source: Pinterest

Although the signs and symptoms of panic attacks can vary greatly from person to person, there is one thing we can probably all agree on: they suck!

The physical symptoms are bizarre and the thoughts they bring on can be terrifying. Panic attack symptoms can make your heart race and breathing difficult, and make you feel dizzy, nauseous, and worse.

Panic attack symptoms can include any combination of the following:

• Racing heart
• palpitations or skipped heartbeats
• shallow breathing
• visual disturbances including blurred vision
• dry mouth
• face flushing
• intense flashes of heat (such as on torso or down back)
• feelings of unreality/ depersonalization
• dizziness
• lightheadedness
• chest pain or discomfort
• trembling in extremities
• lump in throat
• difficulty swallowing
• feeling off balance, whether standing or sitting
• nausea, or fear that you will vomit
• upset stomach
• inability to take a deep breath
• air hunger (gasping for air)
• chills
• stomach cramps
• sweating
• sensitization, or feeling on the edge
• racing thoughts (such as, that you are going to scream in the middle of church)
• feeling as if you are going to die or go crazy
• numbness or tingly feelings in the arms, legs, or elsewhere
• diarrhea

sfisher71 via flickr

Panic attacks often strike when away from home, such as when you’re out shopping, at the grocery store, at a movie, at church, at a meeting, or at a social gathering.

They can also strike unexpectedly when you’re at home, such as in the early morning, while watching tv, or in the middle of the night.

The signs and symptoms of panic attacks happen suddenly and alarmingly and the attack itself usually peaks in about 5 – 10 minutes. After a panic attack, you may feel jittery, nervous, exhausted, sad, and/ or depressed.

When I was younger, I always had nausea and racing thoughts.  In my adult years, I experience feeling unable to balance with hot flashes and sensitization.  Throughout my life, I have felt depersonalization, in fact that was the first feeling of panic I experienced back at age 7.

Now that I’m in my 40′s, I get tension headaches a few hours after a panic attack.  Occasionally I will get a severe migraine headache.

What hasn’t changed over the years is the fact that there is nothing pleasant about having a panic attack.

What symptoms do you experience with panic attacks?  Feel free to share below.

I wish you peace,
Jill G.

Ready to try an effective anxiety elimination program? I use and recommend Panic Away. Please get started today and reclaim your life from fear.

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