So sorry for typos. I'm on my kindle and it likes to be a jerk on these sites hnggggg

*hugs* <3 I totally hear you about the panic, heart racing, chest pains, and general anxiety, though it's gotten a bit better for me after cutting ties with some severely toxic people in my life. (It was suggested I cut down on caffeine, but that didn't make any difference for me, only made my chronic headaches worse.) Are you taking any prescription meds that could interfere with caffeine, like Ritalin? My son takes that, and gets a racing/fluttering heartbeat if he has any caffeine before the Ritalin wears off, and some other meds can interfere as well. As for the paranoid/disturbing/worst-case-scenario thoughts, I get them ALL THE TIME, and they are just part of the flight-or-flight mode that those with generalized anxiety are always in. You can't really get rid of them (at least that I know of), but there are ways of coping with them, so that they don't have so much of an impact, and maybe they'll even fade in time (I hope so). This vid helped me a bit with that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bIy9uOOqM4 (his other vids are good too).

It sounds like you might have some generalized anxiety. I have anxiety and I find that it is mostly exacerbated by largely stressful things such as high stress from work or biggish relationship issues. Generally the panic attacks/paranoia resolve themselves when the stress is removed. Otherwiseeee there are various medications which are used for something other than their original purpose which may help control your anxiety, whether by actually helping or by placebo effect (and really, panic attacks SUCK, even if it's just the placebo effect, i'll take the relief)

For -me-, allergy medication containing Diphenhydramine HCI work (Diphenhydramine HCI is actually an SSRI, which is what a lot of commercial antidepressants/anti-anxiety medications use). It's also used as a sleep aid among other uses though, because it works as a very mild sedative.

L-Theanine seems to help minor ones for me- its used in some "natural" sleep aids as a mental relaxant, and while Im almost sure its placebo effect... Like you said, I'll take it...!

Nope, it's not a placebo effect! L-Theanine is the compound in teas that relaxes you when you drink it! Some teas have it more than others, oolongs have plenty! I actually NEED to take L-theanine with tea because my body cannot process L-theanine by itself. It's VERY good for short-term stress, though it can lose its efficacy if used too often.

I've also read that gas and digestion upsets can easily start an otherwise unprovoked panic attack physically and that seems to be a big problem for me. I often haveattacks at night after eating. But at least lately... only late at night! So odd. But Ai definitely have some 24/7 anxiety symptoms. Social anxiety. Always worried about my safety. Annoying things! For anxiety the doctors told me to maybe join a discussion group to see if I have depression or something but it didn't seem like a big deal to them. -_-

Doctors are more worried about the physical stuff. :c It's really lame, but it's hard to find a doctor that cares about your mind as well as your body. They're very few and far between, and I can't say I blame them, as there's plenty to go wrong with the human body that is purely physical!

That said: The discussion group could be a good idea! Even if you're not comfortable in groups (which with social anxiety I BET NOT) If you have a friend you can confide these feelings to and talk them out, it could help a fair bit. I'm a strange fluffy monster on the internet, but if you need me, I have similar-ish anxiety to yours and if you need someone to commiserate with and ask advice from, I'll give you all I know!

L-theanine is good for short-term relief, the best place to buy it is off ebay in glorious citrus-flavored chewable dots. I've used them for months to help me process caffiene and stress, and they work well!

I dont get palpitations, but my chest gets tight- like trying to breathe deeply while tightlaced or with a weight on your chest... Panic attacks at everything from legit serious issues to a sporadic thought as I try to go to sleep, that niggles in and turns into something (pointless, but...) terrifying somehow?
I know you're not alone, and I know Im not either- but sometimes it still feels it. uu

I think one of the most comforting things I've found is reading TheBloggess' blog and book... Shes got it bad, but still manages to function in her own oddly (ab)normal world.

Ugggg sometimes my chest got tight and that is so scary! Just the slightest weird feeling gs freak me out so bad. Aught. And I totally drink lots of water for idk what reason. Just makes me feellike I'm doing so.etching about it. Flushing my system and whatnot

I would go see a cardiologist to figure out what it is.
The simple walk in clinic is not good for the bigger problems. But they might be right about staying off of caffeine if you are having heart plantations.

I hope the panic attacks go a way! *hugs*

I definitely need to get whole of some medical insurance. Xb

Ahold*

You might be able to get on Medicaid if you don't make much money, I'm on it in Oregon and it isn't the best for dental, but I have no complaints about the free prescriptions, mental health care, and general checkup. I was even able to get sterilized for free recently! It's definitely worth looking into.

I have generalized anxiety (with high social anxiety paired to it). I do about 1 to 2 panic attacks a day. I can't even go outside my appartment alone and even in "calm" situation I am stressed without knowing why... which sometimes lead itself by panic attack. They are triggered by all and nothing Xx

Aweeeee :( *hugssss* that is terrible!

*hug* I hate my life, especially when it's so sunny... I want so bad to go outside, but my fear is so intense I can't do it alone D:

Fursuiting is kinda a part of my therapy, for some reason I am way less afraid of going outside while fursuiting

That is good to hear that you can find a comfort in suiting! I actually kind of feel opposite about suiting. I'm kind of claustrophobic. So costumes more often make things worse for me xb

I am so afraid that people will laugh of me (and don't even know why they would!), that when I go outside in fursuit I feel better as they don't actually know it's me inside. Make me feel like Michael Myers in the newest Halloween with his papermache masks lol

Aw it's sure that with claustrophobia it makes it different. In my case I'm quite the opposite of it, I like very closed space.

Panic is a defence mechanism that's there to prepare for or prevent situations of extreme danger. The thing is, our mind works in a way such that emotions can be recalled or triggered by associations, and when it comes to intense emotions like panic this system can be very overeffective in a "Rather Safe than Sorry" type of way.

Let's say someone falls down a cliff and get serious injury. They might develop an association between the panic of the incident and any tall place, in other words a fear of heights. However, the person may also associate the panic felt during the fall with the kind of wheather during the incident, the ambient sounds heard during the incident, smells, etc... None of those associations should actually be related to danger, but if they are made they will still trigger panic as if they were related to danger. For other things like forest-fire or pedator attacks, then sounds and smells are actually related to danger.

In the moment of the situation the subconciousness doesn't simply have the time to procces what senses matter, so it's in fact rather random what associations are made.

This is where things get interesting. The subconciousness has to be tought which triggers are actually usefull, and which are "false", but the subconciousness does not nessecary listen to reason (as you are mentioning). However, there is one way called exposure therapy. It consist of exposing a "false" trigger in a safe envroniment, and the subconciousness will over time gradually realize that the association behind the trigger is not really dangerous after all.

So I can assure you that there is a way out of this, allthough it may take some time.

A small note about anxiety. It's a kind of fear where you simply does not know the trigger. For many people with anxiety the main trigger is the fear itself, which then makes itself self-sustainable. In treatment of anxiety one of the most importaint steps is to realize the fear is not dangerous, and to learn how it actually works. I have read a quote somewhere saying "Fear is caused by lack of knowledge", and I find this pretty much spot-on.

And of course. Enough sleep, stress managment and excess energy certainly doesn't make things worse, and if panic do strikes, the momentary best way to deal with it is usually by being distracted.

Gosh all of that. All of that is just so friggin spot on!

I feel you on a lot of this, although half my panic attacks are PTSD related, many are related to the rampant fears over my health (I also dealt with weight gain recently so I really feel you on that) or whatever trivial things. I hate how you can be doing completely fine or being absolutely calm, and it just takes that one thought that pings in and then goes out of control to cause an attack. It becomes difficult when I'm in public or with friends and I really don't want to "break down" in front of them and the very stress from that ends up building and causing attacks when I get home. I never want to think, so I'll either waste time sleeping or I'll play video games or watch tv all day instead of working because I noticed when I'm working is when the most risky thoughts seem to pop into my mind. Even when I worked a "real" job instead of freelance, I would find myself thinking and then suddenly running off to the bathroom to have a panic attack. I go to therapy every other week and it's improved somewhat, but the fact it's such a long road to improving more for me, I get upset and break down afraind I'll never be functional again. It can become almost cyclical in that the problem itself causes it to persist. So. Yeah. Those are my particular frustrations on the issue. You're not dying, but jeez does this stuff suck.

I have the same thing EXACTLY. it just started 3 months ago. ive never had this happen before so i find it odd. ive never had a a panic attack earthier. i always feel like my heart is going to stop and im so afriad of death.

a few weeks ago when i posted a journal I took some hydroxycut and the entire day i felt out of reality almost kind of high. after that day ive been afraid to drive the car or go out alone.

I get really emotional over little things. over thinking what could happen. I get afraid when im around rail road tracks because i feel like a train is going to show up out of nowhere and hit my car and kill everyone inside.


its been so bad that i cant work. when i do work my mind wanders and i start thinking about death and the bad painful things that could happen to me and will happen to me when I get old.

I do admit im very behind on my work but its simply because of my attacks. I don't feel safe alone in my own mind. its liek there is something or someone making me think these thoughts and it makes me scared. i feel I cant escape.

I usually dont tell people about my issues im having because Im worried that people will think im crazy. but reading your journal i can say that you and me experience the same exact things so i know how it feels. it really happy im not the only one earthier.

I took a trip this week to calm down my nerves but it didn't help too much. I have a lot of family and friends who have died since ive been gone and it seems like everyone is always talking about the ones who have passed.
I have realized that these attacks are putting a big burden on my every day life. I have decided to look into medication to help me out. I really hope it helps because I cant stand living like this.

Oh gosh :( I catually also had taken some things I thought would be harmless. Suppliments like vitamin D. Green tea pills for weight loss. Just a bunch of things and I'm still not sure what really started it. But I'm also wondering if I have a problem with Msg as well out of the blue. Idk. I know there has always been a part of me that has beeen a worry wart but I'm just feeling more alarmed by it now. And worrying about death! Ugh. I guess everyone wonders but we're so young. I just want to live my life uugggghhhh *hugs*

I get anxiety sometimes, full, adrenaline fight or flight heart pounding, tension. For no outward reason. It seems exacerbated by:

Stress, especially things I can't control but feel like I should.
Not enough sleep, or low quality sleep.
Caffeine and too much sugar.
Not enough exercise or sunlight.
Nutritional imbalance.
Taking my adderall too late in the day, or combining adderall with caffeine, especially energy drinks (this can also lead to overemotional crying fits).

My advice:

Take a magnesium supplement - this is what your body uses to relax your muscles on a chemical level, and even if you eat a lot of vegetables, most of the soil in this country is magnesium-depleted. Make sure you are getting enough vitamin D, in the northwest we are almost all deficient, and I for one found out via blood test that I was SUPER low. Make sure that you are eating enough vegetables and getting at least one bout of cardiovascular blood-pumping exercise (I play Stepmania on my computer) per week, preferably per day. If you have a sweet tooth, start introducing more fruits (it's strawberry season!!) and eating less refined sugars, as the rapid blood sugar crashes they cause can make the body feel stressed. If you are one of those people who forget to eat, set a timer, alarm, or write down on a post-it "have you eaten today?"

Take walks outside in a local park, preferably daily, this will help to calm you and the organic shapes are soothing to the mind, especially if you have ADD (most artists I know do). If you find yourself having looping thoughts, write them down, and set aside time to deal with the things on the list later, (ie: I have to do x for y client, I have to do x for z client, I have so much shit to get done by $deadline). If you write it down in a list you know it will get dealt with, you can counter those thought loops by actually doing something to address your issues. Practice mindfulness meditation, being present in the present moment with each breath, and learn to let mental chatter go and listen to what your body has to teach you. If you have ADD and are disorganized or bad at planning, work on improving this area so you feel you have more control over what you get done every day instead of bouncing from distraction to self-loathing to whipping yourself into work you feel you "should be" doing in an endless loop.

Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to sleep in an environment that is DARK. Your body produces melatonin which is necessary for cellular regeneration only when it is dark (a problem for night owls), and it also plays a role in dopamine production. If you have ADD, you have a dopamine imbalance to start with, and you need to take extra care to try to protect what dopamine your body will produce: exercise will help generate it too. You can take melatonin supplements right before you go to sleep to encourage your body to relax, but it's easy to develop a tolerance and these should not be taken daily.

Create a "sleep ritual" where you drink a soothing beverage, such as chamomile tea, turn off electronic devices, and settle down with a book or sketchpad for a half hour or more before you go to bed. If you go directly from full-throttle internet overstimulation to laying in bed, your body is going to try to process all of these feelings, thoughts, and emotions you've had throughout the day, even if this is subconscious, and it may produce anxiety. If you create a habit around "okay time to let everything go and relax off into sleep time", your body will be less likely to think it's time to fight.

IMO the fact that they happen at night, especially if they happen while you are trying to go to bed, is a clear message that this is your body trying to deal with stuff you have repressed during the day, particularly stress. Your body isn't being heard, so it's having to yell louder to get your attention. Try to listen more and give it what it needs to help you achieve success, if your body is well-balanced, you will have more energy to be productive.

Good luck, and I'm down to chat if you need an ear sometime.