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Constant Panic Attack Symptoms; “This Is Not A Panic Attack!”

by Dr. Blumberg on October 31, 2010

Every morning, even before you put one foot on the floor, that wave of lightheadedness and shallow breathing strikes again. The nagging, annoying shallow breathing and spacey feelings seem to linger on and off, all day.  You are desperately yearning for a break. You look forward to sleep as your only escape from the dreaded feelings. Even when you wake up in the middle of the night, the same feelings are there. You are a prisoner in your own body.

“This Is Not a Panic Attack!”

You can’t help but think, “This is not a panic attack.  Panic attacks have a beginning and an end. In the panic state, I am terrified something awful is about to happen.  I think I am dying or going crazy. This is different. I have one symptom, lightheadedness.  It is always there.  Every day, it seems to be getting worse.  Maybe the doctor missed something. I might have an underlying, undetected progressive illness that is slowly taking over my body.”

All of a sudden, you find yourself free of the lightheaded feeling.  You think, “I hope I feel like this all day. I hope the awful feeling does not come back.”  Before you know it, you are trapped in your body again with the very same dreaded lightheaded feeling.

*Constant Panic Attack Symptoms Are Fueled by Dwelling Health Doubt and Fear Of Disease.

It can be very difficult to see that the worrisome thinking about the lightheadedness actually fuels the lightheaded feeling.

The Five Most Common Anxious Thought Patterns Associated With Constant Panic Attack Symptoms

1.)    Why am I feeling so lightheaded all the time?

2.)    What could be causing me to feel so awful?

3.)     Maybe the lightheadedness is a symptom of a developing neurological disease.

4.)    When will these feeling go away?

5.)    Will I ever feel normal again?

The Five Most Common Chronic Panic Attack Symptoms

1)      Lightheadedness

2)      Shallow breathing

3)      Tingling in the arms, legs, feet, hands and face

4)      Head pressure

5)      Chest pressure

You have consulting several different family doctors and specialist about your constant panic attack symptom and frequented the Emergency Room several times.  Even though all the doctors reassure you that you are in perfect health, it is still hard to believe that such a strong, constant symptom of head pressure could be caused by anxiety.

My patients often tell me “I will stop worrying about my health, when my symptoms go away.”

I say, “Your symptoms will go away, when you stop worrying about your health.”

When Your Panic Attack Symptom Leaves, Don’t Celebrate

The more you dread your panic attack symptom and try to get rid of it, the more you fuel the symptom with adrenaline and fear.  You must be ready to feel the panic attack symptom without fear for the time being.  Only then, will you watch the feeling fade away.  When your panic attack symptom leaves, don’t celebrate.  That is the beginner’s mistake. When you rejoice when your panic attack symptom leaves, you slip back into dreading the return of the symptom.  That dread of the symptom triggers the symptom.

Use the Mind-Body Checklist link below to help understand the rules that govern the panic experience.

http://whypanic.com/what-is-panic-disorder/the-mind-body-connection

*This educational information should always be used in consultation with your doctor to confirm a diagnosis and review available treatments for panic disorder.

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