Coping With Panic Attacks
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Has anyone got an advice on how to deal with panic attacks? I know it's all in my head and it doesnt happen often... just at the moment I cant cope... it just feels like Corona will never go away...and I'm trying not to overthink even more of what future might look like after..
Always stay close to home or family and friends. When ive had panic attacks before my family and other half stay calm themselves, then they would start a conversation wih me on random stuff to get my mind off whats causing the panic attack.
chelseaturpin I wanted to achieve so much today and I just cant do it... I'm guessing lack of sleep due to these horrible hot nights doesnt help either...
I battle anexety and its so not easy stops me from going out for long and I worry and overthink because I have other mental health issues too I do try stay strong so today I took big step went out down town but got paniky because too busy worry about money etc and if people looking at me because I'm plus size I find I take deep breaths and goes away I'm here if you ever need chat hun xx 
Loislane bless youโค well I'm heavily pregnant and I think I gained more weight than with my son and I'm less fit because for months I basically stayed in...I'm usually not too bad but all this mentally was very hard...at times especially when I was worrying if I'll have to go to work with all this going on etc...and then the feeling that you have to do something with this time since everyone seems to be doing DIY sorting their home etc...and I did some sorting out, decluttering etc. But nothing major. And now I'm huge and dont have that much energy or will to do much 
so I'm just trying to take one day at the time and not think about next week/month etc....just today all these sleepless nights got to me... lately I'm trying to sort out them little hidden places when I get anxious...do some scrubbing and that seems to help
today I took the magnets, my sons drawings off from the fridge wiped it and just left bareso that's my small thing for today. And dont even get me started about weight....I got body dysmorphia... when I weighed under 9st and had perfect figure as a teenager I thought I was fat...all I could see was fat thighs, muffin top etc...and I was perfect! Since I had my son I struggled to shift my "baby weight"...also I got love/hate relationship with food...so that doesnt help. If I'm too stressed i pretty much stop eating...if I'm a little stressed/bored i keep grazing...and obviously this lockdown didnt help any of it...x
BlueOrchid I know how you feel hun my confidence is crap I'm here for you if you need a chat stay safe hun x
I have very bad panic attacks. They stared for me when I was 15. And because of what's happening and not knowing what is going to happen they are made worse . It feel like I am going have a hear attack at any minute . And it all so make me feel dizzy has well. Then when it passes I get very ban headaches and feel sick. I all so get a sore chest with it to. What I try to do is listen to some soft music. Or go for walk and get some fresh air. And I've only just come of lock down because I have health issue has well. And I no at this rate with what's happening now we will be in another lock down very soon and it will be much longer then the last one we had. So this is not helping
me at all. And I have no mum and dad now they have passed away. But what I doing is trying not to watch or listen to the news. Make out it's not happening. 
Bless you. It seems like you have it tough.
have you tried positive affirmations- like saying "I feel calm" over and over while breathing deeply? Obviously it doesnt always help either...
I'm just trying to live day by day at the minute. If I'm trying to think anything beyond that it gives me anxiety and makes me feel overwhelmed.. yes I'm trying not to watch/read news either...
I find that keeping my hands busy helps.
I love gardening it has calming effect to see plants grow from seed...unfortunately the stormy wind we had destroyed my hard work when it got my little greenhouse upside down.
Also I was reading books. Some fiction, some self help etc whatever mood I'm in at that time.
And I find that if I keep my hands busy - knitting, crocheting, cross stitching, drawing or colouring...somehow it calms my brain down.
Maybe it would help you to find a hobby?
I also dont watch horror, or overly gory films...if I do it gives me nightmares.
Sometimes I try to meditate..
I suppose you have to find what works for you 
BlueOrchid I'm sorry to hear about the crappy time that you're going through 
I started having panic attacks back in 1988 and they haven't gone away.
I was referred to a physiotherapist who taught me some breathing exercises which seemed to help for a bit.
Another thing that helped was doing Tai Chi, but I had to stop that because my knees were bad 
Anyway, I hope things get better for you and you can always have a chit-chat here on LD.
TheChimp thank you.
Managed to get some sleep last night so I'm feeling better today. Usually I can manage and I will do what I have to like go to an event I'm dreading etc... but on rare occasions it gets out of control.
Twice in my life it got that bad that I could not move.
I find if I eat well, have enough sleep and rest usually its only mild.
I heard about tai chi before... I'm tempted to try but obviously atm it's not that easy I thought it was rather low impact on joints etc?
Years ago I used to go to yoga. I loved it. I would go in all tired after work and leave feeling refreshed. I would nearly fall asleep at times at the ending meditationbut then I moved and I couldn't make it because of work.
I only had panic attack after too much caffeine you could try rationing your caffeine intake
Imnotcheap I'm heavily pregnant so I dont drink tea/coffee at all at the moment. Nor any of caffeinated drinks. Once I had half glass of coke because it was just calling my name...I couldn't sleep half of the night... I dont know how people can drink several cups of coffee per day and sleep fine
How about taking a break from reading the news for a week. (obviously limit going out, wear mask, when you do go, and get a fam member to update on key rules that you need to follow)
A break does wonders
InaShah I only go out to get some shopping few times a week, sometimes to the park with my son.. I only see my son, my hubby and sons dad... yesterday was a first time I seen my friend for like an hour since March...that was nice. I agree... usually I dont read it... but sometimes you get sucked in and then it's never ending bad news about women who got abused while in lockdown etc...and that really upsets me
Probably worth pointing out that covid 19 virus can cause panic attacks directly. By reducing your breathing capacity slightly for those with milder symptoms it can feel like a panic attack because your breathing isn't comfortable. Covid 19 attacks quite a few organs so it can be different symptoms for different people depending on which of their organs are affected. We are still learning about the virus but people have had it attack the nervous system, heart, brain etc and likely caused strokes and heart attacks.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8249931/The-surprising-signs-COVID-19-elderly-people.html
I think if you have a normal panic attack it lasts a relatively short time but some of those with covid 19 have an extended period where they feel they are in a panic state.
You don't need a cough or fever to have Covid 19.
It's such a confusing situation because obviously the current pandemic is extremely stressful in itself anyway so trying to work out what exactly you have from your symptoms.
I'm lucky I don't really suffer from panic attacks because I had covid 19 and a huge amount of lung damage where I couldn't really move and somehow I managed to keep calm which may have helped me survive. I had to rapidly breathe in a controlled way just to remain conscious until finally I had to call an ambulance and couldn't even remain in the house because my breathing was so difficult, I was sitting outside at 2am waiting for the ambulance and getting connected to an oxygen tube was one of the most wonderful feelings ever. However it has to be said many will just have very minor breathing issues that feel like a stressed state.
If you are unsure maybe try to get a covid 19 test.
I feel like I've restored 95% of my lung capacity now which is about 2 months from coming out of Hospital.
https://www.dw.com/en/how-the-novel-coronavirus-attacks-our-entire-body/a-53389908
BonzoBanana bless you... I'm glad you're recovering quickly and feeling better. That sounds really scary... and I didnt know about that other symptoms I'll have a look thank you.
In my case it was definitely a panic attack caused by lack of restful sleep in the last couple nights.. I worry and overthink anyway but it made it so much worse. My baby is due in September and I started worrying that Corona wont ever go away, that I won't be able to fly and see my parents etc etc... usually I can calm myself down but this time lack of sleep/heat and that feeling of doom just took over... Thinking about it I had panic attacks since I was a teenager...I just didnt know what it was or how to cope with it. Now I managed to have few nights of good sleep I feel much better.
BlueOrchid Definitely very scary. I'm sure Covid 19 will be just a memory in a few years although sadly something else will likely come along I guess perhaps another similar virus. China keeps sending these viruses out to the world because of the way they eat wild animals with no safeguards. No doubt they'll find a new animal they haven't eaten before that has a virus that can jump the species barrier again. I can relate to overthinking stuff.
BonzoBanana I think you might be right... yes we are very advanced in medicine compared to 100 years ago... but. All sorts of new viruses etc are developing... we might be able to treat most of it with antibiotics but the new stuff is usually a mystery. Mad cows disease, bird flu, swine flu etc... and mostly it relates to animals. But sometimes I do think how these new viruses evolve so much that our best medicine can't cure it?.. and obviously there are plenty theories about it that some countries are making them in labs planning to wipe people out ..sometimes you just dont know what to believe anymore...
BlueOrchid We are more advanced but DNA is so complicated that a creature like ourselves only down from the trees thousands of years ago doesn't fully understand it. We just meddle at the edges we can't design creatures ourselves using DNA that will likely need AI computers with much greater intelligence than us. If someone wants to design a fish with a gorilla's head and long spiders legs they will probably have to wait possibly hundreds of years. Viruses aren't alive they are just packets of data that corrupt cells forcing them to replicate the same data. There is nothing really alive about them unless you consider the way they attach to cells but I don't think most scientists consider that to be alive. When you think of viruses I always think about this video which shows even bacteria are giants compared to viruses.
Have you ever googled or tried mindfulness? If you haven't google it and try it x
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