Could I be having Anxiety Attacks?

Question

Okay, so I have always been a bit on the shy side and I think a little claustrophobic but lately whenever me and my fiance go somewhere to eat or to the movies I feel like I am having anxiety attacks. It's happened a few times over the last few months, either at movies, out to dinner with his friends, on the train... It usually starts off with me feeling a bit warm, clammy, then I feel kinda out of it, somewhat nauseaus (which really stinks when we are at a restaurant) and I get an overwhelming feeling of wanting to just lay down and go to sleep. I always put up a good front and I don't think anyone has ever noticed but I hate the way it feels, sometimes it lasts a few minutes, one time it lasted almost the entire movie. I really just wanna know what I can do about it. I've been to the doctors recently and though I didn't think to mention this they didn't find anything wrong with me (aside from a slightly elevated white blood count) so I am wondering why this is happening and what do I do to make it go away when it starts.

Answer 1

You MIGHT have been experiencing an anxiety attack.

I suggest for you to go to your doctor and talk to someone about it.

Good Luck.

Answer 2

It's probably an anxiety attack. Just try breathing slowly and regularly, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Don't hyperventilate, (breathe too fast). Try to concentrate on the movie, and how nice it is to be with your fiance. Listen to what he says to you.

Paying too much attention to your body symptoms can actually make it worse. Try to remind yourself it's just anxiety and will go away soon. Keep trying to breathe regularly.

It would probably be a good idea to try to find out what's causing your anxiety. Maybe a couple of sessions with a therapist would be helpful.

Try to HAVE A GOOD TIME!

Answer 3

That is exactly what anxiety is... the last comment you made sums up anxiety in a nutshell i.e. because you had an anxiety attack at the movies previously, you are worried/anxious that it will happen again in the same scenario! Its a viscious cycle that is only fed by the person experiencing it and can be difficult to break.

I have a few comments, and I hope some of them will be of use to you. (I went through the same thing a year ago, have always been a slightly shy person etc as you are and started experiencing the same thing....)

1. Are you stressed? Is there something that you are generally worried about that is making your general anxiety levels elevated? Try to think about what this could be and try to address it.

2. Don't be frightened by anxiety. The bottom line is, even though you feel nauseous, you won't actually be sick. If you feel light-headed, you won't faint. If you feel your heart is racing, you still won't be having a heart attack. These symptoms are your body's way of interpreting signals from your brain that you are scared, and that you should be prepared to 'fight or flight'.

The first step is to acknowledge that none of these symptoms are dangerous. None of them will do anything to you at all. Have the attitude 'meh, so I feel a bit light-headed and dizzy as I am bit uncomfortable in this movie.... so? whats going to happen? nothing. so i may as well enjoy this move'. It takes a while, but if you stop reacting to the body symptoms, your brain doesn't interpret this as a fearful situation and you will stop experiencing the anxiety.

3. You are probably deficient in a few things. I was not eating enough protein, which is a source of serotonin production (makes you feel or calm and content). I started on a diet of protein shakes, fish oil, magnesium supplements and within a week I was already feeling better! This was advised by a naturopath of course.

Overcoming an anxiety issue is about both mind and body. Supplement the body with things to help soothe an overworked nervous system (fish oil, protein, magnesium) and start making sense of the anxiety. Never react to it, and your body won't either - just acknowledge it and then move on. This takes a little while, but just tell your fiance how you are feeling and you can work on it together!!

Good luck sweety!