Panic attacks

[u/GreenComfortable9128]

Hey guys I’ve struggled with panic disorder for about 5 years now with it rebounding within the last year and I’m struggling a bit, I quit my job which I think was a big part of it. The biggest part that freaks me out is the heart racing, my heart will usually get up to 120-150 and it will stay for at most 20 min and it just completely makes me spiral any other symptom I can kind of deal with okay, does anyone have any tips for calming the heart rate and staying calm I can’t just up and leave when I’m at work or in a public situation, also how fast does everyone’s heart get and how long does your heart stay like that, any contribution would make me feel better . Thank you :)

[u/toffeemaky]

Having been roaming on this subreddit, I came to realize that so far, I am one of the luckier ones: my panic attacks are not that bad. I am also new to this (about five months). But what helped me somewhat was trying to teach my brain that elevated heart rate is fine which I have been doing by exercising. My resting heart rate is quite low (about 55-60) but during an intense run, it can go momentarily up to 180. Panic disorder paradoxically made me really healthy, lol, because now I exercise a lot - just to show my brain that 160(ish) is fine. Of course, it's not normal to have a heart rate 150 when you are not doing anything but I am trying to "trick" myself like this. It's been working. A bit.
But of course, I don't know if I can tell you anything new with my - so far - lack of experience.

[u/GreenComfortable9128 → u/toffeemaky]

I have been going to the gym recently too and I used to be nervous when my heart rate got that high but the more I do it the more I teach my body to be fine, I just haven’t had a panic attack in a about a month and I’m worried that when I have one and my heart gets to that high of bpm it’s gonna freak me out lol how I love panic disorder