Anxiety Attack.

[Wholocked221B]

I had an anxiety attack when I got to school.
I'm not sure what caused it, but I was shaking and felt trapped and there wasn't a way to calm myself down. The people around me were giving looks and it upset me enough that I left school. Now I'm behind, all because of a stupid anxiety attack.
I texted one of my friends a little bit about it cos she was worried. She said she felt bad for ignoring the signs and that I shouldn't feel embarrassed like I was.

It's. Extremely embarrassing.

What do I do to calm down when deep breaths don't work?
And how do I find what's causing it?

[~Divergent~]

Hey there!

I'm sorry you had to experience that. I haven't had an anxiety attack personally, but I've heard that they can be very scary.

Have you talked to your parents or a doctor yet? A doctor or mental health professional can help you find the causes of your anxiety and may be able to prescribe medication and/or some other form of treatment. If you haven't told anyone about this yet, I recommend that you do so you can get help!

If you have an anxiety attack again, it might help to leave the room, sit somewhere quiet, take a drink of water, etc. You might want to think about telling your teachers about this so you can leave the room if you need to without any questions asked. If it would help to have a friend with you during an attack, maybe you could talk to someone you trust in each of your classes about this. You could request that they come sit by you or follow you outside if they see you having an anxiety attack.

I hope this helps. And don't worry, an anxiety attack is nothing you need to be embarrassed about. They're no fun, but you can't control them and it's not like you asked for it! Good luck with this, and I hope you don't have to deal with any more anxiety attacks in the future.

~Hailey

[Its.Just.Angie]

Sorry about what happened Anxiety attacks are the worse! And school makes it a lot harder to have in my opinion. It does help to leave to class for awhile til you are more calm. I just ask to go to the bathroom or something, but if they say no.. Just say it's an emergency then they usually (or should) let you go. (Speaking from experience)
Like said above it may be a good idea to say something to your teachers then if it happens again. They will be more lenient with passes and stuff (if you have limited passes per semester or something) or talk to your school counselor about them or when you are having one. It may help if people do know about it (people you trust)

How I deal with them is I usually dim my lights and play music and lay my bed and breathe deeply or play with my dog) Or if at school I go to the bathroom (or a room with no one in it.) and close my eyes and say positive stuff or count in your head as how high you want to count with a breath every number (it helps not thinking about the anxiety attack)
Or get your mind somewhere else. (Place where you dream to go, or go to imaginary world or something to get you side tracked that isn't stressful)

To find where they are coming from can be really hard. But you have to think really deep to find out what exactly triggered it. It's hard for me to even find out. Or go to a professional and you could talk about it. They help with that kind of stuff. Medication can help a little bit. It doesn't make them disappear, but it does help and you won't be always on the edge.

This is nothing to be embarrassed about. They are awful to have! It you can't control them so it isn't your fault to feel this way. I'm sorry on what you have to go through. Feel free to PM/VM me hope it gets better for you!

[hocus pocus]

Hey there!

Don't feel bad about having to leave school, I had really bad anxiety and was sick a few times and ended up leaving several times. I'm sorry that they make you feel embarrassed, they're a pain to deal with. However, you can definitely deal with them.

As for finding out what causes them, can you feel an anxiety attack before you get one? Try to write down or log what you're feeling during one if you can. After you've logged some, you can pinpoint what's bothering you. Also breathing is one of the best things you can focus on. I've found if you take really deep breaths, that helps. Especially if you can count them. Another thing you can do is download nature sounds on your iPod. Anything that keeps you busy should help in the slightest bit. If you have a paper bag, breathing into it helps as it does something with the air. And a stress ball is helpful, as well!

Lastly, some schools have what is called a Flash Pass. It enables you to leave class and see the nurse or counselor if you need to. From experience, a teacher cannot refuse you when you present this pass to them. If you haven't already, consider talking to someone who may be able to help.

Best of luck!