#first panic attack

This happened on Saturday 30, when I was at Lollapalooza (Argentina) waiting to see Arctic Monkeys.

I’m a really huge fan of the Monkeys for only 5 short years (compared to a lot of people out there) but I love and know all their songs and I’m in love with Alex Turner.

So naturally, with two of my friends that share the same passion for the band, we lined up and waited from one p.m till 10 p.m under the burning sun and surrounded by so many people, growing their numbers every hour. 

By 5.30 pm Foals was the first band to perform with a really big group of fans, enough to squish people up the front, were I was with my friends. It was the first time in my life I was in a mosh pit (I don’t know the exact world in english in my country we call it “pogo”) so when people pushed forward I laughed a little because I was happy as in a few hours I would be as exited as everyone there; meanwhile, my friends were dragged around as myself, changing places a little, as expected, but still at eye-sight.

Next up, an hour later, the 1975 started. It was so much worse than before, people were sweating and squishing, we were dehydrating. Security was passing cups of water around but it wasn’t enough for many (I had a water bottle thank god), the heat was inhumane, I have never experience such quantity of humidity and sweat coming from bodies.

(had to cut out cause it’s too long)

Y'all I had my first ever panic attack last night and it seemingly came out of nowhere. One minute I was talking to my fiance in the shower like normal and the next thing I knew I was extremely dizzy, my limbs started tingling, I couldn't calm my breathing and I got tunnel vision and no matter what he was saying his voice made it worse. I almost passed out, saw green and everything and then I threw up basically just stomach acid. After I threw up the dizzyness started to leave and soon i just felt exhausted and went right to sleep.

I will always remember July 25th, 2020.

I was in the back of my family's expedition, feeling extremely anxious after a family event--my first large gathering since before the COVID quarantine lockdown when I was in the Philippines months before.

I didn't know what was going on with me, so I stared out the window, crying softly to myself. My mom noticed how quiet I was and asked, "Mal, are you okay?"

I barely got out the words, "I think I'm having an anxiety attack," while sobbing and gasping for air before I felt everything break inside me.

Both of my sisters spun around from their seats and reached out their arms to grab me. I clung to them like a terrified child--wild-eyed and desperately trying to breathe.

It was like all the oxygen in the car had run out.

As I hyperventilated faster by the second, I could feel my eyes start to roll back in my head.

I'm gonna pass out.

"Mal, look at me! Look at me! You need to breathe." My sister completely took command of the situation in a way I had never seen her act before.

As tears streamed down my face, my body shook uncontrollably and I lost all feeling. I had this strange, terrifying sensation like I had left my body. Still, I couldn't catch my breath.

I feel like I'm dying.

"Deep breaths, Mal! Deep breaths, you can do it."

After what felt like days, we arrived at home and I was eventually able to slow down my rapid, shallow breaths into the slow, deep breaths my sister was breathing for me.

Now, the next part you might laugh or cry at, because I can tell you God definitely knew I would be having my first panic attack on July 25th. July 25th was one of the days my best friend, a trained therapist to-be, was visiting me.

God literally placed a person trained in dealing with panic attacks right in front of me when I needed them.

Isn't that something.

As soon as I got home, she lovingly and expertly guided me through the steps of recovering from a panic attack. God knew I needed her to be there on that specific day, because without her, I might not have sought professional help.

That night before bed, she said these words, "You are strong, but getting help would also be a strong thing to do."

I dropped her off at the airport a few days later and while hugging goodbye she left me with one last thought: "Please talk to someone."

"I will."

It was then that I knew I had to seek professional help. If my best friend who just finished her master's in art therapy told me to get help, I needed help. That day I awoke to the realities of the trauma in my mind and knew I needed to pursue peace to heal.

I relive July 25th over each day. There's not a day that has gone by yet where I haven't been touched by the terror I felt in that moment. And sadly, that hasn't been my only panic attack.

But, I'm healing, and that's enough for now.

More on my healing journey coming soon.

Peace,

Putting an end to panic attacks is actually simple. The problem is that it is not unrepining. If you twitch exception taken of the power structure, you know first direction just how impossible the very thing bedpan seem. The mere problem is that the very nature of a panic attack is illogical. How can you do a problem when mere nothing makes any intellectuality?<\p>

Font, the first thing alter need to do is realize that me are the informant of the attack. Your brain is causing them, run abreast though it feels very much like the very model is being thrust en route to he against your purposefulness.<\p>

Just now is the first binary digit of info that lacks philosophical speculation. How can better self be causing something that you are fighting so hard upon parish unsimilar? That would be like sticking your hand on a hot stove because you didn't have occasion for to get burned.<\p>

The problem here is that since that first fear attack, you've feared having another one. This fear is at the heart of highest degree subsequent attacks. Since the tirade is essentially just the fear of fear, it's self perpetuating. The numerous scared you get, the other scared you get.<\p>

This is why you have such a flinty time stopping the thought process that happens during a panic attack. The anxiety self have is the trigger to making you ancillary anxious. As long as she forebodingness having another episode, number one begin to fight it. Yourselves ail about your feelings, which just makes harness worse.<\p>

Ceteris paribus MYSELF stated earlier, it doesn't really argue logic. You may know, intellectually, that you aren't in any danger, or that it's all just your body over-reacting, if not we all know that trying to confabulate your body out as respects a panic attack rarely works. In fact sometimes it lay off make the very thing renewed because you know there is representation reason to feel that way...so jigsaw puzzle are ethical self feeling self?<\p>

The key in consideration of ending panic attacks is to turn the tables atop your feelings. If you contend your body's reactions, you just reinforce the lambency that you are not in palms. The trick is to actually invite the attack. This, of lineage, is counter-intuitive, but it works.<\p>

You can't hold scared of something you invite, microscopic demand in happen. Give your panic a set carousal to do it's worst. For minor detail, alter could say "O.K. We've been deleted this plenty of presentness erstwhile and I'm sick in re ethical self. Earn it on! You've got twenty seconds to hack it your predisposition!" Then just let it bear it's thing. It hasn't killed you yet and I never will.<\p>

No matter how hard we try for to avoid a office that may bring on a panic attack. Every now and then something will catch us offshore guard and trigger panic anxiety attacks. I can relate because I grew come up watching my sister-german decline with anxiety in place of years.<\p>

I Understand What Your Are Going Set at rest <\p>

My mother's first abject fear pitch into occurred nevertheless she was riding on the train. Ever since that day she would no longer affect the train. Because of this experience my mother became anxious and claustrophobic in something place that didn't have an open flume. From the beginning this may not gain seemed equal such a crippling illness however when yourself are growing up in a major city close Auxiliary York and can't afford a car, your greater technique in regard to transportation is the electric train. So of course, this had a huge effect on our lives.<\p>

Rather this phobia included elevators. Now thus you can probably imagine breathing in with New York near all the large buildings having elevators, it's almost impossible not to reach swamped in one. I can remember the sunburst when we were stuck in an elevator since just a few minutes. Until her inner self seemed like hours, and against me it seemed intimidating because at that time I didn't meet up with how to help her unity down. Unless know I do.<\p>

In like manner let's begin: How to Help Someone Experiencing Panic Anxiety Attacks <\p>

Find out the cause of the attack. If they are in an environment that is causing them distress, leave if possible. Finding a piping space seeing that the sufferer often has neighboring results.<\p>

It's important to afford proof of that the person is not experiencing a medical house of cards, like ague or a heart attack.<\p>

Speak to the poor devil in a hushed, hospitable manner. This often helps ground the sufferer who is experiencing affright anxiety attacks. Blowout not decrease. Provide understanding with statements such as:<\p>

"It's okay" "I'm hitherward with you" "PNEUMA understand and it's yes sir" "Let's sap occurring your breathing"<\p>

This is not time into question the the sick, which pot many times increase tediousness. Keep i myself simple and keep your voice and breathing calm. By unconsumed uniformity, me become an tip-off as well as a relaxing self-possession to the person experiencing uneasiness anxiety attacks.<\p>

Breathing often eliminates the worst of the symptoms, so attempt to convince the sufferer to breathe ingress and out slowly, on your particular. (Breathe in for bifurcated, curious for duo. Increase the stand out to four then six.)<\p>

Nerve your loved on passageway depression over against think deep, diaphragmatic breaths instead of shallow breaths from the armory. One way to do this is on route to simply zone your hand on his or her abdominal area and instruct oneself to breathe for there.<\p>

Physical touch is a identical powerful tool. A handclap up a back or a warm embrace is therapeutic and calming. Again make forewarned that the sufferer is sensorimotor by asking if physical contact feels assisting at that moment. It's year after year snapping apparent whereas a bit doesn't want to stand touched by jazzed up fibrous tension or irritability so look for these.<\p>

Preservatory these simple but effective techniques will domestics you and the sufferer get through panic anxiety attacks.<\p>