Panic attacks and anxiety- what is it?

“For me, a panic attack is almost a violent experience. I feel disconnected from reality. I feel like I’m losing control in a very extreme way. My heart pounds really hard, I feel like I can’t get my breath, and there’s an overwhelming feeling that things are crashing in on me.”

“It started 10 years ago, when I had just graduated from college and started a new job. I was sitting in a business seminar in a hotel and this thing came out of the blue. I felt like I was dying.”


“In between attacks there is this dread and anxiety that it’s going to happen again. I’m afraid to go back to places where I’ve had an attack. Unless I get help, there soon won’t be anyplace where I can go and feel safe from panic.”

"I can't be in or around people.  I feel like I can't breathe and my heart starts pounding.  How can I go to the grocery store?" 

My first panic attack occurred on the way back home to Tennessee. My husband was driving and my heart rate felt like it was going thru the roof.  I felt doomed like I was having a heart attack on the interstate.  We found an ER and sped there.  I was hooked up to a monitor, my heart rate was elevated but not high. I was released and we continued on our way.  The entire trip was the trip from hell.  I did not feel like me 99% the time while home.  I felt like I would never be able to relax. I went back to the ER later in the trip and ended up having a stress test. My heart was fine and that was when I learned what panic attacks were and how they felt.

Panic disorder is a real illness that can be successfully treated. It is characterized by sudden attacks of terror, usually accompanied by a pounding heart, sweatiness, weakness, faintness, or dizziness. During these attacks, people with panic disorder may flush or feel chilled; their hands may tingle or feel numb; and they may experience nausea, chest pain, or smothering sensations. Panic attacks usually produce a sense of unreality, a fear of impending doom, or a fear of losing control. 

A fear of one’s own unexplained physical symptoms is also a symptom of panic disorder. People having panic attacks sometimes believe they are having heart attacks, losing their minds, or on the verge of death. They can’t predict when or where an attack will occur, and between episodes many worry intensely and dread the next attack.

Panic attacks can occur at any time, even during sleep. An attack usually peaks within 10 minutes, but some symptoms may last much longer." (NIMH, 2014)

Six million people suffer from panic attacks.  Women are twice as likely to have panic attacks as men.  Panic attacks are one form of anxiety.  Others include OCD, PTSD, Social anxiety, Generalized Anxiety and specific phobias.  All of the various types of anxiety have some common symptoms.  The common symptoms include excessive, irrational fear and dread.  Other symptoms can be shortness of breath, sweating, racing thoughts, inability to think clearly or rationally, and loss of control.  Anxiety is basically fear of loss of control. 

Ways to deal with anxiety include:  stress management, along with meditation, aerobic activity,  therapy to address the triggers of anxiety, and medications if prescribed by a MD.

I dealt with my anxiety by meditation, walking, and finding ways to reduce my stress level.  I practice what I teach.  Deep breathing, visual meditation, and becoming aware of my stress level keeps me in control of me. If you need help, there is more information listed below and please feel free to contact me and I will help you as well. 

For more information: 

• Anxiety Disorders Information and Organizations from NLM's MedlinePlus (en Español)
• Panic Disorder Information and Organizations from NLM's MedlinePlus (en Español)