Well...I was doing really good as far as not having any panic attacks but the anxiety has never really left me. Tonight, however, I had a major panic attack, a scary panic attack, the worse one I've had in a long time. I was sitting and watching a movie then all of the sudden my heart started racing, my lips felt numb, I became dizzy, super hot, and very scared. I was able to sit there calmly while my heart raced at 140 beats per minute (I know this because my blood pressure cuff takes my pulse). Over a span of 10 minutes or so it eventually came down. Now I am sitting here with the lingering effects - ya know, the trembling, tingling in my body, worried, anxious, scared. I am totally at a loss of why this happened when it did. I was just enjoying myself, watching a movie with the family, totally comfortable, then BAM! It just seems so weird because when I have panic attacks it is normally in social situations like class or shopping or parties. I know I am supposed to try to move on, understand the mechanisms behind the attack, try to figure out any triggers, etc. but this caught be off guard and really scared me. I have told myself I am fine, I am not going to die, the numbness in my lips and dizziness was most likely due to hyperventilation, but the racing heart pounding below my left breast felt as though it was flip-flopping and it scared me so bad. Why did it happen when I was in my comfort zone, comfortable, watching a movie with my mind on the movie? If anyone has any advice I would greatly appreciate it. I am just at a loss and I can't seem to get a grip. I am just paralyzed with fear for the first time in a long time and it is scarier than I remembered it to be.
