the poop happens world we live in thread 2XXX

[Chutzpar]

Had my first panic attack earlier this morning

probably one of the scariest moments of my life

Panic attacks are horrible :c

If you get them again, remember to try to control your breathing. I find it helps if I associate a word with breathing in and a word with breathing out (say, 'rising' and 'falling', for example), and I just say them in my head as I breathe in and out when I feel a panic attack coming on. It helps to break the thought process of "OH NO OH NO WHAT IS HAPPENING", and it helps you try to keep your breathing slow and measured.

Just as a warning, even if you do get your breathing under control, you might still feel pretty horrible afterwards. Personally, no matter how early I manage to get it under control again, I still usually end up getting really detached and then really emotional a little while afterwards.

The most important thing is getting your breathing under control and, if possible, getting to somewhere that you feel safe.