Panic attacks

Lisatho11987777

Hi sorry to bother you all  since I have had corona virus and started going out I have started haveing panic attacks again i fo go out and try not to show to people around me that I am haveing one 

I have seen my dr and she has confirmed they are panic attacks I need a different way to try and cope with them has anyone got any ideas if I can control it when it first starts but if I can't I go into a full blown attack which I had  the other day which was awful 

Thank you in advance 

janer1967

@lisathomas50 sorry to hear about your attacks 

Is is going out generally or to certain places . Are you ok if you go with someone 

I haven't ever had a panic attack so dont really have any advice 

chiarieds

Hi Lisa, I've suffered from these in the past. What helped me was concentrating on my breathing; try to get that under control, & breathe slowly but deeply. Practice the following to get the hang of this whilst you're at home: https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/resources/patient-information/therapies/abdominal-breathing.pdf

Hope this helps.

Sandy_123

I don't get panic attacks but I get anxious I always do distraction for anxiety, not sure for for panick attacks, 

Lisatho11987777

@chiarieds thank you I need to get on top of it before it gets out of control @Sandy_123 thank you I fi distraction now but doesn't always work 

woodbine

Sorry to hear this @lisathomas50 senior management had some shocking panic attacks when she was going through the change, once she new there was something causing them they seemed to ease off.

Lisatho11987777

@woodbine thank you I thought I was dying I couldn't breath I was going dizzy and I couldn't stand up  the dr said  its because of the pandemic and fear of getting it again so I need to cope with it better 

Lisatho11987777

@janer1967 it happens any time I go out where there are people  as long as I stay away from people I can control them and if I am with someone I know they still happen but try not to show it to the other person which makes it last longer 

They start as soon as I go out the door I was only haveing one a day but they have increased to between 4 and six  if I don't go out I don't have them 

Dr is worried that I will soon become to scared to go outside which I don't want to happen 

Tori_Scope

Panic attacks are really unpleasant, so I'm sorry you've been having them @lisathomas50.

Have you tried any grounding techniques? A lot of people find the 5-4-3-2-1 method helpful. I can explain it if you haven't heard of it before.

There's also no shame in trying out medication if that would help.

Often it's a case of trying out different things and finding out what works for you. If I'm at home I like to jump in the shower, but that's not possible when out and about