Concerned about possible anxiety

[Prometheia]

This has started somewhat recently, although I have had difficulties with milder versions of this in the past.

I started going to a new school this year, so I don't know if this has anything to do with it, although I would figure that if it did it would have happened at the beginning of the year instead of happening later, since I'm pretty comfortable with my new school at this point.

A little background. In general, I've always had problems with anxiety when it comes to social interaction. Anything that has ever required me to be in front of people has caused me to have panic attacks in the past. It's gotten worse over the years, as I used to be a pretty outgoing kid, at least to begin with. Most people do have some sort of fear of say, public, but I recognize that my reactions to such situations are abnormal. I've thrown up, nearly passed out several times, and all because my heart was beating out of my chest and I was just in general freaking out.

What has become of more concern to me lately is the fact that this has started happening in non-social related scenarios. For example, several days ago while a friend was presenting a current event to the class, all of the sudden I started shaking uncontrollably, and could feel my heart racing. My palms were sweaty and moist and I felt like I was panicking. When this happens, I feel like I'm choking or drowning and have difficulty breathing properly, which probably adds to the faintness. It lasted for about 10 minutes and then dissipated, for absolutely no reason to my conscious knowledge. This has happened several other times within the last three months, also while sitting down listening to a lecture, doing independent work, or just sitting at home reading. The best way for me describe what I feel during these episodes is "impending doom" with no known cause for the feeling.

I imagine I should probably go and see someone, presumably a therapist, and probably a doctor to rule out any physical causes for this.

Any advice or suggestions? I meditate on a pretty regular basis and do yoga, and it has not been helping as of late. I also don't drink coffee, caffeinated beverages, and definitely not energy drinks, since I know many people my age do and that can contribute at least in some cases.

[anonymouswhale]

Hi there,

When I was going through some agoraphobia issues, my psychologist had me keep a mental diary- this included writing down what room I was in, who I was with/talking to, what activity I was doing, and on a scale of 1-10 how bad the anxiety was. After a few weeks, I began to notice patterns. Perhaps you could try to consciously be more aware of the situations you're in when your anxiety comes up? The causes or correlations can surprise us.

[Celyn]

Hey there,

I definitely recommend going to the doctor to rule out any physical issues, and maybe get therapy if it is anxiety.

It might help you to do some breathing exercises on a daily basis and whenever you feel anxious. Take a deep breath for 3 seconds, and then out for 3 seconds. Do this for a minute, or until you have calmed down. This should also help stop you from feeling faint, as that is caused by shallow, fast breathing. Also, it might help you to remember that you have had these episodes before and you survived them; nothing bad is going to happen, it just feels horrible. It will pass so try to remember this.

In general, try to lessen any stress, have a good sleeping pattern, do regular exercise and eat/drink healthily.

Take care

[Karol]

I am so sorry you're going through this. Anxiety sucks. I've found that carrying essential oils around with me and using them when I have panic/anxiety attacks really helps. The ones I constantly carry are Peace & Calm, Joy, Lavender, and Peppermint. They smell good and have almost an immediate effect. It's also a comforting feeling just to know you have something that can combat it. I'd suggest trying some of them and seeing how the work for you.