sam
07-13-2007, 05:49 PM
this is a story of my friend whom i met recently and we have become really good friend, her name is jo and its really painfull story .
I was 10 years old when I had my first panic attack at my friend's sleepover. I had no idea what was going on and why I had this sudden feeling that I was going to die. It was without a doubt the most frightening experience of my life. At 10 years old, no one took me seriously when I thought I was having a heart attack.
I put it to the back of my mind and attended another sleepover about 3 months later. I had another attack, and it was worse than the first. It lasted about 2 hours with continual shaking, feeling sick, and a feeling that I couldn't get out. My mother didn't listen and thus I have had to learn to cope with it on my own.
The worst attack of my life came in the cinema when I was 12, where I blacked out on the floor from hyperventilation. To this day I have never entered another cinema.
I am 19 now and have had suffered over 50 panic attacks.
I have a very understanding boyfriend who supports me when the attacks come, as often I wake up having an attack in the night. I have taught myself breathing techniques and to know the warning signs of the attacks. Although I cope to the best of my abilities, it restricts me from eating in places other than my home, and my social life suffers as I can not go into crowded rooms.
As a teenager, it was hard to cope alone especially with exams as, in my school, they bolted the doors so you couldn't get out. I have read recently on the Web that teenagers rarely suffer, but I am evidence of being still a child when the anxiety began.
I concentrate on the good things in my life now and literally take each hour of the day as it comes. I do not let panic ruin my life. I carry things to ease my anxiety, such as carrier bags in my pockets in case I am sick, and I locate the nearest toilets in any building.
Panic attacks are a condition of the mind, but you can help yourself by recognising the signs and finding support in at least one person who understands the fear that invades your mind every minute of the day.
thanks,
sam
I was 10 years old when I had my first panic attack at my friend's sleepover. I had no idea what was going on and why I had this sudden feeling that I was going to die. It was without a doubt the most frightening experience of my life. At 10 years old, no one took me seriously when I thought I was having a heart attack.
I put it to the back of my mind and attended another sleepover about 3 months later. I had another attack, and it was worse than the first. It lasted about 2 hours with continual shaking, feeling sick, and a feeling that I couldn't get out. My mother didn't listen and thus I have had to learn to cope with it on my own.
The worst attack of my life came in the cinema when I was 12, where I blacked out on the floor from hyperventilation. To this day I have never entered another cinema.
I am 19 now and have had suffered over 50 panic attacks.
I have a very understanding boyfriend who supports me when the attacks come, as often I wake up having an attack in the night. I have taught myself breathing techniques and to know the warning signs of the attacks. Although I cope to the best of my abilities, it restricts me from eating in places other than my home, and my social life suffers as I can not go into crowded rooms.
As a teenager, it was hard to cope alone especially with exams as, in my school, they bolted the doors so you couldn't get out. I have read recently on the Web that teenagers rarely suffer, but I am evidence of being still a child when the anxiety began.
I concentrate on the good things in my life now and literally take each hour of the day as it comes. I do not let panic ruin my life. I carry things to ease my anxiety, such as carrier bags in my pockets in case I am sick, and I locate the nearest toilets in any building.
Panic attacks are a condition of the mind, but you can help yourself by recognising the signs and finding support in at least one person who understands the fear that invades your mind every minute of the day.
thanks,
sam