Has anyone else experienced this?

In my late teen and early 20's(im 31 now) i used to get frequent anxiety attacks. Some so bad i would have to pull over when driving due to the shaking or tears from breaking down. Overtime they went away and im not sure why. I think it was due to problems that i probably repressed inside and never dealt with.

Some examples at the time were not having a steady job, living under my parents roof, spending my money on booze and weed, etc. Although he never said it, i knew my dad was disappointed at the time in me for not trying/wanting to do better for myself. My girl friend at the time (wife now) kind of was too.
I took it as an insult then and got a decent paying job (that sucked lol) that was 12hr shifts, an hour away, with no days off, and worked it for about a year. I did it in spite to 'show them' but i think that is what whipped me into shape. It was a pretty tough work, with no days off, working almost alone. Gave me alot of time to reflect on myself and i developed a real work ethic. I used to be afraid of death too, which would bring on some of the attacks. But over time i just learned to accept it.

Being myself, doing whats right (cause deep down we all know whats right), treating others better then myself, and getting out there and grabbing life by the horns is what worked for me personally. Easier said then done.
 
Sometimes smoking weed helps. Sometimes it makes it worse. However if you can't control it with excercise and meditation type excercises a doctor will eventually recommend a medicine to help combat it.
 
Lapedog said:
Sometimes smoking weed helps. Sometimes it makes it worse. However if you can't control it with excercise and meditation type excercises a doctor will eventually recommend a medicine to help combat it.
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Alot of my family still struggles with anxiety and depression for different reasons. Im one of the few who doesn't. And yeah in some cases weed can help or make it worse like you said. In my case it wasn't so much smoking weed being the problem, it was blowing $150 on weed and bourbon from a $200 check. And some might be okay with that and nothing wrong with that. Peoples problems are all different and we have different ways at looking at things. I guess it was my finances that bugged me at the time and i wasnt doing anything about it, so my brain told me i was a failure.
And i also agree with others, physical health definatly helps mental health.
 
Hey we all need to grow up some time. Believe me we all try to put it off as long as we can. The only real cure to anxiery is in the mind. I sometimes start to feel down but tell myself not to feel that way as it is a pointless endless pursuit. All it takes is me not telling myself that and beginning to start negative thoughts and feel sorry for myself and I am down the wrong road. It literally is as simple as mastering pushing bad thoughts out of your head. Simple but not easy.

Its hard because those negative thoughts are completely legitimate. It is also hard to think positive all the time. So if you can't think positive adopt the philosophy of "no mind." A master does not think as he completes an action, he just does it. This is why they say the best fighters don't think, they just do. It comes from japanese philosophy. It sounds completely counter intuitive to western thought to tell someone thinking is bad, but it has helped me alot to try and not overthink things and just do them. Just live life, give it no mind.
 
Yep, worth seeing a doc about because it can be thyroid or adrenal gland related. Probably isn't, and you'll likely be able to ride it out, use some cognitive behavioral therapy, maybe some meditation, or even just a few life changes can bring it under control. Not to minimize panic attacks or anxiety in any way, but the body is funny, and a physical feeling can trigger an emotional response, maybe its something you are eating?
 
gadgetgeek said:
Yep, worth seeing a doc about because it can be thyroid or adrenal gland related. Probably isn't, and you'll likely be able to ride it out, use some cognitive behavioral therapy, maybe some meditation, or even just a few life changes can bring it under control. Not to minimize panic attacks or anxiety in any way, but the body is funny, and a physical feeling can trigger an emotional response, maybe its something you are eating?
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It's entirely possible. But until I can actually get an appointment, it's all just speculation. Even if I do it's still going to be speculation, as they're going to be running every kind of test imaginable just to make money.

The frequency of the episodes, anxiety attacks, whatever you want to call them, they're becoming less prevalent, but still occasionally pop up. The last few times I've noticed when they happen, it's more when I'm tired, usually at night.
 
I had a patch of similar heart racing, tight chest, clenched gut stuff happen for a few months last year, enough that I was a bit worried, (I work at heights, passing out is not ideal) But it went away, and while I have no evidence for it, it did happen while I was still pre-celiac diagnosis, so my guts always felt a bit terrible, and I've pretty well felt fine since the big switch.
 
gadgetgeek said:
I had a patch of similar heart racing, tight chest, clenched gut stuff happen for a few months last year, enough that I was a bit worried, (I work at heights, passing out is not ideal) But it went away, and while I have no evidence for it, it did happen while I was still pre-celiac diagnosis, so my guts always felt a bit terrible, and I've pretty well felt fine since the big switch.
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Did yours involved tightness and clenching in the extremities as well?
 
Not as such, or not that I noticed, but because my job involves a fair bit of adrenaline fairly often, and I've done some fine-motor training while under that sort of conditions, it may be that I don't notice it as much? Stuff like quickly tieing knots while hanging in the air, and that sort of thing. I feel it more as a "hollowness" in my chest, a lump in my guts, and heat up the back of my neck and head. I was actually in the middle of one of the bouts while getting my HR and BP taken by the doc, and they read normal, although I felt like I was wound tight enough to snap, like too many coffees. I might also be more of a flight than fight sort of guy, so that might make a difference, but it could be that we are just describing it differently.

The main thing is I feel like I'm a fairly self aware guy, and at the time I was under the least stress I'd been under in a couple years, and since then the stress level has gone back up, and I feel alright. If they are tapering off for you, then it might have just been one of those odd things that happen.

Again to anyone else, please don't see this as minimizing any sort of anxiety or panic condition, I have friends who deal with this sort of thing and I know from them how hard it can be to live with. A condition that starts in your head or your body is just as real as the other, and they both deserve to be treated with the same respect and understanding.
 
Charlie_K said:
Alright first off. To everyone that's suggested seeing the doctor. I don't have a doctor of my own, and right now in the middle of cold and flu season the hospital is the last place I'd want to be. Any appointments with physicians are going to have to wait until the season is over before it's a viable option.

Second, to everyone that said what I was going through sounded like an anxiety attack, I think you hit the nail right on the head. The symptoms are all there, easily searchable and referenced. Also I don't know if it's psychosomatic, but after that little discovery they stopped being so frequent.
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Sounds good, but I would go see a general practitioner (doctor) and you really need to have a regular doctor you visit even if it is only occasionally. I very much dislike going to the emergency room for anything other than an absolute emergency (or what I believe is one). I know you have other problems based on other posts. The doctor visit will likely just confirm that you are/can be in control of your body and to relax more. Exercise or that sort of thing mostly just gets your mind off the day to day things going on in your life. But you do want to confirm that there is no physical problem causing the episodes.
 
daveinsweethome said:
great thoughful replies. i just seem to eat and eat to get through stressful times which is frequently
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LOL, Dave. I usually spend a week in Sweet Home with the relatives, floating the Santiam, bbq-ing Piedmontese steaks and sampling oat sodas. Eat-Eat-Float-Drink.

Had a bout of anxiety (panic) attacks back in the college days. Working my way through college was very stressful. Scary to have one of these.

Started Tai-Chi, and Zazen like Lapedog there. Sitting, quieting the mind, and focusing on breathing is simple, but it takes a bit of work and is very rewarding.
 
I suggest this book , " The Power Of Now" A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle. Very well written and clear.
 
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