I'm having a panic attack

[pinnying]

Can someone please talk to me.

I can't calm down and I have no diazepam.

If you need more stimulation than sitting and thinking, have an ice lolly or crunch up some ice (if you don’t have sensitive teetch!) or just hold and icecube in your fist and let it melt over the sink.

wish I could pop the kettle on for you though, tea is my number one ‘get me thru’

Thank you everyone.

I'm sitting outside now with a blanket. I feel like I'm freezing cold

Sat in the sun though at least?

hopefully the weather’s nice where you are. It’s been glorious here this weekend :)

Do you get them often?

If I can manage it, I find distraction best. Counting backwards in 7s, spelling people's names backwards, or reading backwards. Just helps to get your mind off how terrifying it is. I appreciate that that can be pointless if it is already really intense. Focussing completely on how an object feels is the other one. Touch always helps. Sometimes I think the panic is so physical that only something physical can get through.

I used to get them very often, less so the last few years.

I've just got a lot of stressful things going on at the moment. I'm not coping. Honestly feel like I'm having a breakdown.

I know what you mean. Sometimes when they get really bad they almost roll into one, and I feel like they will never end, that I am on the verge of completely losing it. But eventually it does subside again. Hard to tell yourself that at the time though.

Will the stress be short term?

That's how I feel at the moment tbh. It feels constant.

The situation is very likely to get worse, but carry on for a long time. Very ill family member. Not terminal, but life changing.

Gah. I typed a long post and MN ate it!!

how are you doing now?

If it will be for a long time that is more difficult. Is it the thought of all the stress and not being able to see an end to that or an end to the panic it causes? In which case it might reduce as you process what is happening. Or is it more directly caused by the situation and not something that will settle as you get used to the idea?

Is there anything that has worked before? Are you on any medication at the moment?

I know you probably already do it, and I will be annoying suggesting it, but time outside and exercise does help a bit. Last time things for me were how it sounds for you at the moment, I started walking 20km a day, and that really helped to take the edge off and let me get some control back over it. I think if you have too many attacks, the levels of stress hormones eventually get so high that your body cannot calm down, and it is like a constant state of panic. It just seems to spiral and get worse, more attacks=more likely to have one and repeat.
Sometimes exercise seems to help burn through that a bit.

Thank you for your post. I think the stress towards that specific situation is rational - the situation is likely to become more sad and difficult until the family member passes away. Then there will be a new situation that will be sad and difficult, grief of bereavement etc.

But I've never been very well mentally, so I feel like the current situation has exacerbated my already shit brain. Im having weird paranoid thoughts and feeling like im going to die. I know im not, you can't die from panic attacks themselves.

I've self referred to some local services and also contacted a local counsellor. Im already on the best anti depressant for me, I've tried loads and this is definitely the one that works best for me.

I just feel like life is really piling it on me recently.

Definitely recommend fresh air, perhaps a run? Hope you're okay OP x

@pinnying

i know you only posted an hour ago, but sometimes that can feel like forever!!

I'm sorry someone you're close to is in such a bad way. Knowing/not knowing, it's shit either way.

It took me until I was in my 40's to learn a few things about myself, one of them
is that I handle situations better when they actually happen, but I can get myself into a right state upset before something happens, so I can usually help myself a bit by reminding myself it won't be 'as bad' and I WILL cope!!

I hope you're feeling a bit better now xx