March 22nd, 2010
For me anxiety and panic attacks go hand in hand. The reason I make this statement is because that was how it had been for me, for several years. When I started to get anxious, I could not stop it going into a full blow panic attack.
The foremost scary thing for me was that I never knew when I was going to go in to a anxiety attack followed quickly by a panic attack. I could wake up in the morning feeling good or I could just be sitting watching television.
Then that sense of not feeling okay would gradually swamp my brain. This will be extremely difficult to explain. But those of you who have anxiety and panic attacks will know what I mean. It is just an odd feeling that just starts as a sense, and then I would get anxious concerning that feeling, that then got stronger, that then caused me to have anxiety about that feeling. Then yes you guessed it, I would then go into a full blown panic attack.
It’s crazy, however true and it is true for a heap of individuals who suffer from anxiety and panic attacks.
The foremost frustrating factor for me was that it’s not like having a physical illness that individuals can see and understand. Most of the time my friends and family where unaware of the very fact that I used to be in an anxious state. I gave up a very long time ago attempting to clarify to them how I used to be feeling and what physical reactions where happening for me. If I did not understand it, then how may I expect them to understand?
When I recollect at how I used to be, and sometimes still will be. It does appear silly. However as silly as it might appear when you are in that scenario it’s very real and very frightening.
One last factor, if I had a penny for every time I used to be told to pull my socks up…then I might be rolling in money. Don’t hear those folks around you who don’t understand. Recognize that what’s going on for you is terribly real and terribly frightening.