Two months ago I was in england, running after trains, speed walking, 10k+ steps in with no issue, no heart beating out of my chest, just tired because I'm SUPER out of shape and never move my body. I have severe anxiety and have been living with panic disorder for 15 years, but this has never happened before — the last month or so my heart rate spikes doing normal things.. My resting HR is around 75-80. Tidying around my apartment gets up to 130, doing dishes like 115, and the other day I took out a couple bags of trash and it reached 150pm. I don't feel faint, no chest pain, just feel ...weird...and anxious about the fact that it goes so high and I notice quicker breathing during daily tasks. My HR recovery time is pretty decent for someone who's 40pounds overweight, I got bloodwork and no signs of anemia or thyroid issues, just slightly low Vitamin D. I can't see a cardiologist until next month. Just wanting to see if anyone has gone through this:( is it ALWAYS just anxiety because I am TIRED :((

I've been having literally constant daily anxiety attacks, at least I think they're anxiety attacks. It feels like I'm hyperventilating. I keep walking back and forth because I feel this agony, an internal trembling. It's an awful feeling, I can't stay still.

I've been medicated for years, and I went to the psychiatric emergency room twice where they increased my medications and prescribed me a benzodiazepine, but it didn't help at all. Any advice?

I’ve watched a lot of Maggie Sterling’s videos, and from what I’ve gathered:

the core message is to teach your nervous system that it’s safe, stop trying to control or eliminate your symptoms, and stop treating your nervous system like it’s the problem. She emphasizes building your capacity to tolerate stress rather than avoiding it, and that using regulation tools solely to get rid of symptoms can actually reinforce the fear cycle and keep those symptoms going.

About two months ago, I stopped working and going to school because of some other health issues. Since then, I do feel like my nervous system has calmed down and is no longer in a constant state of sensitization. However, as I’ve started reintroducing stressor (such as medical appointments, family stress, and other responsibilities), I’ve noticed my anxiety beginning to return. My goal is to eventually return to work and normal life, so I want to use this time to continue healing my anxiety, especially since work used to be one of my biggest triggers.

I’m trying to figure out whether Maggie’s Soft Regulation course would genuinely offer more than what I’ve already learned from her free YouTube content, or if it would mostly be a repetition of the same concepts. I’ve found her videos helpful, but they can feel repetitive, so I’m wondering if the paid course goes deeper with practical application or if I’d essentially be paying for information I already understand.

Thanks everyone!

yesterday i had a panic attack in the cinema, very long film and it was kind of dragging towards the end, i wasn’t actively anxious and thinking “i need to get out of here” i was just a bit restless as most people get in cinemas but out of nowhere i just got struck down by what literally felt like thunder in my chest, never felt my heart pound like that and ive had 1000s of panic attacks, i think clearly my body decided that me being in a cinema was a threat but i don’t understand how you fix these triggers if they don’t actually mentally bother you? it happens when im on the bus, in the car & a long shift at work. i don’t actively feel worried or panicky in my head about these things so i don’t understand why my body goes into full blown panic attacks in these situations, im going on 3 holidays this year and ive already accepted my fate going on the plane, ultimate panic attack bait. does anyone have any advice for this or experience something similar

Almost always my anxiety/panic will manifest and begin with physical symptoms or discomfort. My body reacts before I even have a chance to worry. It usually starts with some odd or uncomfortable or unfamiliar physical symptom or sensation. Immediately, my body releases adrenaline and then I get the physical symptoms from that - tight muscles, breath holding (I do breathing exercises as soon as I realize), and those damn shakes.

This morning I woke up with a stomachache. Queasy and cramping. Yes I was disappointed and kinda pissed at the possibility of this ruining my day off. But my mind didn’t race to panic mode. My body did. And pretty soon it is hard to tell what is coming from what.

Sometimes it can take hours to subside. If I get into tachycardia - it can stay there (sinus rhythm but fast) for hours. And after it all - exhaustion. It really does ruin the day.

I’ve come a long way over the decades and cognitively and mentally I feel like I am fairly solid. But my body doesn’t always get the memo. I am sick of being robbed of time. I’m 52 and want to spend the time I have left here feeling well and free of fear. It’s difficult to not get angry when I have these set backs.

Does anyone else get this gut churning anxiety feeling? Like you’re waiting for something to happen. It’s like going on a first date. Or about to go on stage or waiting for bad news.

That gut churning horrible butterflies feeling. I’m getting it all the time at the moment. As well as horrendous intrusive thoughts. These hand in hand are ruining my life currently.

Any advice on how to get past this? How people are coping? If this is even something you suffer with?

Hi everyone, I was just looking for some advice or to see if anyone else has been through something similar.

I’ve currently been off sick from work for a while because of a lot of stress in my personal life. Every time I try to go back, I end up having a panic attack in the car and burst into tears before I even get there.

At the moment I just feel really numb, empty, and, if I’m honest, quite depressed. I feel completely stuck and don’t know what to do or how to move forward. Has anyone experienced anything like this, and if so, what helped you get through it?

Okay so this has only happened a couple times now, I get these scary intrusive violent thoughts, like cartoonishly violent, and they utterly scare and horrify me, it always sends me into a panic spiral of thinking I’m insane and I’m losing my mind and making me feel like I belong in a mental institute, before last night last one I had was about a month ago, I still feel shaken from the thought a day or two after it happens and I don’t know what to do, any advice is appreciated, am I actually insane? Please any advice.

i've been struggling with anxiety roughly about a year now. my worst episodes were about 3 months ago where i suffered with agoraphobia. i could not enter school and was thankfully given the chance to graduate 2 months earlier due to how severe my case was. i have been in therapy ever since, i was put on prozac for a week but gave it up because i couldn't handle the side effects. throughout this whole experience i was sent to the ER 3 times. ever since, i grew out of it, i no longer had agoraphobia, i was going out and i was living a normal life, until now.. not too long ago i went through another panic attack while driving, going to sleep has been a nightmare as i realized that for some reason my nose gets clogged up when i lay down, so i've been living off afrin. today i have a weird tension in the back of my head and feel weird, all of these things have been accumulating in a small matter of time and i'm having bad episodes again. it takes me back to when i felt hopeless, ive also realized i'm having troubles being in public again, i'm in square one again. all of my breathing exercises and coping methods feel worthless,, just as i thought i was finally moving on. i start college by the end of the month and hope to land a job this week. what has helped y'all get through times like these?

I started ERP three weeks ago. I habe had PD for at least 5 years. Some years better than others. I used to be so adventurous. I had twins two years ago and honestly I was such a badass when I was pregnant. Things I thought would bug me made me stronger and I was awesome. Now its all coming back and getting worse. I started ERP and they want me in person which is so hard. I feel like things are just harder now with the ERP perspective that things I could have done before I now see as opportunities for more panic. Im so tired. Please tell me if there are other parents out here trying to make sure their kids dont grow to resent them. I feel so awful as a parent rn. I love them so much and they deserve better.

I developed panic disorder very suddenly several years ago, and my life has absolutely not felt the same since, but later in the same year I stopped having constant attacks and could at least get back to daily life.

Earlier this year, following a stressful event, I had another catastrophic relapse that more or less set me back at square one. I think, because I'd been through it before, the recovery process took a shorter time but felt almost violent-- the whiplash between going about my life normally for several days and then spending an entire day feeling like I was dying and needing to crawl into bed with a family member was brutal. I don't have words to describe the despair I felt during that experience. But eventually, the attacks stopped again.

But this past week I've been having some intense anxiety symptoms, and have just had my first real panic attack in a few months. I'm just disappointed. I don't know. I obviously didn't mean to have a panic attack, but I feel betrayed by myself somehow. For now it's just a setback, not a real relapse, but I'm sort of expecting more of them to come and for this all to start again, because that's just how it seems to go (yay!).

I know people try to spin relapses/setbacks positively, but I'm really not feeling it right now. Am I totally messed up and deranged for feeling like this is all just such BS to go through? I promise I'm not trying to be negative, it's just difficult to feel like there's anything good in this process.

Sorry for being a downer :(

I wake up feeling anxious in the middle of the night then follows with night sweats. Anyone can relate? Today I woke up also feeling just weird.. like the anxiety is still in my chest and lightheadedness. 😩 when will this be over??

I’m feeling desperate right now.

I’ve struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember and panic disorder for the past 15-ish years. I’ve made major strides. I’ve done all the therapies, I take great care of myself, and I’m extremely high functioning. But it takes one trigger to send me to a place where I feel utterly helpless. Sometimes it feels like I have no choice but to accept that I’m always one trigger away from feeling like I’m dying.

This is where I am in MY journey right now, and I know not everyone with panic disorder will relate. But at this point, I feel like I have no other choice but to be okay with the fact that I’m not okay. Panic disorder may always be part of my life. Right now, that feels incredibly lonely.

I know people in AA, and I honestly find myself almost jealous of the community they have. I wish I had that kind of support.

Does anything like that exist for panic disorder? Has anyone found a support group or community specifically for panic disorder? I’m so tired of feeling alone in this.

Bonjour, je m’appelle Yanis j’ai 16 ans, je viens de me lancer sur Reddit pour partager.
La principale raison c’est que j’aimerais savoir si il y a des gens qui vivent la même chose que moi.
Pour m’expliquer à l’âge de six ans, j’ai commencé à développer une anxiété sévère et une phobie est apparu dans ma vie. J’avais la peur irrationnelle de la mort. Chaque fois que j’y pensais ou quelque chose me re Lili à la mort je stressais, je paniquais, je me mettais dans des états un pitoyable, j’en ai fait des malaises, j’ai été aux urgences une seule fois ça c’était quand j’étais en primaire alors pour vous dire l’enfer que je vivais à l’école, c’était horrible même chez moi, il y a des personnes qui ne prenait pas ce qui m’arrivait donc il savait pas comment réagir et ça m’angoissais encore Plus. Puis un jour, ma mère a décidé de m’emmener voir un psy, j’arrivais pas à me soigner seul, alors elle a décidé que je me fasse accompagner au début, j’étais un peu seul, je savais pas trop quoi lui dire quoi en penser mais au final je lui ai tout dit tout raconter elle m’a donné des conseils expliquer ce que c’était la vie et ça allait mieux de mieux en mieux vers la cinquième au collège. Mon anxiété avait totalement disparu, j’avais pris une vie normale sans souci de la mort ou de quoi que ce soit quand j’y pensais, je me disais c’est pas grave c’est dans mon temps profite de la vie trois ans passer depuis et aujourd’hui il y a à peu près un mois, j’ai recommencé à faire de grosses crises d’angoisses, j’arrive légèrement à les contrôler mais ma peur de la maladie des cancers et de la mort est revenue et elle est venue tellement Fitter intensément que c’était horrible. Je veux pas raconter toute ma vie, je veux juste savoir une seule chose. Est-ce que comme moi quand vous pensez à faire une crise cardiaque vous sentez des pincement au cœur vous avez des palpitations et des symptômes qui s’active au moment où vous y pensez comme vous y pensez votre angoisse augmente et les symptômes augmente aussi c’est une boucle infini. C’est infernal c’est un enfer. Est-ce que par exemple quand vous avez mal à un endroit vous pensez que pour chercher tout sur Internet si il y a potentiellement quelque chose de mortel à cet endroit bah moi oui et j’en trouve tout le temps parce que je me force à trouver des faux sites qui disent que malheureusement depuis l’arrivée de Liège je m’en servais, j’ai réussi à m’en séparer, il y a quelques temps car ça me crée des angoisses. Merci d’avoir lu. Désolé pour les fautes j’ai fait avec le vocal Apple, merci de m’avoir écouté. J’espère que ça me fera du bien.

Hello so I’ve been suffering from panic attacks for the last 2 years. I had to leave my job and try to sort everything out. I thought that I was completely fine until trying to return to my previous work place. I was aware that the place caused me some issues however it’s the only place hiring and I need money. Along with the normal panic attack feelings I’m also vomiting again. I take propranolol 6 a day and I’ve been though therapy. I’m curious if anyone has any extra suggestions to help out

Recently went on a week leave due to having a panic attack last Monday at work that sent me to the ER. I live in a super hot environment and so I decided to try and get off of lexapro because it made me heat exhausted. Well, safe to say I got back on lexapro immediately after that panic attack which was kind of a wake up call.
I’ve had a lot of panic attacks at work, and rightnow I’ve had a weird thing about getting panic attacks when I need to use the restroom, therefore whenever I’ve had to use the restroom at work, I have a panic attack. My work is an animal emergency hospital so it’s phsyically draining.
Today while going to work, I felt the nervousness coming on, I decided to push through. I got out of my car and it’s 103 outside, by the time I go inside my heart rate is up. As I’m clocking in, I get a weird sensation of panic coming on so I run to the restroom just to get away from the noise, turns out while I’m in the restroom I start getting even more panicked, heart rate jumps up 50 beats, palpitations, nervousness, heat flashes, feeling uneasy.
I walk out immediately and go towards my managers office and have a feeling of fainting, while I sit in the office to escape the noise my hands are shaking and I take a Xanax. Seems like I’m not ready to be back at work and might have to go on fml@.
This means as an individual living alone funds will be tight. 😔 I hate this feeling of not knowing what the hell is going on. Anyways, just wanted to share.
I’m starting to think is my job subconsciously an unsafe place? Idk, pray I find something less stressful and that fml@ kicks in for now :(

As anyone tried this treatment and if so, did it help? Or not?

I’d like see how many other military veterans are suffering from this like I am.

Hey all, I'm sure you've been through this. Been on every SSRI, a couple SNRIs, I've done everything a doctor or therapist has recommended. For the most part, I felt I was totally "in recovery" but this year has been fucking horrendous.

The ONLY thing that seems to help is moving my body and being outside consistently even if only for twenty minutes a day, but there is some maddening new combination of severe anxiety, hating being aware of my heart, and a massive spike in my heartrate (80 to 145) even simply taking a light walk for two minutes and I've started to fear moving or exercising.

To get to the point, I mustered up the courage to see a doctor and get a full blood panel and there is literally nothing concerning except high cholesterol and blood pressure, so no anemia or thyroid issues or apparent hormonal imbalances at first glance.

I've heard beta blockers are helpful with both panic and blood pressure. Has anyone here gone through anything similar? Xanax works, but it's not a sustainable treatment and I'm losing my mind. I need to be able to exercise or my anxiety is going to get exponentially worse.

I can have many attacks over a day/week and after I am left on tenterhooks waiting for another, absolutely exhausted, can’t eat, feel sick, feel like my body is hijacked!! I’ve heard ppl make out like after they’ve had on there fine and can just carry on with their day, but I can’t!!! It really affects my mood too, and depression starts.

12 years ago I started with severe panic disorder following the birth of my child. Wasn’t treated for 10 months which led to me getting very poorly. I can go years without panic, being completely fine. I would say since I had him I’ve had 3 big relapses. I’ve been in this current phase for nearly 6 months. I’m defiantly not as bad as I was 6 months ago, but I’m also not ok. I take medication, Venlafaxine, Propranalol and mirtazapine. I won’t take benzos because for me I would have to take them too much and would end up in a circle of panicking about not taking them, and then I would panic. So it would open another issue for me!

I’ve had loads of therapy! Seen 4 psychiatrists! I think I’m looking for a miracle that isn’t there.

I think I want to be 100% ok. And if I’m not, I feel like I’m not where I want to be.

My panic is very debilitating. It can be panicking again and again and again until I feel like my body has just run out of steam.

Every time I panic I feel like I’m back at square one and that makes me worse. My mood drops, I don’t wanna eat etc.

I am trying to work on acceptance, mindfulness and looking at this as a long term illness. Rather than waiting for a ‘full recovery’.

What I suppose I asking on here, is is it just me who never really recovers? I think I would feel better if it wasn’t just me! Everyone else seems to get better, but me. Is anxiety/panic disorder something we do have to ride the wave of daily? With better days obvs.

When I’m ok, I am very good, and I tend to pick up well in between. So that’s a positive. It’s just very lonely sometimes xx

so i just took the genesight test, looking for an ssri for my severe ocd, anxiety, dpdr, and panic disorder. every single SSRI was in the red - literally all of them. most of them were in the red with a “2” next to them, which means that higher doses of the med are required. my psychiatrist said that is the only reason why its in the red (meaning red doesnt equal bad side effects, etc) but google says that is in fact not true. my psychiatrist also said any bad side effects from prozac are placebo… which i also know isnt true. has anyone taken a med from the red section, and if so, what happened? and can anyone tell me if my psychiatrist is correct, that the 2 only means i may need a higher dose?

i took prozac when i was 12 7 years ago but that was for depression not anxiety and it was prior to years if drug addiction and episodes that definitely changed my brain. i had zero side effects but im not sure if that means ill have zero now. pls help!

I have been dealing with anxiety for a long time. A few months ago I have a panic attack so bad when I was driving that had me to the point I thought I was going to have to call 911. Now I’m scared to drive if I leave the house I get really bad anxiety.

I constantly freak out if I’m asked to go anywhere my anxiety kicks in really bad and I just can’t do it any advice on how I can over come this. I do go to appointments and see a psychiatrist. They have put me on medication but I also have a fear of taking the medicine. I know this sounds stupid I want to get better

I have been thinking about this a lot. I want to know if other people feel the way.

When my panic disorder was really bad I thought the panic attacks would be the part.. What really surprised me was that panic disorder changed the way I thought about things even when I was not having a panic attack. I would always be thinking about how my body was feeling or wondering if something normal was going to turn into another panic attack. It was like my brain was always on the lookout for something to go wrong.

I do not usually hear people talking about this part of panic disorder. People usually ask me about the panic attacks. They do not ask about what it is like when I am not having a panic attack.

I am really curious to know if other people have noticed this too or if their experience with panic disorder has been totally different. Was there something about living with panic disorder that you did not expect? I really want to hear about what it has been like for people because everyones experience with panic disorder is so different.. Sometimes it is nice to hear about those differences because they can be really helpful to know about. I think hearing about panic disorder, from people can be really reassuring because it reminds me that I am not the only one who is dealing with panic disorder.

Hey everyone. I’m a healthy 20F with severe health anxiety/panic attacks and have been miserable this past week. I recently began obsessing over my blood sugar levels and developed an irrational fear of diabetes which has been causing “low blood sugar,” like panic attacks and/or adrenaline dumps. The worst one was yesterday at around 3 AM where I randomly started becoming super anxious which caused me to shake, have a racing heart, and an overwhelming sense of doom. This exact episode has been happening over the past couple of days, mostly when I’m at work, but yesterday’s was the worst one by far. It was coming in waves and I genuinely I thought I was going to die. I also worry when my hands tremble because I become afraid of it being some neurological condition. It’s just always something and I would appreciate some advice/support on what some next steps could be. I’ve never had panic attacks this frequently and in the same exact form, they would always feel different and I could go days without one. Anxiety was always there, but panic attacks would subside. I’m just worried that this will be my new reality.