Panic Attacks!

I decided to write about quite a personal topic today, I mainly thought I'd share it with you as some of you might be a panic attack sufferer yourself or maybe know someone who is. I hope this post helps you understand more about anxiety and panic attacks or maybe just makes you feel as though you know me better.

Anxiety is a natural feeling and lies in everyone but may never show its ugly head in all of us, for me anxiety is a big part of my week and can pop up and say hello several days a week leading to horrible panic attacks. Panic attacks creep up on you without you even knowing, and the next minute you feel worried, anxious, breathless, and like everything is wrong. Anxiety is a feeling that cannot be controlled.

I have been suffering with panic attacks and high levels of anxiety for nearly 5 years now and it took me a long time to discover what a panic attack is and even people around me like my boyfriend struggle to understand whats going on when it happens to me. Maybe you are a panic attack sufferer and are clueless to what is happening what you feel like this so hopefully I can help slightly.

When a panic attack starts, you feel like the room is slowly getting smaller, more and more people are looking at you, feel like you cant breathe and you just want to run away from it all before it all catches up on you. Panic attacks pump adrenalin through your body, preparing yourself for the worst. This is what happens in your brain in a life or death sort of situation. When the adrenalin is released, this speeds your heart rate and can cause quite a few physical and emotional changes in yourself, like, sweating, feeling sick, feeling claustrophobic, crying uncontrollably, and rapid breathing. These are the ones that effect me but there is some more.

Some peoples panic attacks stop them wanting to get themselves into positions where there is lots of people, small rooms or spaces etc but my panic attacks are triggered by depression. I realised I wasn't myself late last year and I went to a doctor and had a chat. I have some things I need to sort out before I can get myself back on track, but I find when something is annoying me and makes me sad it brings on a panic attack.

Since I am still trying to sort things out, I have no major advice on how to manage the panic attacks but all I can say is, talk to your family, go to doctor and when you feel like your in a position your not comfortable with just get up and get away from the position and get air and take deep breathes and just achknowledge that you may be having a panic attack and it helps.

Nothing is ever too bad that can't be fixed by talking or just let someone know that you have panic attacks or if something is annoying you, never hold anything in because that is what I have done for 5 years nearly and it has seriously built up on me and it harder to figure out what certain thing is triggering the anxiety, the panic attacks or the depression.

I hope this little post gave you some help or maybe has give you the push to tell someone what is up :)

All That Shines - Megan x