What does an anxiety/panic attack feel like...

...for you?

When I think about the term "panic attack" I envision something that comes on suddenly & overwhelms the person having the experience. I don't know if anyone actually has this type of experience. What happens with me is that when I go to a shopping mall or the grocery store, for example, I start fairly calm or with just a small amount of apprehension. But the longer I'm there the stronger my anxiety becomes Sometimes it climbs to a higher level than others. I don't know what the difference is. At it's worst, I can begin to disassociate & begin to feel like I'm floating outside of my body. I've had this condition for many years. And as time has gone on it seems as though my attacks aren't quite as bad as they used to be. But they're still darn uncomfortable. But I have learned to just "tough it out." Then once I get home, I tend to "collapse" & take a nap because the stress of it all is so tiring.

total feeling of being overwhelmed. i cant breathe and i feel like i am having a heart attack.

thank god i have a grip on my anxiety now.....i am glad those days are over.......

I'm starting to realize that what I've been experiencing for a long time now coul be attacks? I'm on celexa for anxiety.
I get hot flashes, I feel kinda nauseous, sometimes it feels like my heart is up in my throat. Today I felt like someone was squeezing my insides. I felt a heaviness on the chest and I felt panicky, and almost like I could cry. It wasn't even a terrible day. I was working and had an inspection so I had my area and regional manager as well as owners daughter there so it was a bit stressful but I've had worse days. I feel like this every day I am at work but it
Seems to get worse as the day goes on and gets the worst in the afternoon. Today is the first time where I felt the heaviness on my chest like someone was sitting on it and it didn't go away after I left work.

Its like an alarm going off inside you. You think you are about to die or implode or vaporize or become or have a neurological disorder or something weird and you start freaking out and you have to calm yourself and restablize yourself. Its like when in the movie matrix he is "about to pop" and then he vomits in disbelief of what he has learned.

Wow, I just logged in to ask this exact question! I only recently realized what I've felt many times and thought was a med. side effect are panic attacks or "limited symptom" panic attacks. I think mine would be considered "minor" but they still suck, especially when I'm driving.

Suddenly and for no reason, reality shrinks in on me along with a strong, very unpleasant buzzy, tingly feeling all over my body and mind. My vision narrows (fuzzy around the edges) and I feel very warm-hot and start sweating. I think I'm going to pass out. Very light-headed. Feel detached from my body and when I'm driving I think I can't feel the steering wheel - don't worry, I still have the car under control and can see everything fine, but of course I pull over. It has always been a very random for me - I have no idea what triggers it and there's never any fear - other than passing out.

Want to see how I kind of feel when it happens? Look at this YouTube video I came across today of a young lady who recorded her panic attack while on the computer with her webcam. WARNING: You know you might trigger your own attack if you watch something like this, right? But like the girl on the video says, she's having a "mild" attack.

I feel constricted. I know everyone is glaring at me. I get headaches, my vision gets blurry; I feel like I'm suffocating, and my heart starts beating a lot faster. I zone out, cant focus, and I'm scared to death.

For you, if you have had them...