RSSPanic!
You’re lying in bed, getting ready to doze off as random thoughts come to mind. You think about your day. The little bagel you had for breakfast. The tremendous lunch you had at the deli by your job. You remember not having any dinner too. Then, you drift into thoughts of tomorrow. What needs to be done tomorrow? You have a meeting at 10 a.m. with your sponsors and a lunch date with your colleague that you haven’t seen in forever. Maybe, you’ll try and do some yoga too. Then, out of nowhere, an overwhelming feeling of dread comes over you. It starts in your chest and spreads all over your body.
The feeling gets worse and worse as you focus on it. “What the fuck is going on?” You’re panting. Your chest hurts like someone is squeezing your insides. Am I dying? You feel your heart beating as loudly as someone that has four 12’s in their car. You can’t breathe properly. You hop out of bed. The pain is still there. You cry out. The feeling of impending death still overpowers you. You cry out again between your hysteric breaths. Am I going crazy? The grip on your chest tightens. It hurts. Tears roll down your cheek. You’re dizzy. The pain grows. You drop to the floor, crawling aimlessly. Then, when you think your life is over… the pains and feelings slowly vanish.
Such sentiments can be categorized as a panic attack. A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that develops for no apparent reason and triggers severe physical reactions. It can last anywhere in from 10 minutes to a half an hour and, in worse cases, they can last hours or up to a day. If the attacks occur often, you have a panic disorder.
Panic attacks are very common. Most people only have one or two in their lifetime. Between two and six million Americans suffer from panic disorders. Specialists provide a few causes for panic attacks, such as, “Genetics, significant stress, or changes in the way your brain functions,” but no cause is for certain. Unfortunately, women are more likely to have panic attacks than men . Although my source did not mention why women are more likely to suffer, I assume it is due to the large population of single mothers in the US. Single mothers typically have significant stress and those stressors can cause changes in the way their brains function.
It is my belief that panic attacks occur often because they are a form of a social allergy. According to the social contagion theory, there is a “tendency to express and feel emotions that are similar to and
influenced by those of others.” I’ve observed this myself. One of my friends started to spend a substantial amount of time with her boyfriend; her demeanor, interests and vocabulary were more like her boyfriend’s after awhile. People mimic each other’s slang, conduct and attitudes. Emotions are no different.
I recall a time when I wasn’t excited about attending a certain party. My friend came over my house to get ready with me, and she could not stop talking about how fun it would be. Soon, I was anxious because of her excitement. The anxious feelings leading up to panic attacks can be sentiments that we release and adopt with one another.
With the rise in frustration surrounding the war, global warming, civil rights and the media quick to point out the tragedy in everything-we are driving each other into panic. We are cultivating a
culture of fear…
9 Comments, Comment or Ping
Troublsome
I’m not too familiar myself to panic attacks, But I can definitely feel where you are coming.. I sometimes feel myself feel like I’m getting to that point, but at the end of the day my anxiousness turns to just stress, and it toys with my emotions causing me to just be sad, or upset. I can only imagine what it would feel like to have things in my life overwhelm me and cause a panic attack.
[Reply]
Talisman
I empathize. I know a few people who have this disorder and it can be challenging. One of my friends dropped out of grad school because of the severity of a series of panic attacks. They are very scary and can cause life altering decisions in some cases.
Unfortunately, if you’re right and our “culture of fear” is one of the main causes of this malady, then we need to find a way to help those that are suffering.
[Reply]
Black-Listed
I am not a psychiatrist nor a physician, so my comments should not be taken out of context. My opinion is that Zen, Yoga, Scientology and the Martial Arts are correct when helping one to control their mind and emotions.
“Panic attacks” as being described in this article appear, symptomizes emotional responses for pharmaceutical company marketing. Much like take a drug for anxiety disorders often seen on television. It is imperative to seek professional medical counselling, but do not discount the wholistic approach to dealing with any medical condition. “Free your mind and your ass will follow”, and it may also prevent stress induced heart attacks!
[Reply]
Malia
F.E.A.R.
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real
I learned that in church!!! Yall should go sometime…you might learn something!
[Reply]
Black-Listed reply on June 2, 2008 4:04 pm:
F.E.A.R. very slick! However, there were times during the renaisance period whereas look to religious doctrine to correct many ills, including diagnosing epileptics as posessed. I would caution a universal answer for what should be carefully analyzed. Why not use everything at one’s disposal to achieve the desired result? Peace-out!
[Reply]
Malia reply on June 2, 2008 5:03 pm:
Because sometimes the universal answer is the right answer. I am not saying that you’re right and I’m wrong, but what I am saying is that we create things in our mind first before we can ever achieve it in the natural. Even with new age chanting and creative visualization techniques we first imagine something to be real before it can ever manifest itself into the natural. Panic attacks are caused by fear. Fear of what? The unknowmn—Fals Evidence Appearing Real. If we believe we don’t measure up, we will never measure up. If I don’t believe I will kill the interview I won’t. If I’m afraid of what tomorrow brings I won’t step out in BOLDNESS and claim what already belongs to me. There is a great book by Joyce Meyer called “Battlefield of the Mind” and it touches on how depression, confusion, doubt, fear, anxiety, “a judgmental, critical and suspicious mind”, are all states that hold happiness and peace away from us, and the cure starts with self-observation and the renewal of the mind.
I will leave you with that for now, as you are not ready for me.
I won’t throw my pearls to swine anymore.
[Reply]
Black-Listed reply on June 2, 2008 5:27 pm:
Its not that serious! I was really focusing on the phrase “learned that in church!!! Yall should go sometime…you might learn something!” The self-righteous have always claimed religious introspection as a way of solving psychiatric disorders. Meanwhile, the mentally disabled and the mental physiological imbalanced persons were persecuted and accused of “lacking faith”! It appears to continue to this day! I wonder what would be the religious sentiment for pride and arrogance.
[Reply]
Malia reply on June 3, 2008 8:19 am:
LOL @ Self-righteous!!! You don’t know me!!! If you did you would know there’s not a self-righteous bone in my body. If you’re scared of the unknown then I think church is a good place to start and that has nothing to do with me being better than you. As a child of God, there are certain qualities you should possess, fear is not one of them!!!! So no!!! I don’t walk around with a spirit of fear!!! God didn’t give me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound-mind…..
I am proud of being a daughter of the Most High God and putting Him first in my life, but I am not prideful! And I dang sure am not religious!!! If you knew me, you would know that!!!!
What makes me arrogant? The fact that I don’t have panic attacks every five seconds or the fact that I don’t agree with you????? The fact that I KNOW who I am and I don’t compare myself with anyone else! The fact I’m secure! The fact that I’m the confident woman God made me to be?
I wasn’t created to mimic somebody else! I was created to be me! I won’t demean myself by trying to be someone else; I won’t allow anyone to steal my diversity, my creativity and my uniqueness! I refuse to be a clone! I am an original, not a copycat! I dare to be different! I am secure with who God made me to be!!!! I won’t let outside pressures mold me into something I’m not! I’m secure in who I am!!!! I don’t need anyone’s approval. I’m free to run my own race! God made me this way on purpose; He went to great lengths to make sure that I’m original! I don’t let other people play games with my mind, deceiving me into thinking that my value has diminished. I don’t let anything get a stronghold in my mind! I don’t have to fit into somebody else’s mold and I’m not upset when other people don’t fit into mine! I appreciate everyone’s differences! I don’t try to mold everybody into my little box. That is not my business; I’m ABOUT GOD’S BUSINESS!!!!! God has given me the grace to do what He has called me to do, not the grace to what somebody else is doing! I am determined to be the best Malia I can be!!!! I’m not is a contest, I’m not comparing myself with anyone else, as far as I’m concerned, I’M NUMBER ONE!!!!! And you should wake up every morning and feel the same way about your own self!!!!!! I bet you wouldn’t have panic attacks any more, and I bet you wouldn’t be trying to put me down, to make yourself bfeel better!!!!
So no, I’m not afraid!!!! And I’m not arrogant…..yes, as I stated before—I learned that in church!!! Yall should go sometime…you might learn something! LOVE YOURSELF!!!
[Reply]
"A Mom"
I get panic attack sometimes. It feels like my heart is beating real fast.
Maybe that not a panic attack, maybe I’m too excited or stressed
[Reply]
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