Panic Attacks Can Be Scary

Over time stress can build up and eventually overflow just like a dam. I worked for about eight years at this very difficult restaurant to manage. On the surface I seemed to enjoy the challenges. As a matter of fact, after one grueling summer, I was the only manager in the store that was left standing. One had a nervous breakdown and had to take some time off, and the other manager suffered a heart attack in the back room.

I was the only one that didn't seem to be affected by all of the stress. I would put in my time, do the best that I could under the circumstances, and then go home and forget about it. But somehow it was all being stored in my subconscious and eventually it would come back and haunt me.

After I finally got out of the store that a lot of the managers in the company refused to go to even if it costs them their job, I started having panic attacks. Panic attacks aren't just all in your head, they have physical symptoms as well. I would only have the attacks in my car on my way to work.

The bottom line is that when you have one of these things, you feel like you are about to die. I would have to pull over to the side of the road and sit there until the attack subsided. A couple of times I had to call someone to come and get me.

I decided to take a proactive approach and went to see a psychologist who specialized in cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapy shows you your erroneous thinking patterns. There are ten of them.

The psychologist told me that even though it didn't seem like the stress was bothering me at the time, it really was. It was building up and it finally resulted in the panic attacks. It wasn't a coincidence that they only happened on the way to work.

After a few sessions and learning some techniques for stopping an attack before it gets started, like focusing your attention on the radio, etc., the panic attacks stopped. That was ten-years-ago. I haven't had any since. Of course, I don't work at that stressful job anymore either.

According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch:

"As many as 10 percent of the population suffer from them. (panic attacks) The heart races, sweat pours off the face and body, and the hands tremble. People believe they are about to die."

Although I don't recall any of my family members having them, panic attacks tend to run in families. No one really knows why panic attacks occur, but some theories suggest that besides built-up stress, there may also be brain chemicals involved as well as buried memories that cause an outpouring of adrenaline. Sort of the "fight or flight" response when there is no danger present.

I no longer have panic attacks, but every once-in-a-while, not often, I will dream that I'm right back there in that restaurant, going through the same stresses as I did before. But then I wake up and realize that it's really over this time.

Source: http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/health/paul-donohue/article_8600fd98-5ee4-57ae-94a9-e6b5cb1bb839.html