Panic attacks strike without warning, that is what makes them so frightening. One moment you could be enjoying a wonderful day with your daughter, the next you are a huddled, terrified mass with a screaming, panicked and crying daughter unsure of what´s going on. Anxiety attacks are different for everyone and while there often common symptoms and a list of possible symptoms, the sensations that each suffer experiences is different. Here is one woman´s experience.
Cynthia was happily sitting in the 10th row of the theater watching The Lion King with her daughter. It was a special treat, a real Broadway show for her daughter´s 8th birthday. Sierra glowed as the animals paraded by her, walking through the aisles of the audience. The singing was entertaining and the story was just as wonderful on stage as it had been in the movie. This was a perfect day and one they would both remember forever.
Suddenly, after the intermission, Cynthia felt her heart racing. The guy next to her was too close, she could hear and feel his breathing, the brush of his leg as he repositioned himself. It was like knives scraping across her skin. She grabbed at her chest, convinced she was having some kind of heart attack. She couldn´t breathe, she could barely talk. She grabbed her daughter and pulled her screaming from the chair, practically taking poor Sierrra´s arm from her socket.
Cynthia´s only thought was to leave, to breathe, and to save herself and her daughter. Everyone turned; an usher came to assist them. Cynthia just pushed her out of the way and barreled through the theater doors and doubled over in the lobby. The usher called 911 and Sierra was screaming and crying.
Cynthia had to get a grip; she couldn´t frighten her daughter this way. What was wrong with her? What kind of parent was she? The air just wasn´t flowing through her lungs, she couldn´t catch her breath. Was she dying? That couldn´t be, who would take care of her daughter.
As more people gathered around she felt the sensations increase, the feeling in her feet left and she felt the sweat dampening her blouse. She tried to push them away but her attempts were feeble as she concentrated on breathing.
Cynthia had a panic attack and lived through one of the most horrible feelings imaginable, helpless to comfort her distressed and crying child. For many panic attack sufferers, the fear of having an attack while alone with a child, driving or during some other inopportune time greatly contributes to their fear and reluctance to engage in activities. One of the greatest days ever in little Sierra´s life had turned into a horrifying nightmare and this only contributed to Cynthia´s misery.
Anxiety attacks happen for so many reasons; it´s hard to pin down the exact causes of Cynthia´s sudden and intense reaction. What prompted the fear, was it the animals, the singing, the crowd of people?
The answer is; it depends on the person. Being in this closed in place may have triggered unhappy feelings, a random thought may have crossed Cynthia´s mind that caused her body to react in such an intense manner and feel the overwhelming need to flee. Unfortunately, this is the nature of panic attacks and why they are so problematic, they strike without warning and without an understandable cause.
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