambulance.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone; 22.7% of people in the United States have experienced a panic attack. In fact, one million Americans experience this monthly.

Now, what’s really happening?

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And find that this writer provides the advice that I have been giving for a very long time!

Be sure to practice these techniques regularly, even when you aren’t having a panic attack. That way, it will become more natural and second nature to do these when you are having a panic attack.

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5 Breathing Exercises for Anxiety (Simple and Calm Anxiety Quickly)

a post by Chris Skoyles for the Lifehack blog

Time and time again, we’re told what a powerful tool breathing exercises can be for reducing anxiety and more specifically, the physical effects anxiety has on our body.

Yet how often have you gone hunting to find suitable breathing exercises for anxiety only to bump into a string of complex yoga jargon and techniques that take so long to master that they’re just not fit for purpose?

After all, when you’re in the grip of crippling anxiety or, worse, a full-blown panic attack, you simply don’t have the time to assume the lotus position and start worrying pranayama, whatever that is.

What you need is quick, simple solutions you can apply right there on the spot to relax your breathing and return to feeling calm and in control within seconds.

Today, we’ll look at five of the best breathing techniques for doing just that, ranging from powerful techniques you can use to curtail anxiety before it escalates, to quick-fixes you can use in an emergency whenever a panic attack strikes.

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Please remember one thing about any breathing exercise.
Never, ever, wait to come to grips with whichever one you prefer to use. Train yourself, practice and then practice some more when you are calm.

Secondly, nothing works for everybody!

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I don't know about these new drugs, guys

a post by Seamus Bellamy for the Boing Boing blog



Being medicated is the best and the absolute worst.

I take a cocktail of anti-anxiety and anti-depressive drugs on a daily basis to help me deal with the symptoms that come with my PTSD. Most of the time, I’m grateful for them: They’ve helped to numb me, just enough so that I can use the techniques I’ve learned in therapy to help ground myself during a flashback or panic attack. Now that I’m medicated – I refused treatment for years – I’m able to maintain a healthy relationship.

The rage and detachment I’ve experienced these past 20 years have been tamped down far enough that I can empathize, fully, with my wife, friends and colleagues. It’s hard work, sometimes! But I feel healthier than I have in years. A lot of the time, I’m even able to sleep through the night. The paranoia I deal with and the thoughts that refuse to stop tumbling around in my head give way to slumber, most evenings. It’s still a frequent thing for me to wake up, sweat-drenched and alert in the dead of night, but it feels manageable. Before, it was just exhausting and sad.

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My name is Wil Wheaton. I live with chronic Depression, and I am not ashamed.

My name is Wil Wheaton. I live with chronic Depression, and I am not ashamed.

I’m about to go speak to NAMI Ohio’s statewide conference, Fulfilling the Promise. These are the remarks I prepared for my speech.

Before I begin, I want to warn you that this talk touches on many triggering subjects, including self-harm and suicide. I also want you to know that I’m speaking from my personal experience, and that if you or someone you know may be living with mental illness, please talk to a licensed and qualified medical professional, because I am not a doctor.

Okay, let’s do this.

Hi, I’m Wil Wheaton. I’m 45 years-old, I have a wonderful wife, two adult children who make me proud every day, and a daughter in-law who I love like she’s my own child. I work on the most popular comedy series in the world, I’ve been a New York Times Number One Bestselling Audiobook narrator, I have run out of space in my office for the awards I’ve received for my work, and as a white, heterosexual, cisgender man in America, I live life on the lowest difficulty setting – with the Celebrity cheat enabled.

My life is, by every objective measurement, very very good.

And in spite of all of that, I struggle every day with my self esteem, my self worth, and my value not only as an actor and writer, but as a human being.

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You may already have seen this on Facebook or Twitter or even on Wil’s blog. I first saw it on the Boing Boing blog and was disgusted by one very negative comment about celebrity narcissism. I do not often respond but I really felt I needed to put this person right and point out the number of celebrities who have not shared and have paid the ultimate price.

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Why Anger Isn't “Bad” and How I Learned to Hear Its Hidden Message

a post by Meredith Walters for the Tiny Buddha blog



“Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.” 
~Maya Angelou

I’ve always had a complex relationship with anger.

When I was young, I used to think I was somehow above anger. I would brag to people that I never got mad. Sure, I’d admit, I hated some people, but at least I wasn’t angry.

When I began therapy in my mid-twenties to deal with persistent depression and panic attacks, I started to see the feebleness of that particular story. I did get angry, it turned out, quite frequently, and I found that things went much better when I allowed myself to feel it.

I began to learn that my anger often contained useful information about me and what I wanted.

It alerted me to the fact that one of my boundaries had been crossed, or that there was something I wanted to speak up about. It let me know when I felt hurt. I saw how my closest relationships could allow for anger without falling apart, and I began to accept it as a normal part of the human condition, perhaps even a helpful one.

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Why Don't We Talk About Anxiety Disorder More Often?

a post by Derek Beres for the Big Think blog

The National Institute of Health estimates that one-third of all American adults and adolescents suffer from anxiety. That percentage is especially troubling for the latter group, prompting the NY Times to dedicate a magazine feature to the growing number of teens stricken by panic attacks. The World Health Organization recently named anxiety as the number one disorder on the planet, overtaking depression. Yet anyone who suffers from anxiety knows that depression is a close sibling; the two share many physiological similarities.

Every week I cover various studies and research papers on a variety of topics in fitness, health, and neuroscience. Some studies are small and need further research; others involve hundreds of thousands of people and took decades to complete. Each new study is a further jigsaw piece adding to this complex puzzle of our identity: how we react to various stimuli, how this chemical reacts in our bodies, how this nutrient affects our ability to focus or what it does to our weight.

I could share reams of data on anxiety; it’s a topic I’ve covered often in the past five years writing for this site. But one of the most important and under-discussed topics concerning anxiety disorder is beyond data: shame.

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