Anxiety

My first anxiety attack happened during my second pregnancy.  I thought I was having a heart attack.  It was a stressful time but I learned some coping strategies and I managed.  I had very few attacks over the next decade or so.  They started back up again two years ago.  I was stressed about work and my husband was having a mid-life crisis (was.he.ever - I had no idea how bad it would get before it got better).  There was a period of time when I was having a panic attack every night when I tried to go to sleep.  Every night.  I made some career decisions that eased the tension in that arena and they subsided.  Then came the disclosure about my husband's same-sex attraction.  Now it was really time to panic!  They came back with a vengeance.

If you've never had a panic attack, first of all thank God for your many blessings, and then imagine this: you are going about your day and all of the sudden out of nowhere your heart starts racing, pounding out of your chest, you can't breathe, you may start hyperventilating or it may feel like a gorilla is sitting on your chest, you think you're going to die - it's super fun!  The worst one I've had was a few months ago while driving.  I had to pull off of the road because I was hyperventilating so severely that I couldn't drive.  And I was just on my way to work at a job that I love.  I wasn't thinking about anything particular.  Just out of nowhere - I can't breathe.  So, if you've never experienced this, please have compassion on those that do.  We can't predict them or stop them.

If you also experience panic attacks, here are some coping strategies that help me:

Slow deep breathing - This is the most important step to controlling an attack.

Reassuring myself - I tell myself that this is just a panic attack and will end soon.

Relaxation - I try to relax my body if possible.

Grounding sensations - Tapping firmly on my chest works well for me.

Medication - This was a last resort for me, but really I need to be able to drive safely.