this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2026
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Mental Health

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Handling panic attacks (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) by fieldswork@sh.itjust.works to c/mentalhealth@lemmy.world
16 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

lol hi I’m new to actually trying to get a grip on my psyche so please bear with me

I’m a man in his mid-twenties who has gone through some nonsense. I’ve historically been able to brush off and move past intense family dysfunction, poverty, weird friendship dynamics, stress from extracurriculars and university, anxiety about the world and my future in the tech industry, and came through getting furloughed from my first gig out of college relatively unscathed. I’m finally settling back into work which on paper isn’t too far off from my interests, I’ve finally become financially stable, and I recently ended a long-term relationship that had become mutually platonic in a pretty gentle way.

Seemingly out of the blue I’ve started waking up at night with sensations of intense dread, my heart rate sometimes spiking and there being very little I can seemingly do to affect it. A few weeks back I was sent to the ER after a heart rate of ~160bpm at rest for 40 minutes. Doctors don’t believe there’s anything physiologically wrong, but ever since I’ve had weird, off-feeling sensations where I know I won’t be able to relax. If I keep busy I’m fine, but this has absolutely been wrecking my sleep. Exercise has helped to some degree, but like, what the hell brain?

Taking any and all advice, I’m a generally anxious and stressy person but this is completely new to me. Talking myself down from these types of situations doesn’t seem to work, what do I do?

edit: ty for all the responses and for letting me thought-dump for y’all, it’s actually been nice to just write this all down as well

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[–] Big_Boss_77@fedinsfw.app 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I'm going to take a slightly different route than the others here... do you snore? Your symptoms sounds almost identical to what I went through... it was to the point where I was afraid to sleep, and sleep in two or three hour increments randomly. I finally got a hint when I picked up a new smart watch, it told me I had sleep apnea, and my oxygen saturation was dipping into the 60% range... I was in fear for my life because I was, quite literally, dying even though I had no conscious recollection of it. I scheduled a sleep study through my PCP and sure enough, that was the issue. A few grueling months later I was finally able to get a CPAP machine and I've been sleeping much better and anxiety around sleeping, and in general, has gone way down.

It might be worth looking into, if for no other reason than to cross off possible root causes.

[–] fieldswork@sh.itjust.works 1 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

I… think I snore a little? lol my own smartwatch isn’t smart enough to detect that, I shared a bed for ~5 years though so I’d be surprised if that was the case, I’ll look into it

[–] Big_Boss_77@fedinsfw.app 2 points 19 hours ago

Might ask if you can do an at home study, worst case scenario is they'll make you come in for a full one overnight.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So mental health is complex. Without knowing a bit more I can't give much good feedback. The only thing I can say works regardless of circumstance is exercise. If you're not exercising enough, figure out a way to change that. That having been said:

Are you physically active?
Do you drink caffeine?
smoke cigarettes?
Smoke marijuana?
Vape?
Drink alcohol?
Do you eat enough food every day?
Healthy enough food?
Are you well hydrated?
On any medication?
What's a typical stressy anxious day look like for you?
Do you have trouble sleeping beyond this issue?

Any other symptoms during these panic attacks beyond feeling anxious and high bpm? Sweat? Body temp? Dry mouth? Difficulty swallowing?

[–] fieldswork@sh.itjust.works 2 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (1 children)

I walk the dog a mile or two daily, exercise between a few times a month to a couple times a week. I drink 1-2 cups of black coffee a day and sugar-free soda pretty often, no smoking/vaping and I don’t drink regularly. I cook the same kinds of foods pretty constantly (oftentimes with probably a lot more cheese than I need lol) and eat fast food pretty regularly but I take vitamins and I don’t think I go crazy with anything, I’m about 150lbs at 5ft10. No meds, I definitely don’t sleep 8hrs on weekdays but I get at least 6. I do have a new job which is remote, on paper it’s not particularly stressful but it’s new for me to be the go-to guy for my specialty and it’s still something I’m getting used to. Other symptoms from my last panic attack were nausea, dizziness, feeling kinda weak, sweat on my hands and feet, no dry mouth or difficulty swallowing that I can remember.

And thanks for the advice, I’ve been procrastinating on setting an exercise routine but it’s great to hear that that’s an option for management. I will say I did also have my last few panic spikes on a really sedentary week, work from home is new to me so maybe spending time touching grass is important? Crazy

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Only thing I notice out of the ordinary is a new job/remote work. How do you feel you're doing at your new job? Have you had remote work positions before? Have you ever lost a job suddenly?

As long as you're not exercising to the point of total exhaustion, taking healthy breaks and rest days, there's no limit so long as you're otherwise healthy. Go for a long walk up a steep hill for an hour like 5 days a week.

[–] fieldswork@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

eeehhhhh remote work is admittedly isolating for me, but the work, pay and benefits of staying at home are all nice. I had a very similar remote job before this one which I had gotten furloughed from. The job hunt was pretty brutal, landed a contract job doing IT for a hospital which was actually pretty fun and rewarding, but that contract ended and my previous employer offered me the remote job I work now. The bunch of people I work with are all much more serious than the last team I was a part of, but they’re also all really talented at what they do so it’s been a challenge to keep up, but it’s very manageable.

I think my own takeaways are that I just need to carve out time to move and talk with people … in a not-work context, my social circle has shrunk since I had graduated and most of my homies live an hour away. Dunno if that all makes sense? It still feels weird that something that simple could’ve caused me to feel that kind of dread.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Yeah, many things can cause anxiety and panic attacks. One of them is definitely living in your head too much. I know that flavor quite well!

I find whenever I am tackling technical projects that require me to learn so much that I couldn't even really properly vent to a stranger is when I'm unknowingly redlining my burn-out-o-meter.

If venting requires multiple nested bullet points, I need to make time for a hike up a mountain, or focus on a creative project like trying to record a cover of a song.

When I don't, sometimes my anxiety and subsequent panic attacks literally just look like tourettes without words. Just a yell. My mind will suddenly start tripping over the multiple nested bullet points while Im doing something else, And I'll reflexively just yell. Sometimes just "Fuck!" Or "Ahh!" Always fun to explain to my girlfriend. "No, it was nothing. Just a little anxiety spike." Thankfully for me never woke me up. All anxiety is different.

So make some time for yourself. Technical projects like a selfhosted home lab do not count if it's the same kinda shit that you do at work. Unfortunately. (don't) Ask me how I know. Go do something physical. My rule of thumb was to push my cardio to the point where I literally had no bandwidth to think about anything but breathing. Steep hills never fail. That, or find a project I can immerse myself in and lose track of time. Something that won't frustrate me in any way that isn't positive.

[–] the_abecedarian@piefed.social 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Book appointments with both a psychiatrist and a psychologist. They are qualified to give you tools to handle anxiety and its companion, depression. It may take a couple of tries to find the right one.

In the meantime, look up breathing exercises for meditation and find ways to disconnect from things that trigger anxiety, like the news.

[–] fieldswork@sh.itjust.works 1 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

lol, i don’t want to dig at my PCP but when i asked about referrals i got the impression they thought therapy was just paying to get talked at

I… will take a look at that, my insurance isn’t phenomenal but if I can’t figure this out that’s what I’ll try next.

[–] the_abecedarian@piefed.social 3 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

I never say "don't listen to your doctor", but your PCP isn't a mental health professional and you need to be your own best advocate. Not every Psych works for every person, but there is very, very likely one that works for you who your insurance will cover. Since you have executive function now, it's good that you're taking action now. If you ever run out of executive function, reach out to trusted friends and family.

In an emergency, call 988 if you're in the US or otherwise look up your local mental health crisis hotline now and write the number down.

[–] fieldswork@sh.itjust.works 1 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago)

oh god I hadn’t considered that listening to news could cause psychic damage

[–] Nomad@infosec.pub 3 points 1 day ago

Look into (c)PTSD. This often manifests years after the trauma and often manifests as anxiety or panic attacks. Its also regularly misdiagnosed as generalized anxiety disorder. Short term, breathing ("physiological sigh") helps. I also recently learned there are essential oils that are not mumbo jumbo and actually activate the gaba receptor to instantly calm your nervous system when you smell them. In the hospital they made me a little smell box which you just breathe in for one or two breaths and it is like magic.

Long term you need to find somebody to diagnose and treat what causes this and probably help you readjust your nervous system to you calmer self.

[–] CrypticCoffee@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

You say unscathed but the situation doesn't back that up.

Being generally anxious and stressy isn't a normal state. If you're on highened levels of stress for a long-period of time, it can affect you.

Is there something you're particularly stressed and anxious about. Some unresolved puzzle that won't allow your mind to relax? You seem to aim to distract from rather than accept and address the problem. Mental stress is like juggling balls and the more you have up in the air, the harder it is to deal with and the more your brain is preparing for something coming down.

Do you have ways to decompress / wind down after work?

Exercise still can be stimulating, walking can give you time to think, process and make decisions. Meditation can help to take layers of stress out, but ultimately some talking therapies can help address the problems and tackle them head on.

Sometimes I write shit I need to do down so I can forget it in short term and address it when ready.

[–] fieldswork@sh.itjust.works 1 points 19 hours ago

I do listen to music/podcasts a lot while doing chores or cooking or etc, I’m a pretty big gamer but that free time has gone towards taking care of a 5-month old puppy 💀 that …. May have something to do with it.

I’m the same way with notes, I catch myself all the time stressing out about whatever tasks I have queued up - as soon as I write them down and am able to see the list in front of me it feels a lot more manageable.

[–] PumaStoleMyBluff@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

If you feel like you are settling down into a normal rhythm after a constant rush of things that were objectively stressful, but didn't have time to process them, your brain might be taking the opportunity to process the emotions that you weren't really processing before.

Definitely look into both talk therapy and psychiatry; normally I'd say try just therapy first, but with the heart rate spiking I think it's safer to at least have an emergency med on hand, and potentially an SSRI baseline as well to help even out the night episodes and get you some sleep.