WHY DO PANIC ATTACKS STRIKE YOU WHILE SHOPPING

Try it in little spurts...Go in feel the panic go out regain composure and go back in etc...Push yourself a littl e further each time...not fool proof but might help Hopefully others will be by to help you out. I know this affects many of us.

I know EXACTLY how you feel. I get the same way, especially at Walmart( Although have had it happen at Kmart as well) and I definantly can not do malls at all..YUCK! Anyways.,.what I do is start out small. Go to a drug store, convenience store..etc. Have your hubby stay in the car the first couple of times, and just run in for milk, bread, pop..whatever. It is a small thing, but if you can manage that, it truly gives you confidence to work your way up to a big store. Walmart always gives me fits. At my store, they keep it way to hot, so when I start to sweat I think there is something wrong with me. Course, this has happened SOOO many times, I know by now there is nothing wrong. Walmart is always crowded so that might be what is setting you off as well. What I have learned to do it just IGNORE how I am feeling. When I get feelings of panic, I just say to myself..ok, now you know you have had these feelings before, you didnt die, so you wont this time either. And I tend to just relax myself and try to steady my focus on ONE thing. That way your head isnt spinning looking at ten things at once. Really, the only way to conquer fear of going to Walmart, is to go there and face it. Sometimes I just concentrate on WHY I am there, to do a task( grocery shop for my family so they can eat) and when you concentrate on other people, sometimes that fear does tend to subside. And you get the strength to do what you need to do.

I think why stores are so hard to deal with is...,.we are among strangers and the last thing most people want is to have a panic attack, heart attack, or other problem arise in the midst of people we dont know. We feel crowded in upon, and that feeling can be very overwhelming. We dont want people looking at us strangly..etc. By nature I think most people are just more relaxed at home, in smaller settings.

Like I said, the way I handle this, is to just force myself to go to the store and concentrate on why I am there. Picture myself walking out the door(after buying what I need)and returning home and relaxing. Nothing is going to happen to you. If it was...it would have by now. Just the knowledge that it IS anxiety, is a help. You know it isnt anything that is going to kill you.

God bless!

Dawn

i can't believe how accurate all of this is to me as well.  ESPECIALLY AT WALMART!  i agree though, the lights are definitely what gets me.  I've realized that as time goes by (for some reason i do a little better at target).  But I agree...just keep exposing yourself to it and realize HEY I'VE DONE THIS BEFORE, I EVEN FELT THIS WAY, AND NOTHING HAPPENED.  i think that when we have a safety person (husband or friend) with us it's easier because we know that if something happens to us they will find help or know what to do.  if we are surrounded by strangers we often don't give people the benefit of the doubt.  we feel alone and worry that none of these people would know what to do and if we're panicky or having a heart attack we can't help ourselves.  i've started to have faith in people again....there's definitely an amount of bad that happens in the world today, however there's a ton of good too.  we get so caught up in the news and all of the bad things that happen we forget about the good in people.  if something were to happen to you, i promise there is someone in the store with a good heart (and probably not just one person, probably close to all) and those people will hurriedly come to your aid.  i tend not to let myself read bad news anymore, instead i google inspiring stories and heros.  it really helps me put more faith in our human race and that helps me calm down a little bit.  anyways, i'm rambling, but like i said - keep going to the store.  avoiding it will only make it worse.  look your fear in the face...my grandmother sent me this quote in hopes of helping my anxiety and it does help and makes a lot of sense..

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'  Eleanor Roosevelt

best of luck with everything - hopefully we can be our complete shopahollic selves soon!

Hello -

As you can see, many of us have this panic trigger, as well. It took me a while to realize why everytime I went into a Wal-mart or another department store that after a short time, I would become light-headed which caused a panic attack. I realized that the intense lights, noise, and overwhelming amount of stuff to see is causing it. It still strikes me as odd that years ago I never had this problem yet I do now.

I have learned to focus on my shopping, don't browse as much (which saves my impulse shopping anyway!) and try to take my time picking items out. My vision seems to take a hit when my anxiety goes up so it makes looking at small details of items hard to do.

Hang in there...you'll find your coping method and be able to shop like before!

Hello Jamie28, thank you for your response and adivce. it makes me feel a little better to know that is a genuine problem with anxiety sufferers. i thought it was just me. started to think that there was something in the stores making me sick. hopefully i can have some confidence to know its not something in the air making me ill. its just my anxiety. and as you mention it, all the stuff in the store i do notice that i get really confused in making a choice in making a  decision on what color or what item to buy. i start to get anxious and confused. its all the stuff....too much stimuli. if i cant make up my mind on a color to buy i usually buy them all.(thats sick) i have had this problem also with compulsion buying and not being able to make a decsion on which one to buy because i cant decide on the color i like. so i would buy them all, take them home hoping to make a decsion at home and eventually return the item that i did not want to keep. but it does not usually work for me that way anymore, because i cant get back to the store to return the items. so  i have double or triple of things in different colors. Boy did i get my self into trouble, financially and upset with the husband. i have been good lately, i guess because i am not in the stores like i used to. and the things were usually for other people.would think too much if that person would like the item that i was getting. i like to buy for other people and give gifts, but it has not been fun anymore. i notice that the brigh flourescent lights really bother me, another thing is the dust, i think it also triggers something for me, i feel like i cant breathe right and then i start to panic. it a whole lot of things happening at once. then the fear of an attack. i ususally go into a store with anxiety and the fear of an attack, so i feel like i am just running or walking fast getting very confused and not being  able to shop or concentrate. usually leave with nothing.wasted trips. i guess i will try a little time at a time and keep your and everyone else advice to my heart. thank you so much. god bless

Hi all, I experience the same things you all have talked about in your messages. I also, experience it when i drive. Do any of you? Also, do any of you take any meds for this and if so which ones?

Thanks,

Hello there! Yes, I too experience panic/anxiety attacks while driving. It is particularly scarey because I am afraid of wrecking my car and causing an accident and hurting someone else or myself. But I think it is the fear of all that happening that causes the panic in the first place. So I just assure myself that I am a GOOD driver, that I am very capable of getting to my destination safely, and that I KNOW God is with me and will watch over me. And I ALWAYS leave myself enough time to get where I need to be, that way I am not RUSHING myself( which can cause panic). I justr went to Walmart yesterday with my mom( I DROVE ) and was in there shopping for about an hour and a half. I noticed a couple of times I thought I was feeling alittle anxious, so I just told myself , I can do this, I am going to be fine, and went on with my business and pretty soon it was over and I was on my way home. While I was there though, I did get the "jelly legs", and the dizzniess, and the "feeling like I cant take a deep breath" sensations, but I just FORCED myself to keep going! I tried to keep my mind focused on why I was there. The trick is, to get the upper hand on the fear...controling it and not letting it control you. It is hard to do this, but with Gods help, I KNOW you can!! I say prayers before I go anyplace and then just leave it in HIS hands.

I am not currently on any meds. I have a prescription for Klonopin and Zoloft, but never started taking them. I am trying the natural route first. Vitamins, minerals, lots of water and good eating..etc. I have the medicine filled and may decide to try it in the future.

Take care and God bless!

In His Grip,

Dawn

godluvsu said...
Hi all, I experience the same things you all have talked about in your messages. I also, experience it when i drive. Do any of you? Also, do any of you take any meds for this and if so which ones?

Thanks,

I was having a similar issue in the grocery store, and figured out it was the lights and noise. Did some research on it and found out that if you wear sunglasses in the store, the bright lights aren't absorbed by your eyes which in turn make us more sensitive to noise, movement, etc. Now I try to remember to wear my shades in the store. I forgot them today and sure paid the price. It was all I could do to FORCE myself to stay in the store. I took a few deep breaths and made it okay. By the time I was checking out, I was feeling pretty normal again.