As the exposure of panic attacks has grown in recent years, most people now understand that it is not a condition reserved for the deranged or psychotic. Rather, it is a common disorder that affects over four million Americans. Helping to change the perception of panic attacks are a number of celebrities who have been open about their struggle with this condition. Here are some well-known people who have shared their experiences with anxiety and panic disorder.
Nicole Kidman has admitted to suffering panic attacks in red carpet situations. Kidman explained her fears in a 2002 interview with Vogue magazine, “I panic in front of all the cameras. My hands start shaking and I have trouble breathing. Tom would always whisper to me that everything was all right.”
Willard Scott, former weather reporter for the Today Show, battled panic attacks while he prepared to go live with his weather reports. Scott experienced his first panic attack two years after he joined the show. “It was seconds before I was about to go on the air to give the weather. “The director was counting down… five,four,three… and with each second, I was sweating profusely, I couldn’t breathe, my mind was befuddled. The people in the studio called a doctor because they thought I was having a heart attack.”
Kim Basinger has always been open about her panic attacks, sharing her experiences in dozens of interviews. Her first episode actually scared her into being homebound for several months. She eventually forced herself to get out through sheer determination. She later sought therapy after continuing to experience panic attacks.
Food Network Star Paula Dean was also a prisoner of her own home due to struggles with agoraphobia and panic attacks. Her condition arose in her twenties, shortly after the death of her parents and birth of her two sons. She has since overcome her anxieties to flourish in her current role as one of America’s best known cooking celebrities.
Embattled football player Ricky Williams has endured a well-publicized battle with social anxiety disorder that is compounded by his celebrity appeal. At one time he endorsed his success with the drug Paxil. Ricky continues to overcome his anxieties, but his off-the-field problems have since lead to his suspension from the NFL.
Perhaps the most famous victim of panic disorder is Sigmund Freud. Ironically enough, Freud’s condition formed the basis of his most popular works on internal conflict and anxiety neurosis. Frustrated with the lack diagnosis for the condition, Freud dedicated himself to research in the field of anxiety. His findings have since become the foundation for most of the anxiety studies carried out in the past century.
Of course this list is only a small sample of the thousands of celebrities whose lives have been affected by panic attacks. But this handful of examples should serve as inspiration for the millions of others who are trying to control their panic disorder.
There are proven strategies to overcome panic attacks, but yet many still hide in the fear and embarrassment of their condition. While it can be an overwhelming for sufferers to tackle the same fears that have held them hostage for years, the sooner they begin treatment, the sooner they will overcome their panic attacks.
46 responses so far ↓
1 Kathy // Dec 5, 2007 at 1:36 am
Hello, My name is Kathy I am 44yrs old with two children A son who is 19yrs old and a daughter who is 13 yrs old I have beeen suffering with panic disorder for over 10 years All the abnti depressents have not worked for me. The only comfor I do find is when i see my pysciatrist. I am not able to see her as often as I would like. It is very costly, but I know in my heart that if was was able to afford to see her three times per week I can get better. I am looking for some help. Her charge is $250 per a 45 minute session. Please help me. I do find the cognitive therapy to be extremely helpful. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
2 Kathy // Dec 5, 2007 at 1:38 am
Sorry for the spelling errors. I did not read it over before I sent it.
3 admin // Dec 5, 2007 at 2:07 am
Hi Kathy-
Sorry to hear that you don’t have access to all of the treatment you desire. Perhaps your doctor can provide you with some therapy exercises that you can work on at home. The key is to make sure you are doing something everyday to treat your condition.
As you can tell from our site, we highly recommend trying the panic away method. At less than $70 and with a money-back guarantee, it may be the solution you are looking for. It is certainly more affordable than the $250 an hour you are currently paying.
Best of Luck!
4 christina nevada // Mar 3, 2009 at 5:38 am
Your Friend the Panic Attacks
by Christina Nevada
Not only can I tell you how to survive panic attacks
I can tell you how to stop them
Having suffered panic disorder for over a decade
I know a lot of things that help
And a lot of things that bring them on
But only one thing that can stop them
The one common denominator in all
Is you
For it is you who brings them on
And you who ends them
Nobody has the power to do this
except you
The biggest thing that brings them on
Is fear
So many things can trigger them
So we curb chocolate, caffeine and nicotine
Learned positive thought replacement
To exchange the dark thoughts for loving thoughts
To focus on the positive
We stop the future hypothetical negatives like the “what if’s”
And the overly-reflective negatives in the “I should have’s”
Embraced healthy boundaries in relationships
So that chronic abuse ends
And learned to rest
To encourage ourselves in our thought life
And to under react
To understand that if we feel we cannot breathe
It is only because we are merely forgetting to exhale
And so we count our slow exhales
But still we are plagued by panic
So we still feared them
And they came
Again and again
year after year
Crippling us in our social lives
and in our thought lives
The drugs
Our only true physical defense
From the terrors of the panic
So we thought
Never quite realizing the power of our own mind
The true trigger
And the true cure
The stronger our minds
The harder the panic hits
And the Bible says
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind
And that the truth will set you free
To let our minds dwell on whatever is lovely
And worthy of praise
The key you ask?
What is the key in ending panic attacks
It is not wise to indefinitely end them
To make friends with them I heard once long, long ago
Is the best way to end their disorder
But how can you love what terrorizes you?
This is how
Panic attacks were given to protect you
Not to harm you
What God gave to protect you cannot harm you
This is why no one has ever died of a panic attack
Panic attacks come to rescue you
They come to help you
To give you strength
To help you fight an enemy
They are not your enemy
They are your friend
They are your most faithful friend
For it is they who come to you
Every time you are afraid
Even if you are alone
They come even without you asking
For they understood your fear
And believed you called them
For without knowing
In your fear
You called them
And when you are afraid
They always come
Because they come to help you
they come to rescue you
and to give you strength
your blood they gather
from your hands and feet
though it makes them feel a little cold
to bring to your torso
to save your vital organs
and from your head, too
making you feel lightheaded
to help alleviate mental stress
and all that rushes into your torso
to save your life
this physical phenomenon
though it makes you tremble
and feel sick to your stomach
in both directions
it is to save your life
it cannot harm you
for thousands upon thousands of years
it is your savior
your rescuer
Whatever you focus on will grow
If you focus on the fear
The fear will grow
If you focus on the symptoms
The symptoms will grow
Focus on the fact that they help you
Learn to accept the truth about them
That they are your faithful friend
They are your strength in time of need
Learn to appreciate them
And to love them
And to welcome them
For this is the truth
They are your friend
And when you need them
And you feel them coming
With great excitement
Greet them
And say come !!!
Come because you are my help
Come because you are here to rescue me
And to protect me
And have confidence in the strength they will give you
In ever a time of need
And when you find that they have come too quickly
It is because you called them
They hunt you not
It is you they serve
You they wish to protect
They love you
And they listen to you
Far more than you have learned to listen to yourself
They came because they want to protect you
So gently
With love and thankfulness
Say with smiles in your heart
Thank you for coming my beloved friend
To help me
But I’m okay
I assure you my dear protector
That I need you not right now
And I laugh at how much you love me
And I love you for thinking of me
And for caring about me
And for being there for me
But I’m okay
And they will understand
That you do not need them right now
And they will go away
Because it was the fear that called them
And because you will no longer fear them
The fear will fade
The fear you felt
They could not understand
Was fear of them
Because they are part of you
Because you are the master
And they are your devoted slave
They did not understand
That it was they you feared
But that fear they felt
Like fuel to their fire
They felt your fear
And they came strong like an army
To help you fight
They did not understand
They could not understand
That the fear was of them
So this be the lesson
Fear not
But when fear comes
Fear not your helper
These the panic attacks
For they are your deliverer
Your rescuer
They came only to help you
And when you learn they are friend
Not foe
They will not come again
Until you call them
knowingly
Because they came
Only to help you
When you were afraid
This because
they love you
and so love them, too
and when the fire runs through your body
as their army rushes in and through your veins
feel their warmth as loving hugs
as warm embraces from your friend
5 musa pr // Mar 11, 2009 at 9:27 am
I am 22, i´ve been having panic attacks over a year now. I did´nt recognize any of these symptoms so they did not happen often and they werent that strong. One time i thought i was having a heart attack and later came to the conclusion that i had a panic disorder. Istarted having numerous panic attacks everyday, like 5-10 a day, and very strong. Eerytime it feels like im dying. I don’t like the idea of coping cuz im not supposed to have these i the first place. So what helps me is reading (cognitive treatment), currently i am dealing w a hypnotherapist to get to the root of this, i just want to understand why did they start. but when it comes to a treatment perse… i dont think anybody knows you better than yourself, plus, you don’t need any extra worries about the drugs that they may give you and those side effects. the most important thing is to know that you’re not gonna die and you’re not going crazy.
yeah that book “Panic Away” by joe barry is really good, it makes you feel really confident about all this.
have a nice one
musa
6 musa pr // Mar 11, 2009 at 9:29 am
i am takin st. john’s wort, for relaxation purposes, do you recommend anything else?
7 nancy // Mar 14, 2009 at 1:46 am
christina – that was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!
8 natalie // Oct 11, 2009 at 2:45 pm
waw christina that was an amazing way to put it! And its sooo true, i,m in the process of becoming less afraid of them!
I have copied your words onto my computer! thanks!
9 Heather // Nov 29, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Christina, thank you for posting… I never looked at the panic attacks in the light before, and it is truly a blessing that you have opened my eyes. I have always feared having another panic attack, a viscious circle that I’m sure many of us know oh, so well. I will look at things differently. Thank you so much.
10 Tammi // Feb 7, 2010 at 2:06 am
Very great post Christina. I can relate. My attacks started during a recent major life transition, relocating with my husband and kids 380 miles from home and all relatives. I know why I have the attacks. It got so bad (many daily) that I started a short medication treatment to cope. I have no problem going out in public, in fact I love being social and getting out! I could just never get them under control on my own. No matter what I thought I would die or go crazy. I miss “home” and where I’ve lived all of my life. Thank you for putting that approach into perspective. With my treatment with klonopin halfway over, I will hold onto these thoughts in order to make myself stronger. It is me, I don’t need medication. It’s mind over matter, but man is it tough!! Thank you
11 Megan // Feb 7, 2010 at 8:00 pm
I’ve suffered from panic attacks for as long as o can remember. I suffer from them in the lead up to night time. Sleeping away from home Is a major trigger which is something I’m in the process of trying to conquer.
My coping techniques are:
as soon as I feel the awful feeling in my stomach and feel my heart rate rise I immediatly concentrate on breathing properly. I find getting up and moving around helps ease it.
If it still esculates into a full blown attack I repeatedly tell myself that I’m ok. I remind myself that nothing has changed b4 the panic attack started, I’m not in any danger and that I’m not going to die nor is it going to last forever. I try concentrating on tv or a book – if in too much of a panic to do this I try going for a walk or a shower. Those around me try tobtalk to me to take my mind of it, sometimes this helps but if having a bad one this doesn’t help; feel disconnected from myself which makes it hard to concentrate on what is being said. I feel for anyone who suffers with this – and Christine your post really moved me I’m going to bookmark this and read it next time I feel anxious xxxx
12 Jamie // Feb 28, 2010 at 7:08 am
I have dealt with panic attacks since I was 7 years old. I am 40 now. I can relate to all of this, and that was lovely Christina. I have it saved.
I have tried everything with these stupid attacks. I know inside that it can’t hurt me, that it will pass, that I need to trust the process of life, but as you all know, if it were a matter of logic, we would be fine.
I’ve tried natural, meds, hypnosis, self help, and while they all help to a certain degree, only the SSRIs have helped the most, with Xanax. Xanax can help a lot on it’s own, but you have to keep taking it to keep calm or maintain and when it wears off, things can escalate again.
I went on Zoloft last October, but I fought against it for months, and was so scared after having bad experiences with meds in the past. Lexapro did help with the panic attacks but I quit thinking I was ok and then had to take it again 3 months later but it didn’t work right that time. Couldn’t take it again. Zoloft has helped with the panic attacks too. I take a very low dose though. I have learned to take the lowest dose possible. For some reason, doctors seem to think more is better and that is NOT always true.
Good luck to everyone.
13 Becky // Mar 23, 2010 at 11:04 pm
Christina — your words were very comforting on a very difficult day. Thank you.
14 Angel // Apr 26, 2010 at 12:45 am
I have panic attacks for a long time but for most of my life I didn’t know that it was a medical condition. I was sexual abused for 5 to 10 yrs and my mother was dunk or mentally depressed herself. I have always been the type to be the mother in my childhood days. I was never able to have kids after several attemps ended up having large cycsts that needed to be removed concern would be cancer. I had a full female body remove at the age of 32. I wasn’t aware that your body would change for good and all the stuff I was able to pack in a small part of my brain was gone and nothing I could do and can to this point has stopped the panic attacks. I have taken several meds and went to one of the best mental clinics on ohio but still continue to have attacks at home work and even out in public. I wish there was a cure. I have even placed my faith in God as many christian believers state but it will not go away.
15 Chris vE // Jun 23, 2010 at 9:10 am
i have been having panic attacks for the last 12 months. They are really unnerving !!
Christina your words are magical !! l was overwhelmed when l read your poem / post .
Thank you so much
Chris
it is the most helpfull information l have read so far and totally calming , thanks
16 annalise // Jul 16, 2010 at 9:10 am
I have been having panic attacks since i was in primary school, it wasn’t till I was 27 i learned they were panic attacks. I take cipramil and xanax at night. At night they are the most. I am 41 nearly 42 and know that I will have to live with panic disorder for the rest of my life.
I was abandoned as a child and abused physically and sexually when I was in grade 3, I have always felt inferior and that I was not good enough to be loved. I never believe it when people say they love me or that I am funny or pretty or intelligent. I have no self love so I think a lot of my panic disorder stems from feeling I am unworthy of love and I feel i don’t belong.
I have a gorgeous poodle who is my very best friend. I’ve had him for 5 years, he really helps me feel worthwhile and accepted.
My panic attacks have been so extreme at times I attempted suicide 3 times but it never worked.
I just want to feel inner peace and self love.
I try hard and i believe in God, and pray for guidance.
Im glad I am 41, I am halfway there… my poodle is the only thing that keeps me here.
I suffer depression because of the panic disorder.
I am just waiting til the day i can be with God, no more inner pain.
Thanks for listening.
Annalise
17 Jay // Jul 28, 2010 at 11:32 pm
I am so sorry for everyone who experience anxiety and panic attacks. I was just released from the hospital yesterday due to a panic attack?. I never had a panic attack before…I thought it was a heart attack. I was hyperventilating, arms went numb, and I had pain in my chest. Finally trying to make it to the car, I collapsed. I am normally the rock in my family; the one who can handle anything. I guess not. I have constant anxiety now and coupled with nausea, I find it difficult to get out of bed, let alone go to work. I try to keep an open mind and accept people’s recommendations, but nothing works.
All I can say, without going into a novel, is that I’ve had a very tough life. Now, at 31, my life feels empty and everything I’ve gained in my life (possessions, relationships) is gone. I have a lot of money problems that caused me to sell everything. My car, guitars, amps, collectibles, and just about everything that chronicled my life since very young. There is just waaay too much to list.
Normally I can handle anything, but I feel completely helpless with my anxiety. I just started a new dream job, so I should be on top of the world. Instead I can’t enjoy it and I live on the edge of an attack all day everyday.
I don’t know why my body won’t let me move on from this but I feel like it’s killing me. I had a lot of blood drawn at the hospital, so hopefully I can get to the root of this problem. I feel so horrible all the time I feel as though it may be something bigger and these are fallout.
Anyone, please give some words of advice. I just want to smile and feel happiness again. I used to be a fun guy, now I have no friends, and I don;t leave the house except for work. HELP…
18 ------ // Jul 30, 2010 at 3:49 am
Jay-
I learned the hard way too, that even if if you have a dream job, if there is unresolved issues bubbling away under the surface, they WILL find their way out (ie- panic attack).
I am so sorry you’re going through this but just know that you WILL get to the other side of the attack and you will be ok. If you have access to coverage, going to talk therapy with a psychiatrist has been the #1 most helpful tool for me.
A great book to pic up is the (pretty famous) From Panic to Power by Lucinda Bassett.
19 april // Aug 10, 2010 at 3:52 am
for Jay, why don’t you look for a psychiatrist. It would help you cope with your concern.
I look forward to your happiness and peace of mind.
20 evelyn // Aug 30, 2010 at 5:11 am
hello everyone.. i understand how u feel. its the worst expierence ever! one thing that has held me in one piece is that i know its a way of god calling u to change. sometimes we ignore him but when we are in need hes the first to call.. throw ur anxieties on him and he will diminish them.. try some things like life changes. things u havent really delt with from the past.. deep breathings and most of all prayer.. it will get better that is a promise..
21 Jennifer // Sep 3, 2010 at 3:48 am
This week will be 1 year since my 1st panic attack. I ended up in the emergency room that night after driving 45 home thinking I was dying but couldn’t figure out why. My heart was pounding, I was hyperventilating, my mouth was cotton, my fingers and toes were numb, and I had tunnel vision. I have no idea how I made it home that night because I didn’t see a thing on the road, not a car, not a street light, nothing. When I got home and it didn’t end my Mom took me to the hospital. They immediately told me it was a panic attack and tried to give me Lorazepam. I was so full of fear and doubt that it was a panic attack that I wouldn’t take the medicine. I laid in the ER for 5 hours before it passed. I thought someone drugged me until my bloodwork came back clean. Long story short, I have lived and breathed panic attacks, anxiety, agoraphobia, & countless irrational fears every single day since with little relief. I refused to try medication until months later. Now, I do take a lorazepam when I’m having a full blown attacks. I tried Zoloft for literally one day and had a panic attack so never again. I don’t want to suffer my entire life with this. I don’t wish it on my worst enemy. I was the strongest person in my world. I handled everyone else’s problems in my life and was completely independent. Now I’m needy & fearful of everything. I can’t even go to work. When I do go anywhere, I take my Mom with me; I’m a 34 year old woman. I’m even at risk to loose my home because I can’t work. We all need a miracle.
22 Sarah // Sep 13, 2010 at 5:11 pm
I am 23 and i have been having my attacks since may of this year. they just came on for no apparent reason but my doctor said that they are caused by stress and other things. I havnt got one since the 7th of august but one came on today…they are horrible and the only way they go away for me is to relax breath and tell myself that im ok and i am not goin to die thank god! They are just awful and i hope they go away soon
They are just hard to keep away!
23 Allyson // Sep 28, 2010 at 5:13 am
Hello to all,
I can relate so sincerely to all of you. I am 45 and had my first panic attack at age 23. I remember the first one came on as I was traveling through an airport to visit a boyfriend. It felt like an adrenilan rush. I thought “What was that?”and continued on my way. They continued from that point forward. I have lost a lot from this disorder -disease. I never married because I was told and believed that I was flawed and not strong enough to just relax and be happy. Instead I had a great career up until 2006. The anxiety was always there but my career was more important and so I didn’t allow it so much room in my head. Then I lost my job do to an incident where I didn’t visit a client in a tall office building (NYC) because I was feeling panicked that morning. I tried to confide in my manager that I was suffering from depression and axiety. A short time later I was fired. I regret not fighting for my job but I was feeling so bad about myself I thought I should just move forward. Little did I know that my life would become so much emptier and with all that empty space in my life, anxiety would just take over. I lost a great apartment, car, all of my friends due to shame, even my sister and her children who I loved more than anything on earth cut me out of their lives. I have been living home with my Mom for the last year and struggling with agoraphobia like never before. Almost every time I go out, which I force myself to do and ride the bus, I have an axiety attack. This afternoon was no exception. I tried going it without a Xanex and an axiety attack came on & I had to scramble to take a xanex and get home without collapsing or so I thought. I need to get back on Paxil CR. That was helpful to me previously. Seeing my Shrink for a persciption is part of the luxuries of my past. I have been building up the energy and courage to go to a local Mental Health Clinic. Christina’s brilliant perspective about anxiety attacks, the physiology of them, thinking that they believe they are your loyal protectors and how we can thank them for their response but tell them “no thanks, I’ll call you when I need you” may provide me with the courage I need to phone for the appointment, get there, talk to someone and get the perscriptions to help with my recovery. Wish me luck and thanks for reading.
24 Jennette Anderson // Oct 4, 2010 at 2:42 am
Jay, reading what you wrote made me cry! I know you probably wont believe me, but I hope you do. I am 25 years old, healthy, and for the past 11 months have also had FULL BLOWN panic attacks. Everywhere!! I have them in church (except when I worship), riding in cars, playing video games and relaxing, in college. I’m so ready to give up, I am not a stressful person and I love school, but it happens everyday! People tell me I’m stressed, etc. NOT TRUE! I took it to God in prayer, and I have prayed and prayed and cried out to Him, and HE ANSWERED me! He sent me a dream and told me that He has heard my cries and all I KNOW is that God allows US to go through this for HIS PURPOSE!! I hate it, I feel a loss of hope, and joy, and I can no longer go into any stores. But, I have recently been saved and God has done great things, and HE ISNT a lier, and this WONT last!!! The devil knows his time is short and he doesnt have to pick on certain ones, he picks on the ones that have a future FOR GOD. That will become great and help increase Gods kingdom! I feel happier knowing I’m not alone in this battle. I dont know how you are able to continue to go to work, its HARD!!! And people look at you like your crazy when your having it! Pick out some verses and say them and stand on them, like; “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”. I know mine comes in the form of fear first, like “your gonna die.” And thats spiritual, and the Bible says when its spiritual, fight spiritual with the word of God and prayer. And trust me I’mm never lose God, I KNOW he’ll heal me and all of you ( I prayed), we cant lose hope, God doesnt want his children to stay where they are. I hope we can stay in contact and Lord, I pray that you will send your mighty warrior angels to fight our battles for us, because we have the victory in Jesus’ name, and I ask for divine healing of all of our minds, bodies, and spirits-protect us and deliver us-so that we can help others with our testimony. Who can snatch us out of the Lord’s hand-NO ONE!!! God Bless!
25 Maria // Oct 27, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Annalise i read your post and think you are a very strong person. It is hard on us when things we had no control over as children make us fear losing contol when adults. i added you to my prayers and pray that you find inner peace and know that God loves you. there is nothing that can undo the past but stay strong and know that today is yours to do anything you want with it to feel at peace as it is waiting for you. God bless you alway my friend and know you are never alone.
26 Maria // Oct 27, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Jay i hope things have gotten better for you it has been a couple months since your post and i just read it. i don’t know about giving advice but i can tell you that fear can play on your mind you can overcome fear that is the first step and it may seem hard. you need to learn to re-trust yourself your life’s path and to take things one minute at a time. i will pray for you that this hard time will pass… you said you had a guitar .. try to write about your thoughts and fears then write about hope and determination …. i really know you will get past this hard time and be stonger in the end. God bless you .. ps you seem like such a cool dude … so have faith and smile
watch stand up or anything to get mind off of fear .. i know it is easier said then done…. but i got over panic it took me to trust myself it took awhile but remember there really is nothing to fear but fear itself…
27 Rainguy // Nov 5, 2010 at 5:04 am
I had panic attack after panic attack for three weeks, went to treatment, then they stopped. I’m just leaving treatment, so will I have them again? That’s the question. I’m worried, and leaving treatment early, but I can’t afford the cost. Their position is that the panic is from early childhood trauma. What do you all think?
28 Eli // Nov 29, 2010 at 8:54 am
Fuck panic attacks. dont let em get to you and just suck it up when they come knocking at the door. let them become part of you and eventually they will subside little by little. and if they come back one day, fuck it…go through it again.
ive always had mild anxiety, but i started having bad anxiety problems the day after my 23 bday about 7 months ago.
when i feel one coming along i either go online like i am now, or i just get up and do the robot with a smile on my face, it really works, you all should try it.
wish everyone the best of luck
annalise dont ever try to leave this world again your special even if you cant realize it yourself, suicide is a concept i just cant grasp this is our one time to live, no matter how bad it gets we gotta keep trucking.
sorry for the ramble
peace
29 me // Dec 15, 2010 at 2:20 am
I am in 8th grade and i have suffered panic attacks for 2 years now and it is really hard 4 me to go 2 school, and even get in 2 a car when someone (besides my own parents) else is driving. It is even very tough 4 me 2 go 2 the ortho. and dentist because I have the fear of death. I know nothing is going to happen to me. But I worry about it every day. I wake up every morning with the same feeling of dread, I try to suck it up and just go to school, but now it has gotten 2 the point were I m going 2 go 2 a therapist, even though I don’t want too. I really really don’t want to take medicine so I have been searching the Internet for stopping attacks natrally, but all the sites just say the same thing, focus on your breathing and try to destract ur mind. Now that’s pretty darn hard right in the middle of an attack. It feel like I m trapped and I start to breathe hard and I get all sweaty and i feel like im going to pass out.
The feeling that i feel each day is beyond what anyone will ever no…It is the worst feeling ever period.
30 me // Dec 15, 2010 at 2:35 am
Dear Jay,
“I am praying that you have the strength and the peace to get you though your attacks. I just don’t like to see someone as nice as you suffer.
If I told you to ‘Get Well Soon,’ it wouldn’t be soon enough. Get Well Now.
31 Jacob // Dec 15, 2010 at 5:23 am
I read a few of everyone’s postings and decided to share my story. I’ve dealt with panic attacks my whole life, but never knew what it was until I was 20. I tried to deal with it on my own, but I realized I needed help, and counseling has helped me sooooo much! I wish I would have done it sooner. I’ve learned where my panics are stemming from. I still have triggers that come and go, but I’ve learned that thinking positively, and comforting yourself while having an attack really helps. WE CAN’T GET DOWN BECAUSE WE HAVE PANIC ATTACKS. WE NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT IS GOOD IN OUR LIVES AND IN OURSELVES.
**Helpful hints**
-Deep Breathing, and focusing on it helps relax the body. If you’re breathing you’re living.
-If you feel like you may have a panic attack do the tension exercise, while breathing. This is where you tense different muscle groups for a few seconds then release the tension. Starting from your feet, calves, thighs, butt, fists, arms, body. This can be done anywhere without people noticing, unless you’re squeezing your butt really tight. That may look weird.
-Exchange your panic thoughts with (As Peter Pan would say) Happy Thoughts. Such as your favorite joke, tv show, or fun memory.
-Have goals, and test yourself in trigger situations, and see what works to calm yourself
32 Mike // Dec 27, 2010 at 4:42 pm
the more attention you give to this, the bigger they grow. I don’t fear panic attacks I had them and eliminated them. All I suffer from is the anxiety, started after the first panic attack.
33 yan // Jan 11, 2011 at 2:10 pm
hi! at first i wasn’t sure of what i was going through. i just started with my new work last july.. i never experienced having panic attacks until i had lunch with my new officemates..
during lunch my heart was pounding very fast, it was hard for me to breathe normally, my hands were trembling..and when i started eating my head would involuntarily shake..
that was the first time that i experienced it..from then on people started to notice my weird “head movements” when eating..it was embarrassing..
i tried to research about it on the internet and realized that maybe i am already suffering from panic attacks..
right now, eating with people (i’m not comfortable with) is a struggle..i’m afraid that the tremors would happen again..as a result i’ve lost weight and feel stressed while eating..
i’m not sure if anyone has experienced the same thing..it’s just weird and embarrassing..i don’t know how to be normal again..to be carefree..
34 HOPEFUL // Feb 10, 2011 at 5:36 am
hello everyone thanks for shareing.i have had a panic disorder for more than a decade…my faith in God has helped me greatly. ihave also had talk therapy i talk paroxetine ( sub. for paxil) all of these thing helped. my panic disorder is part stress related and i suffered from PMS quite bad.i am still on my journey to resume a full life . hopeful coments
35 ME // Feb 11, 2011 at 3:04 am
Your poem Christina, was so inspiring! It made me cry, but with happy thoughts that these are just your friend! It was truly magical, and beautiful! Thank You Christina because when i was getting one, I just thought of your poem and it got me right through it!
36 HOPEFUL // Feb 17, 2011 at 5:42 am
i would like to hear from others like myself who seeking or who has overcome panic attacks through faith in GOD
thanks you guys……i am praying for you all:-)
37 HOPEFUL // Feb 17, 2011 at 7:21 am
hello everyone, this is for Maria, i read your post from Oct.2010. you said you overcame panic….thats wonderful…please give more details as to
how you overcame panic thanks
38 Cindy on Union Square NY // Mar 4, 2011 at 12:06 pm
A dear friend of ours, homebound with her panic disorder and on medication, was recovering from one such episode..and next door, a fire broke out at the home of a neighbor who had gone to the market. Shirl knew they had a little girl, who was about five. And the mom had walked around the corner, leaving her daughter alone for such a short time. Well, the fire was in the kitchen, electrical as it turned out, but Shirl heard the little girl screaming for help. Without any thought whatever, she jumped up, still in her bathrobe and slippers, ran outside, bashed in the front glass on the neighbor’s kitchen door, and opened it, running in and pulling the little girl to safety. The fire engines at that point were already roaring down the street, and the minor fire, mostly causing lots of smoke and badly frightening one young child was soon extinguished. It wasn’t until then that Shirl realized fully what she had done. The urgency of the emergency caused her to put her fears ‘on hold’ in a sense, and she had only one thought: save the little girl! Needless to say her panic attacks were never viewed by her in the same way. Does she still have them? Yes..they are indeed real; no one is suggesting they are manufactured. But, there are some elements to anxiety disorder that are mysterious indeed. This act of heroism gave Shirl, and her Doctors a fresh view of her particular condition. And needless to say, she made two lifelong friends next door. And won many new admirers on the street!
39 cheyenne // Mar 14, 2011 at 11:23 am
hi everyone i have been suffering with panic attacks and anxiety for 4yrs now. The firt one was the most frightning i ended up in the hospital thinking i was going to die .the doctor told me that it was a bad sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics for it , i left the hospital feeling a bit better but when i returned home the panic hit me again, i phoned the hosoital and asked to talk to the doctor and told him what was happening to me ,he then told me it was a panic attack and if i relaxed it would go away ! i was in that state for 6weeks i could not eat and lost over 3 stone in weight iwas so frightened i was going to die it totally took over my whole life i have 5 children, at the time my 3 younger children needed me the youngest had just turned 2 i felt so ashamed of myself because i could not be a mother to them ,there father was amazing he took my roll over as well as his own, i hit rock bottom even though my reason for been so unwell was the fear of dying ,i felt like i just couldn’t go on, so i made up my mind to end my life ,but been so unsure how to do it ,i decided to phone the phyciatric hospital the doctor on call told me to go to my gp and get a referal letter to see a doc at the hospital to put a long story short i did all that i spent thousands and nothing worked and still doesn’t ive just learned to live with it and accept it when it comes but i know that its me that makes it happen .why ! i dont know , it does get easier .GOD BLESS
40 BELIEVE // Mar 24, 2011 at 2:19 am
Hello! I have read everyones story on here and it has surely inspired me! I have started to go to therapy and oh my goodness! Why didn’t I want to do this earlier? WOW! I was so amazed about how much it has helped me! I used to get one every day at school and now I only get a panic attack once every month. It was a huge improvement! Just think happy thoughts of your favorite thing to do. Like going to the beach and the sand castles and the sand and the water and that helps me. Or imagine its Christmas time and all your family and gifts! It really works. Believe me, I have been running these same images in my head for two years and i rarely get one now. It’s still hard for me to go in cars and go to school or go to the dentist but i am doing better.
Words of Inspiration: BELIEVE, IF YOU CAN DREAM IT YOU CAN DO IT, REPLACE THE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN WITH CURIOSITY, AND KNOW THAT YOUR NOT ALONE!
41 allison // Apr 25, 2011 at 9:30 am
annalise, i read your message and was deeply saddened by what you wrote. i know panic attacks are truly terrible but they will not hurt you and you can recover. there is a book out there, called hope and help for your nerves by claire weekes, that has truly saved my life. i used to have such debilitating anxiety i couldnt even leave my bed and almost lost everything because of it. i found out about this book and was completely stunned at how well it described everything i was feeling. the book states that no matter how long or severely you have suffered you can recover. i followed everything in the book and i can honestly say my panic attacks and anxiety are compleyely gone. please read this book because it maybe the answer you are looking for. dont ever give up on life because there is always hope!
42 Kim // Apr 29, 2011 at 11:13 am
Hi I’m Kim, I’m 23, I’ve had my first panic attack when I was 17, it suddenly came up from nowhere, everyone was in panic, I just cried and cried and cried, I was even sent to ER, My dad has been with me with this battle, I was always scared, and I thought that I’ll be like this forever, and that thought made me really upset. My dad asked me to do several tests in the hospital and thank GOD I was absolutely okay. My dad told me that I should always take good care of myself and to get over this anxiety. Unfortunately, something not good happened last year, Feb 5, 2010, I was surprised when everyone picked me up from work and told me that we need to go somewhere, they were crying, and so I was like, ‘what happened?’ we went to the hospital then and they told me that my dad was sent there and undergone an operation..I did not cry, I was in shock, It’s painful, everyone was scared to go in the ICU and see the condition of my dad, I was the first one to get in, I wasn’t scared, that time then I don’t know what to fear anymore. They were all amazed with all my strength; I saw everything, everything, and everything! Imagine how might a person in an ICU look like, a month passed, and my dad left us, I was just always beside him and sang the songs he liked, talked to him, even made a banner. My anxiety attack was gone! Then after a year, I had depression, due to my dad’s death, it came back, then I told myself, I should not be scared, my dad told me not too, and GOD is with me…so one time when I was on the bus, I felt it coming, I told myself, bring it on, bring it on! I’m not scared, and you know what it worked well to me…plus, I read and research how to cure this…and thank GOD I’m getting better…I’ll pray for everyone and don’t give up, GOD will never let us down, in fact, this will help us to be even better…Faith in GOD and Faith in ourselves are what we need..We don’t need to live with this, we must overcome it…I’ll pray for everyone..Be guided by GOD and thank you very much for reading!
Kim ^_^
43 My fear is holding me stillborn // Apr 30, 2011 at 12:08 am
Life was good
before I
had
a panic attack
So you want to know all about me. Who
I am
You want to hear the whole story. Why
I am constantly fearing the day ahead.
Getting one, everything changes.
Some might call it distorted reality,
but that’s exactly what it is.
Alone,
there is only the person inside.
trapped in your own mind
your mind of thoughts and worries.
I remember
the day I first
got an attack,
the day my life
would change
forever
I wonder
when i first noticed
the kayos inside my
mind
The inhuman feeling
will forever be trapped in there
some might say that i am crazy
there right i worry way to much.
Thoughts bulleted
in my brain, ricocheting
rational side to irrational side,
fear or no fear.
Alone? Yeah, right.
I had my mind to keep me compony.
And you want to shout,
can’t you see
I’m here?
can’t you see I’m
fine
I don’t need this anxiety,
this constant pressure
this tension that strikes whenever
this life, fear, curiosity.
THAT IS MY DAILY LIFE…
44 YOUR STORYS INSPIRE ME // Aug 2, 2011 at 4:47 am
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along. ‘…You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
I hope yoh liked this quote
? Vern
45 I Want To Be A Normal Person // Aug 2, 2011 at 4:59 am
Hi, I get panic attacks when I am eating, I am a very picky eater and when I am at a resterant or cafateria I feel like every one is starring at me… I no it sounds really weird, but then I eat really slow because my stomach hurts. I feel fine when eating at my house though. And when I’m with my friends I’m always the last one eating and they think I have a eating disorder. And it’s really aakward. Please Help!
46 Linda Park // Dec 3, 2011 at 6:51 pm
Worth Your Time…
Fascinating story, slightly off the topic, nevertheless seriously worth taking a look…
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