panic attacks
hi, this isnt necessarily ocd related, but ive been having panic attacks lately and they feel so scary and i dont know what to do. can anyone help me? they usually start because i worry so much about physical symptoms and as i think they get worse and i keep imagining situations and bad future scenarios but i cant stop thinkning and i dont know what to do, i am terrified
Just diagnosed with panic disorder and ocd over here! As you notice the anxiety tell yourself “i feel anxious right now. I feel it *insert where in your body*. This is uncomfortable but this is not dangerous. I can endure this uncomfortable feeling and ride this wave. There is nothing for me to solve here.” Then breathe slowly in and out through your nose. My therapist theough NOCD just sent that info to me last qeek and its been helpful!
sometimes i can sit through the feelings but sometimes its very overwhelming and feels like the end of the world. ill try to name the feelings in my body, that sounds very comforting, thanks!
Don’t let it scare you! even if it feels convincing. When I got panic attacks I just cried & focused on one part of the wall & was just breathing slowly in & out. Calm your self down.. & may I ask .. what are your physical symptoms?
tingling/numbing sensations, very fast heartbeat which us the scariest imo, shaking, feeling dizzy, feeling like i am going to throw up ...
@someone.w/ocd Same :/ mines are: feeling depersonalization, extremely dizzy, nauseous, shaking, tingling sensations on my face, I feel out of breath when I get triggered from my past & I just start crying, I am extremely emotional.. if I see a mom being happy I start crying ( I have mom issues ) . Like it’s really hard, feels like I’m traumatized of some sort ? I’m sorry you’re going through that. I recommend what I told you when you have panick attacks ^ <3
@Sonia ☮️ - thanks, i hope you feel better too<3 i used a lot of the techniques and today i was able to deal with tthe attacks a tiny bit better but its a start!
The SOS button here on the app is an amazing tool. It's the round thing on the bottom right side of the main window You can also try ice cubes in your hand(s) and focus on that sensation. Personally though sounds a lot like what my health/somatic ocd use to do to me so the tools you develop in erp are awesome for helping to decrease it but also learn to navigate and minimize that terror.
yes, ive been trying the ice cube/cold water method and it usually really helps, thanks
I do something called box breathing; breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breathe out for four seconds, hold for four seconds. After each cycle I like to focus on one of my senses. For example, if I’m laying down I’ll focus on my sense of touch by feeling how my bed curves around my back and how the pillows feel on my neck. It takes about five minutes and for me at least, I makes everything SO much better. It just might make you a little sleepy.
i feel restless during my panic attacks so i usually just walk back and forth but ill try the box breathing technique while walking. thanks a lot!
@someone.w/ocd The goal is to not let it get that far! Easier said than done i know!
@Srheliker - exactly, in the moment it feels like the worst and scariest thing in the world, so its really hard to focus on anything else which only makes the sensations more intense
thank you everyone for your feedback, ive been researching more and i will try to put in practise all of your useful comments. thanks a lot. my panic attacks come when i concentrate a lot on my body sensations and i have health anxiety so the both of them combined make it really hard for me to feel like im healthy and therefore cannot establish a safe feeling in my body. thanks again
Somatic/sensorimotor ocd can be an ugly cycle like all themes. Here is a great channel to start your research on living with it (it's my main theme) https://youtu.be/i4K6cw1cjmU He has a good bit of resources so be sure to check out his channel.
@Will86 - thank you , i will definitely check it!
After an incident last week that led to a panic attack, my OCD has become increasingly focused on the fear of having more. All my thoughts are focused on checking to make sure I’m not exhibiting panic attack symptoms, which leads me to start to panic, which leads to racing thoughts and physical symptoms, which leads to another attack. It’s a vicious cycle of not wanting to have another attack like this, but my brain is so focused on the concept that it’s all-consuming. I’m trying to treat this like any other OCD theme, but it’s just so hard. I don’t know if anyone else has experienced something like this before, but I’d love to hear from anyone willing to share.
Can anyone please confort me? I'm having a really bad panic attack, I can't stop crying and I feel like im losing my mind from the fear. I feel like maybe I should just go to the hospital because it feels so real
What does your thoughts get like? i start having severe panic attacks to the point i can’t breathe. i also freak out and start thinking i have to go to a mental hospital because of my thoughts. i would never act on these thoughts but they are killing me and my panic attacks are getting out of control. i’m scared that my ocd is going to give in and im going to do it but i know for a fact im not but im freaking out because these are so distressing.
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