Posted 11/18/2010 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Shell, I am sorry that you had a rough morning! Panic attacks can come out of nowhere, and it is extra frustrating when you have had a nice reprieve from them and then they reappear. Set backs do happen though. It doesn't mean that you aren't getting better, or that you are going to start having attacks all the time again. This is probably just a bump in the road to healing. You did the right things-breathing, distracting yourself with an activity, and getting out to see your mom (security person) I live close to my folks too, and always felt safe and secure at their house when I was suffering attacks (and i was almost 40 yrs. old!)
The way that you described your attack coming on was really well detailed, and it reminded me of something that I read in a book on A/P. It stated that people with anxiety are hyper-sensitive to their bodies and it's functions. In other words, they are over aware of any little change, twinge, pain, ect. and perceive it as threatening. This can spark an attack, as the body goes into the flight/fight mechanism, flooding the body with adrenaline and causing those awful symptoms. You felt a sensation in your nose that most people wouldn't even notice. At the very least they might note it, or a temperature change and think nothing more about it. As a person with anxiety however, your body and mind are primed to panic, so it's no wonder why you had an attack. This used to happen to me all the time. Through couseling and practice, I have learned to head-off attacks pretty successfully. It sounds like the way in which you handled this one, you will be able to do this eventually as well:)
Hope you are feeling better,
Scaredy Cat