Comments on: Tell Panic Attacks to Go Suck It

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:08:00 +0000

First of all, you’re adorable. Second and more importantly, thanks for posting this. I got my first panic attack at 8 years old, when I was pretty sure every bite of food I swallowed was going to lodge in my throat and choke me to death, unless my mother was in the room to save my life. So, I spent a lot of time hungry and terrified to eat. You’re absolutely right about just knowing that other people go through the same thing, too. I follow you on twitter and subscribe to your podcast and while I’m a little late to the game on this, I just wanted to tell you I appreciate the unsolicited advice and intend to take the bulk of it to heart.

By: Jennifer Keegan

Jennifer Keegan — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:44:21 +0000

Thanks,
I really enjoyed that video.
I also have suffered from panic attacks ever since I was a teenager, and for the longest time I would mentally beat myself up thinking there was something definitely wrong with me. I came to the realization that not only did caffeine effect me, it was that I was not eating properly. Hypoglycemia can have the same “symptoms” of anxiety and panic attacks. I must always monitor my caffeine consumption and make sure that I eat a small snack every few hours. Thanks again Chris for the great advice and I’ll be watching you on talk soup!!

By: Jess

Jess — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:09:56 +0000

I suffer from panic attacks too. And yes i’m a “nerdist” too I’m a web designer and graphic designer.
I never knew that caffeine can trigger panic attacks! It makes sense, though i don’t know if i can stop having coffee.
Luckily i haven’t had a panic attack in a year (touch wood)!

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:17:41 +0000

Thank you for this….I suffer from panic attacks myself. They are really hard to deal with sometimes. Like you said, caffeine makes it worse. I would drink coffee and wonder why I was feeling so edgy and freaked out. And the adrenaline thing: a few years back a friend and me went to Six Flags over Georgia and of course, the goal was to ride roller coasters. Well, I got on this ride called “The Nija” and after about the 475,675th time we went upside down, I was sure I was going to die. I could not even speak. Just sat there like a corpse. That was not a fun trip (ended up at the emergency room…not me, my friend got dehydrated and really sick. Damn, that trip sucked.) But my panic attacks have pretty much quadrupled since 2006 when I got laid off from a job that actually was so bad it changed who I was as a person. BUT lately, I am trying like hell to take better care of myself, no more caffeine, mediating, yoga and some cardio and journaling. It is a slow process, but it does seem to be helping. Sorry for the many, many words, and thanks again.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:33:11 +0000

Yep, I definitely know the feelings described in yon post. Runs in my family, and therefore through my veins. The crush of panic can make you look like a deer dumbstruck in the headlights of an unfeeling universe; for me, it fixates me on the inevitability of death, the futility of life and the sad, tragic, pathetic, teeming mass we call humanity. Not much of a bright sad to that, is there?

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:49:26 +0000

Hey man- thanks for posting. Not many people have the guts to talk about the stuff they face…

By: Beth

Beth — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:22:15 +0000

how relevant since i just found this and had a panic attack not too long ago at work. I’m a cashier. It was really hard to keep it under control and ring people out at the same time. Trying not to run and cry and try to smile convincingly at people. I’m not quite sure it worked all that well.

That video SO would have come in handy last year during anatomy class since i pretty much failed the section on the heart. lol Oh well.

By: diana

diana — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:32:21 +0000

I need held. I have a defibrililator and horrible panic/anxiety attacks. I had to take four xanax last night. there was a bad experiece in a break up for me two months ago and the girl that really had nothing to do with it is the one who sets off the attacks. its so strange.. i know all the facts, its all in the head and everything, im even a Psych. major in school. Its the fear of having my defibrilator go off.. because it did before infront of her when i was trying to rip her head off. I really took out the whole break up her on. .. its my ex’s best friend. Reguardless. I have read all of these and no matter how much I read my brain gets the best of me. If anyone would like to help please email me at dianamangoni@gmail.com

By: Julia

Julia — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:00:45 +0000

I was never really sure what a panic attack was. Now that I know, I think I may have had a few minor ones before. I’m often stressed, sometimes for no real reason. I have trouble going out anywhere on my own, though I am getting better. My chest feels tight just from reading all of that. I get stressed when riding in cars sometimes, since 2 years ago this month I was in a car accident. All this talk about stress is making me stressed! I think I’ll watch that video of you doing stand up to calm down
Oh, and I LOVE Web Soup and your segments/guest hosting on AOTS!

By: Mike M.

Mike M. — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:06:21 +0000

I had my first panic attack ever just a few months ago, when I was in a movie theater watching GI Joe.. About halfway to the ending my heart started beating rapidly and I just felt really horrible, at that time my thoughts were racing and I forgot about the fact that these are the symptoms of a panic attack so I just sat there hunched up eyes closed and covering my ears to calm myself down, well it worked and I calmed down a bit but then right before the ending they started up again but were less horrific as the first.

So a few weeks after that it got worse due the fact that I stayed home mostly in the summer and my air conditioner was on for hours even sometimes for an entire night I was unknowingly becoming less and less able to cope with the heat especially when coming back from outside straight to an air-conditioned room which apparently puts a certain stress on the body, so by mid July early August every time I went outside the heat was unbearable and I felt that the air around me was thick and hard to breath and very dry and I started getting panic attacks outside because I was literally convinced that I was not getting enough oxygen in me.

Now the hot temperatures are over and I probably just need to be taking walks outside in the cold weather to get used to being outside for a long time again, I just hate the feeling during a panic attack that I could not be getting enough oxygen, its my worst phobia that I might not be able to breath normally and inhale and exhale normally even though that’s not true but I cant really calm down and tell myself that because of my rushing thoughts and racing heartbeat.

Thanks for writing this article it’s helped me understand what is going on and how to stop myself from getting them.