My Panic Attack Solution

21/f here.
I’ve been smoking pot for around 2 years. Pretty much everyday I guess, I love it. I love how it makes me feel and makes everything fun. But around a month ago I started getting these horrifying panic attacks almost every time I smoke. It feels like I’m going to have a heart attack, I feel tingling in my hands and i get very shaky. They are very scary and I’m pretty much fighting the attack the whole time I’m high. I just want to know how to make this stop. I know it’s all in my head. I just can’t seem to reassure myself that everything is going to be ok. Any advice would be great.

P.S. Please don’t tell me to stop smoking weed. If that’s all your going to say then just don’t say it at all.
P.P.S. And I’ve been smoking the same weed long before the attacks, so its not that.
BTW:
Don’t think I’m addicted. I stopped for a while the first time it happened. I don’t know if I’m considered a typical "stoner" I work all day, it’s just something I like to do at the end of the day to unwind.

Sorry, gonna say it. Stop smoking it and save your lungs.

Hello everybody,

I’m new here and I want to make clear that I don’t suffer from anxiety, but my girlfriend is…and I just want to do my best to help her out and do whatever I can do.

I’ve been reading a couple of books I found on amazon, but none of them mentioned if there’s any step by step process and since I’m analytical guy I was thinking if there’s any at all.

Let me explain what I mean…

If for example our end-goal here is to get our life back and enjoy life we did before anxiety struck (I’m just paraphrasing what I learned from my girlfriend) what would be Step 1 in this whole process?

Should we change our diet? Start changing our mindset? Start journaling and recording our thoughts?

In other words if your goal is to lose 30 pounds you should do it step by step. You can’t do that overnight, you must break this process into small actionable steps.

For me, step one was to find time for exercise.
Step 2: Start jogging
Step 3: Minimize carbs intake
etc. etc.
Step 21: Enjoy your new lean body and radiant health

You see what I mean? When you do that, it’s so much easier to achieve your goals.

So is there any actionable steps to eliminate anxiety and panic attacks?

Sorry for rambling on for so long, but this is something that I really want to find out so I can do whatever I can to help my girlfriend…

i have an anxiety disorder, and have done since i 15, i am now 21.
I went to see two psychologists, although i wasnt told anything different from what i knew myself. I study psychology and they were telling me things i already knew.
I also refused meds. I was given diazepam but i found it made me even more depressed.

From personal experience (I was anxious about everything, health, croweded rooms, lots of people), a change of mindset is the obvious answer.

Something you should look in to is Cognitive Behavioural Techniques. This is very helpful with anxiety and is a therapy which helps change your mindset of the things which are making you anxious.
It is not a quick fix though. It takes time and a lot of patience, but it does help so much. Especially depending on the seriousness of her anxiety.

Light exercise is a good way to get rid of some extra adrenaline built up from anxiety and panic. introducing heavy exercise can exhaust her even more and make it harded to deal with anxiety in the end.
She will need to learn some relaxation techniques too. People can hyperventilate without knowing, and this causes anxiety symptoms. Get her to pay attention to her breathing. If she is hyperventilating, she will be getting too much oxygen which isnt dangerous, its just causes the panic symptoms, to alleviate the symptoms tell her to cup her hand over her mouth and tell her to breathe deeply and slowly.

If your girlfriend has a reason or cause behind her anxiety, she will need to work through it before she can move on and have the strength to confront her anxiety.

i cant give you an action plan because everyone is different. Everyone responds differently to various therapies.
My main tips would be to let her get the bottom of her anxiety, ie what is causing it, if anything. 2. do some research in to Cognitive Behavioural techniques and discuss it with your girlfriend. She may need your support with this. 3. Get her to introduce some light exercise in to her lifestyle, even if just walking a little more.

some people just get scared of anxiety and panic symptoms themselves, which can stem from stress, but can become routine and form a disorder.
I always have a full list of anxiety symptoms so i can remind myself that is the reason im feeling the way i am… not because i have an illness or im having a heart attack, as it sometimes seems like!

here is a full list of the symptoms if this would benefit her at all… it might not, everyones different, but just incase.
http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-symptoms.shtml
all the best and i hope your girlfriend eventually finds peace.

I just don’t know what to do… I have a test tomorrow and I am experiencing a panic attack I have been suffering for 3 years now- Is there any hope for me??? Thanks

Think of the positives (like you have studied for so many hours, on the homework assignments for the chapters you passed and understood all the material), talk yourself through it. remind yourself you have nothing to worry about. good luck

I have had panic attacks and was diagnosed with anxieties when I was about 6 yrs old. It can really over take your life learn to control it.

Whenever I spend a night in a hotel, I get a full on panic attack in the middle of the night.
Like,I start crying, sweating, shaking, and having a huge feeling of fear/anticipation for no reason what-so ever.
All I can do to calm myself (I know it sounds stupid…but don’t judge) is go to the bathroom and sit on the bathroom floor with my legs against my chest, and just cry and shake until the feeling passes.
Why does this happen to me? And also, how can I overcome it without crumpling up on the bathroom floor like a worthless piece of crap.

don’t trip on it before you leave.take things with you that comfort you at home so you will feel more calm.tell your self each time you go will get better for you,and mean it.tell your self you are n o t going to sit on any floor and cry,you have nothing to fear.this really is a mind thing and only you can control it.instead of ,oh no it is going to happen again[stop thinking that}tell your self ,no i will not do that anymore.you have to believe in your self ,and know that you are strong and can do anything you want.give your self permission to start over,without any fear.you are not alone.god is with you at all times,talk to him anytime you want.i can tell under all this you are a strong good woman.you can do these things.maybe you need a small pet in your life,you would have more to focus on.feel free to e-mail me if you need to talk good luck to you and god bless

Sometimes I have them all day long.

I had panic attacks for about 5 yrs. That was about 15 yrs. ago now and my best advice is to meet it head on. I know that sounds like the last thing that you want to do. I always felt like I was going to pass out or have a heart attack and everybody would be standing over me looking at me. I hated crowds, and standing in line to a movie or whatever. I did talk to a professional about it but I really do not feel that he did any good for me. One day I just said with a friend at first that I am tired of this and went out and faced my issues. I kept saying to myself standing in line I’m not going to pass out it’s all in my head and if I do too bad I will get over it. To this day I still challenge myself but it does get better and better as time goes by, it really does. Good Luck and if you need to talk my e-mail is on my profile page.

They started a while ago, and for no reason. At random times every few days or so I’ll freak out over nothing. I worry a lot, and that makes them worse. I experience nausea, dizziness, shaking, and I get really emotional. I know it’s all in my head though.
Any way I can calm myself down, and experience these panic/ anxiety attacks less frequently?
They are getting worse

First off, talk to your doctor about it. Don’t be too embarassed to ask for help. I know a couple of people who have them and i’ve experienced them for a brief time. The important thing is to not give in to them; don’t avoid the things you normally do (unless it’s severe). My doc gave me a prescription and you know what, just having it helped. I never took the pills because I looked at them and decided I was stronger than that, and they went away. I’m not trying to say that people don’t need meds, just that thinking about taking them helped me to focus and overcome it. Don’t ever be ashamed about needing a prescription. Hope you get the help you need.

Hi,
Anyone has any suggested solution without medicine or psychiatrists to a problem related to obsessively thinking about ones health where any visit to a doctor’s office (even regular check up) can trigger a panic attack especially if doctor wants to "further evaluate" something for example? plus in general the belief one has a deadly disease CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR A HEALTH PROBLEM too often and for no good reason. Any brilliant solution to a difficult case of hypochondria?!? THANKS.

Neil,

I used to suffer from anxiety/agoraphobia so I can relate to you.

I was thinking too much. I had anxiety attacks when I had to speak in public. Or when there would be more than a few people around me in the same room. It was something that started when I was a teenager and that lasted over years and subsequently affected my career until not so long ago. Looking back, I feel I should have taken action way earlier. But anyway, that’s the past.

At some point, I was prescribed medicine but I wanted to avoid that because of the side effects (that’s just my opinion, generally speaking, do not ever quit a medical treatment without asking your doctor). That’s when I discovered a program that cured me. It is a 100% natural method. You can find it here:
http://www.stop-your-anxiety-now.com

The key of that technique is that you should no longer fear the thought of anxiety. You know what I mean? You are thinking too much (typical in a hypochondria case). You have to get out of that loop.

All the best to you.

i have panic attacks an anxity badly an meds dont help wat is the best way to overcome it all

Take a few deep breaths slowly.. As you breath in and out, say the words ‘Relax’ to yourself.. Tell yourself everything is fine..

Look to a distance away.. If you have a window, look out of the window into the distance and focus your thoughts on the scenery. This is to relax your mind and body and for you to feel calm.. Stop thinking of whatever it is that makes you panic..

Another way is to have a quick cold shower if possible, then your panic thoughts will go away, because of the cold…

Remember your panic thoughts are always imagined, they are never real.

I have panic attacks before, so I learned to use this strategies and it helps..

I’ve had this problem for a while now. It’s sort of an on and off thing. The last time I’ve had it was last year in August for the whole month. I went into an emergency and the doctor diagnosed me with panic attacks. He prescribed me Xanax I think but I didn’t want to take them and the panic attacks went away. Now they’re back and when they happen I feel like I am out of breath. I have to take a deep breath through my mouth and when no air comes in I feel nervous and like I am going to die. They’re not severe, I can control them, well I’ve just recently started controlling them by breathing slowly through my mouth but its hard. I just wanted to know if someone who has panic attacks similar to these has overcome them by natural ways. I really don’t want to start taking medications if I can learn to not do it. I mean I just get this urge to take a deep breath and I think its all in my head, I can breathe perfectly fine through my nose. I just think I developed this habit as a way of controlling stress and anger. How can I control them better and is there any way to overcome them, or completely eliminate them? I don’t have any major stress or problems in my life, and I am not depressed I just think I formed this habit as a way to release stress. Could anyone help? I appreciate all the advice. And sorry it was so long.

It’s good that you want to eliminate them. Most people who suffer from panic attacks usually just try to cope. There is a system that is making strides with panic attack sufferers. You can learn more with the link below. It has been proven to work and the results last. Hope this helps.

For about the past year ive been having these starnge "attacks". I will just be hanging out with friends or doing homework, when i will suddenly be overcome with this feeling of anxiety. My best way to explain it is that feeling you get when you feel like your missing out on something thats happening. Idk if its anxiety? but i dont understand why it happens at such random moments. i get rly nervous also and have to breath slowly and try to distract myself untill it goes away.

Hey, I understand how you feel…

The uncomfortable symptoms like sweaty palms, "jelly" legs, extreme alertness, "impending doom" feeling and the fight-or-flight response.
I’ve been there. I’m an ex-victim. Sometimes the deep breathing or distraction techniques doesn’t work – a full-blown panic or anxiety attack happens later.
Sometimes you experience panic attack out of the blue and such.

Do NOT buy Panic Away, Linden Method, EasyCalm or the Panic Puzzle. They do NOT work – I’ve tried them and their solutions are similar – it DOESN’T WORK.
Medications do NOT work – I was under many antidepressants (Prozac, Lexapro, Paxil and Zoloft) and anti-anxiety medications (Ativan, Klonopin, and Xanax) but my condition was the same – no improvement at all.

The only program that really work is The Panic Attack Solution. It’s found by an ex-victim. You can check out his old blog in his official website to read up some useful tips.
But the package is the best – it teaches 17 powerful techniques and the real solution to panic attacks. I’ve bought it and it really helped me – it’s the BEST anti-anxiety package or book I’ve read.
His theory really makes sense and it works effectively!

You will learn why your panic attacks can happen without warning sometimes; why having stimulant causes panic attacks; and many-many other useful tips!

Check out his official website:
http://www.ThePanicAttackSolution.com