# I stopped a panic attack for the first time ever!!!!!



## karmadust (Jul 21, 2005)

Okay, so here is my wonderful (hopefully encouraging) news. For the first time in years, I forced myself to go to my first day of class a few weeks ago. I'd been seeing a counselor and reading all these books about controlling anxiety, and doing yoga regularly, and I was feeling like I could do this. The worst panic attacks I've ever had occur during those 10 minutes in the beginning of class when we have to introduce ourselves, so i simply stopped going to the first day of classes years ago. I was all pumped that I COULD DO THIS. But sure enough, we started going around the circle and I was near the end, which means I had plenty of time for my panic to climb and climb until I felt like my eyes were going to explode and I was going to have to run out of there at any moment. I started running through all the tricks I'd ever heard of trying - I had a paperclip that I unfolded and refolded, I was doing deep breathing from my diaphgram, I was trying to distract myself, I was visualizing myself calming down - all to no effect. I was starting to despair when there were only two people ahead of me and right as I was seriously bracing my body to bolt out of the room (not caring that I looked like a complete freak), the most miraculous thing in the world happened......

my body produced "calm down" chemicals!!!! I swear, it was like nothing i'd ever experienced before. It literally felt like someone had poured cool water on my head and it moved down my spine and arms and the pressure in my head stopped and my vision cleared and suddenly i was just NERVOUS, not panicking. I wanted to throw myself down and kiss the ground in gratitude. I introduced myself without my voice shaking, and while my heart was beating fast, I didn't feel like I was having a heart attack!

(unfortunately this story isn't totally happy, as my fear of anxiety caused me to drop the class anyway, just going to show how psychological anxiety can really be, even when faced with success...) but the point is that I KNOW I AM CAPABLE OF BEING "NORMAL" NOW. for a while I wondered if my body was completely devoid of the ability to calm down, and this experience showed me that IT IS POSSIBLE! and all i can think is that those silly tricks that didnt' seem to be working individually, did something to my body in the long run to finally trigger the chemicals. so as a word of encouragement....know that even when your exercises and tricks seem hopeless, you never know what little changes they are doing that may finally create an end result. SO KEEP TRYING!!!!


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## Inturmal (Jan 15, 2006)

Good for you. 

I always hated doing intros. My voice always gave away my nervousness. 
If I could go back, I'd simply say, "I'm [firstname], and I don't like doing these introductions, so I'm not gonna say anything else." 
that, or simply, "Pass."


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

I hate introductions, people like me untill they realize i cant talk.


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## TomB (Nov 5, 2006)

Sounds like a "God thing" and I am sure you will have many more, congrats.

Tom B


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## tuna (Jun 25, 2006)

The CBT you did helped calm you down. Just keep practicing that and it'll get easier and easier until you don't feel any anxiety at all. Trust me.


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## meggiehamilton (Nov 12, 2003)

Thats great news!


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## moon37 (Feb 27, 2006)

If you figure it out...let me know!

I am working on mantras and self-affirmations until they get soaked into my self-consciousness.


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