Any tips? Haunted by severe panic attack

[Supersimkin7]

It was thirty years ago and on the first night of a holiday. I’ve never felt so bad in my
life. I was genuinely surprised to see a face in the mirror the next day, felt so shattered.

Memories keep flashing back - my mum’s recently died and I’m in a state. Any tips on fixing this?

Sorry to hear about your mum 😕 Can you do some deep breathing exercises?

I've never had a panic attack but it must be awful, what happened?

It’s not great to talk about but lucky you. Deep breathing helps! Thanks.

I’m sorry for your loss, it sounds like you’ve already made the link between the disconnection you felt to yourself during that panic attack, and the anxiety that loss, grief and shock brings. Whether your relationship with your mum was healthy or fraught, losing a parent fractures something in our sense of safety. You are grieving, it’s normal to feel anxious now, that might be bringing up fearful memories. Talk to your GP and friends for reassurance if can, you don’t need fixing, it’s a process and there are ways to navigate it.

You need EMDR therapy, specifically designed to target traumatic memories and essentially 're-save' them in your brain, taking out the trauma. Fully scientifically backed and doable online.

They are so horrible. I get them as a response to trauma and PTSD. I try to now wait them out.

No one ever died of a panic attack. No one. I know they feel like you are about to die – which is why so many people end up in A+E with their first one – but you're not.

Knowing this simple fact, that what you're feeling can't hurt you and that within 15 minutes you're going to start feeling better will automatically reduce the intensity of the attack, and once that happens they lose the ability to frighten you and when THAT happens they will stop altogether.

So, if you start to feel panicky do this. Find somewhere to sit down quietly. Do some box breathing or the '5 things I can see...' exercise or simply focus on one thing and notice every possible thing you can about it.

At the same time think about, and imagine, what you are going to do later that day. What are you going to have for dinner? What do you fancy watching on TV? Mundane, boring stuff.

As soon as the panic subsides just get on with your day. You just lose 15-30 minutes in 24 hours. If you look at it that way you'll accept that it's not a big deal.

thanks so much. It’s what runs through my head when I’m in it that lingers.