I had my first panic attack while my husband and I were driving home from a St. Louis Rams football game. We were about 30 miles from our home when I began to feel a bit "off". I was having trouble breathing, my body felt disconnected, and my heart was beating at what seemed like 90 miles an hour.
I pulled the van off to the side of the highway and got out hoping to "walk it off". But it didn't work. No matter what I tried, I couldn't catch my breath. I felt like I was dying. I remember saying over and over again, "Please not now. I'm not ready." It was horrifying.
The good news is that I wasn't dying - obviously! But that night began a terrible journey for me into how my body reacted to excessive stress and anxiety. Since then, I have had many panic attacks, but I also learned how to recognize that one might be coming on and how to control it. I'm not always able to get hold of it completely and will occasionally fall into full-blown panic mode, but it's a lot better than it was.
So, let's look at the signs that you might be having a panic attack. The following list gives tell-tale warning signs of an oncoming panic attack.
?Palpitations
?A pounding heart, or an accelerated heart rate
?Sweating
?Trembling or shaking
?Shortness of breath
?A choking sensation
?Chest pain or discomfort
?Nausea or stomach cramps
?De-realization (a feeling of unreality)
?Fear of losing control or going crazy
?Fear of dying
?Numbness or a tingling sensation in your face and limbs
?Chills or hot flashes
You would be surprised at how many people go to the hospital emergency room completely sure that they're having a heart attack only to find out that it's a panic attack. They're that intense!
The fear of traveling is the common reference to agoraphobia and it is typically considered an anxiety or panic disorder. There are various ranges for this disorder, it can be a serious condition in which a person isn’t able to leave the home entirely or it can be a mild disorder in which a person can’t travel more than a few hours away from home. When a person attempts to go beyond what is considered their “safe" boundaries then they go into an agoraphobia panic attack.
The only way for a person to overcome these attacks is to push their limits, which make treatment of agoraphobia panic attack difficult. Before getting better many agoraphobics tend to get worse for this reason. Since all an individual has to do is stay within their “safe" zone they tend to ignore their agoraphobic problem. However, while the problem can be easy to ignore it is a stifling symptom that comes from a chronic panic disorder.
Begin With Baby Steps
Starting by taking baby steps is the best way a person can slow their agoraphobia panic attacks. In order to finally master their fears the individual must set specific goals to overcome their panic attacks. Family and friends are the best people to help a person through this process, they can help a person be assured to their safety while helping them make the baby steps to overcome their panic attacks.
Why the panic attacks manifest in their form and what causes them isn’t completely known. It is believed that many of the individuals who suffer from this disorder experienced motion sickness which gave them a propensity for fear of travel before they started developing panic attacks.
The Unknown
To the sufferer themselves an agoraphobia panic attack is very frustrating. This is because an agoraphobic attack is often less rational than the typical panic attacks. While the individual may have a fear to traveling to an unknown place or beyond a certain point, agoraphobia can be caused by any type of anxiety or panic disorders that takes root and leads to agoraphobia.
A fear of public places, especially those where there is a large gathering of people such as a grocery store can develop from a social anxiety. An individual who suffers from general panic disorders can become embarrassed of their disorder which can then cause a fear of traveling and suffering a panic attack in public. This shows that with an agoraphobia panic attack it is difficult to identify and deal with it.
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