Need advice for managing panic attacks

I never thought about going for walks.

I never heard of him. But I will have to try it out.

Breathing helps me too, but it has to be fresh, cool air.

I hope that we were able to help you out.

I will definitely have to try it out myself.

Well for me? I feel like I am dying. I have scary thought that I am actually going to die. Or I had died and don't know that I am dead. I know that I am just hyperventilating. Any thoughts?

I will have to try that out!

I feel like that all the time. I feel like I have a tight chest like a tight squeeze. Sometimes I have chest pains. I feel like I am having a heart attack. Especially when I am hyperventilating.

I never thought about going to acupuncture. I will have to try that out.

That is great advice! I wish that I had thought about myself!

I never thought about that myself!

I never tried that! I will have to try that out.

Guided meditations on YouTube have helped me.

Yes! Breathing slowly is my number one go-to for managing anxiety.

I'm glad that it's helpful for you! She really helped me when she told me that. A long time friend of the family said something similar. She just reminds me that I know how the situation is going to end with my grandmother when I set boundaries with her. She's going to be upset. That way I can manage as best I can.

An example of my managing, if I don't set boundaries with my grandmother now, even though I've moved out, she'll probably continue to treat me like her personal secretary if I don't put a stop to it. Since I have a hard time speaking up I'll just not answer her calls. Then I can text her and ask if it's an emergency or what she needed instead of getting bullied into something by talking directly.

Absolutely!

I also like his book Mind Over Meds.

Yeah! It finally hit me that I was having panic attacks and emotional flashbacks due to c-ptsd (though only ptsd is officially recognized by the DSM).

Hello all,

I've been reading your tips and they are very helpful. I cant pretend to know what it feels like as I do not suffer from these attacks. However, my girlfriend does and I see her go through this often. Most times I feel helpless and I want to help her through it.

Did any of you seek professional help and if so did it help? Did they prescribe any medications or did they provide you with exercises to help decrease the chances of having another attack.

These are quiet personal questions and Im sorry for asking but my girlfriend is really against taking any medications and I feel if it helped any of you then she might consider taking them. I really appreciate your insights on the matter.

I think it's wonderful that you want to help her.

I'm glad that some of these tips were helpful for you. I can only imagine what it must feel like to be on the outside looking in (I'm usually the one having the attacks in my circle)! In my opinion-and this is just what I would find helpful from someone helping me-you can try gaining an understanding of panic attacks, making suggestions, and just listening and sitting with her when she needs that kind of support.

I also find it helpful when people can admit that they don't know what to do but are willing to learn about it with me. I do receive professional help. I have an anti-anxiety medication. I I rarely use it because I don't want to be dependent on it, but I will in very acute situations.

Learning to breathe deeply from my diaphragm has been a great help to me (I did an exercise for this when I was inpatient at fifteen years old and I'm just now remembering it). Deep breathing is usually my go-to coping skill. I imagine my stomach filling up with air like a balloon when I breathe in. I hold it for about three seconds, and then I breathe out imagining the balloon flattening. This helps me because I tend to hyperventilate when I have attacks.

I try to remember to breathe before getting started for the day. I also will remove myself from stressful situations if I can to breathe a little. Usually, if possible, I excuse myself to go to the restroom and breathe. Honestly, I'm just reminding myself to take deep breaths throughout the day.

The other helpful skill I learned (that I'm just remembering and should practice more) is practicing coping skills. I've learned about this in therapy. I have made a list for myself and they are easy to find online (I just type in "list of coping skills"). I used this one as a template : https://www.boystown.org/parenting/D...ing-Skills.pdf

I hope that this helps. Blessings.

Hey, cptsdwhoa for deal with panic attacks

do the Breathing exercise for panic attacks
You need to try to work out what particular stress you might be under that could make your symptoms worse," says Professor Salkovskis. "It's important not to restrict your movements and daily activities." and If you feel constantly stressed and anxious, particularly about when your next panic attack may be, you may have panic disorder.

Thanks for this! Yeah, I want to make the breathing exercise something I do more often especially since I'm already a shallow breather.

I'm working on learning my triggers. I know my family is one of them, and I'm educating myself on the effects of Cptsd.