Panic Attacks

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How Do You Deal With Turbulence?

Many people struggle with turbulence when it comes to fear of flying. Some spend much of a flight anticipating turbulence, almost bracing for it throughout the flight while hoping it doesn't show up. Even though people know rationally in their minds that turbulence is a part of flying and doesn't present any reasonable danger (outside of not wearing a seatbelt during turbulence), the emotional experience of turbulence can feel like you are in danger— that catastrophe either is happening, or about to happen.

Fear of Turbulence

There's a lot that goes into fear of turbulence, psychologically and emotionally on deeper levels, and these underlying causes for the fear generally vary from person to person. The body can emotionally have a way of responding immediately to turbulence, whether it's tension, a pit in the stomach, heart rate increasing, sweaty palms, panic, rapid breathing, and more. Thoughts and worries can start to surface, imagining all of the bad things that could happen or may be happening, even if they're not actually happening. These "what if's" can take over when feeling out of control and scared. These are important to address while working to overcome fear of flying.

The vulnerability that comes along with being in a shaking plane can feel incredibly overwhelming. Many people with flying anxiety experience the moment turbulence starts as an indication everything is going wrong. It goes from smooth and stable to out of control and seemingly catastrophic very quickly.

Fear of Flying Programs and Even Many Therapies Miss on Treating Turbulence (and Flying Anxiety as a Whole)

Turbulence has stumped people over time who try to help with fear of flying. While I work with the whole range of fear of flying (from people who fly with anxiety to those who don't fly at at all), I do hear from a significant number of people who haven't been able to overcome the fear of turbulence in spite of all of the therapies and programs by airlines and pilots they have tried. They may learn a lot about turbulence, but still can't stop the emotional response when in it, or in the anticipation of it.

One of the reasons people often feel little improvement for fear of flying and turbulence is that the vast majority of what's out there uses typical emotional regulation techniques that have never really worked well in flying scenarios (imagery or breathing exercises). While these types of exercises can be useful for parts of the overall flying anxiety process, they don't tend to be so helpful with with calming anxiety and panic once it has taken over. These exercises often misdirect people into trying to control their feelings in ways that emotionally sets up an internal battle in these fearful moments. If you feel like your safety is truly being threatened, you can't just start meditating or deep breathing with any sort of effectiveness. It becomes a tug-of-war that often leaves people feeling more out of control and helpless.

So, How Can People Approach Turbulence in a Way that Can Be Helpful?

I've written a lot about my approach to helping people overcome fear of flying in other articles if you wish to read more. A significant piece of overcoming fear of flying is shifting how we experience flying and how we interact with it. The same goes for turbulence. When we get caught up in trying to make big feelings smaller, or trying to figuratively run away from the turbulence (which many common emotional regulation techniques aim to do), we are already fighting a losing battle. As much as we may urge to, we can't run away from the turbulence when we're in the plane with it.

Therefore, it becomes necessary to shift how we interact with the turbulence, as opposed to battling it for emotional control. Rather than trying to get away from it, it's important to start finding the middle ground between smooth and catastrophic, and start shifting the "what if's" into "what is". A lot of people who struggle with flying anxiety can find it difficult to locate that middle ground, which can lead to catastrophic feelings if any turbulence shows up (or a certain threshold of shaking or bumping in the plane is crossed).

A Turbulence Exercise

I have created a number of turbulence exercises that focuses on shifting how you engage with turbulence—effectively changing the interaction with it, locating the what is and the middle ground—which actually gives you the space to feel more empowered and in control in these moments. When you can coexist with the turbulence, you allow the room to start to experience that it's not as scary.

One starter exercise is to "rate the bumps" in turbulence.

What does this involve?

It's how it sounds. When the plane bumps or shakes, rate the intensity of the bump on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the strongest bump). Keep a list on your phone or write it down somewhere as you experience each bump. Keep writing down rating of each bump through turbulent moments—3/10, 6/10, 4/10, 3/10 again, etc. Try to be reasonable with it. If every bump is a 10/10 then try to challenge yourself to find a different number for as many as possible. As turbulence happens, continue to add to the list while looking back over the list to remind yourself of the middle ground between catastrophe and calm.

Building On This Technique and Overcoming Fear of Flying

This one exercise shouldn't be expected to cure your fear of turbulence on its own, so don't over expect from it. But it can hopefully start to lower the catastrophic feelings just a bit into a middle ground, as you allow yourself to experience a different interaction with turbulence. You're not running from it now, you're engaging with it. This allows the space to be in the room (or plane) with turbulence and, mixed in with other turbulence exercises and working through your own fear, this new interaction can go a long way towards overcoming fear of turbulence and flying anxiety as a whole.

#Phobia #fearofflying #Claustrophobia #PanicAttacks #Anxiety #Agoraphobia #flyinganxiety

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Gene sight testing and medication change

My psychiatrist and I did gene sight testing this month and today I had my appointment today.
I usually know a decent amount about this stuff, but I am confused (so is she). My “levels” are high and that means I lower doses of medications are recommended but I don’t feel anything on most meds. Even if they are for the first time I’ve tried them.

My cptsd symptoms mostly present as high energy, panic attacks, and a lot of body sensations. I rarely experience episodes of depression and we are pretty sure we have the correct diagnoses. But the anxiety is so hard even though I am doing so much work. I don’t know if it’s cortisol, or that my trauma response is still too high, or if it could be something to do with my thyroid or my liver. Anyways, I’m going to have to email my doctor because my therapist thought something was up physically since my anxiety is still so high.
My doctor is trying me on Limictal now. I’m concerned about issues with my memory because it already is pretty hard due to brain fog.

Anyways, thank you to anyone who reads this. If you can relate to any of this, please let me know. I’m usually good at identifying causes and I’m just so confused now.

#MentalHealth #CheckInWithMe #ChronicIllness #AutonomicDysfunction #PosturalOrthostaticTachycardiaSyndrome #POTS #Agoraphobia #Anxiety #PanicDisorder #GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder #ChronicVestibularMigraine #Migraine #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #ADHD #Disability

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I thought I was passed this

I was diagnosed with BPD at 14. My symptoms were extremely severe for a long time, but I’ve been in remission for years. I am 37. I also have CPTSD, OCD, generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks, Major depressive disorder, Dysthymic disorder, ADHD, Fibromyalgia, Degenerative disc disease, Arthritis, Spinal stenosis, And other chronic illnesses that involve immense pain and other challenges. I’ve done a lot of work to reach a place of stability and I’ve been doing pretty OK. I got sick last year and I haven’t gotten better. It might be long Covid. I used to live an extremely active life, and now I can’t the body that I was in and the person that I was is no more I am grieving the life. I thought I would have and I am grieving who I used to be. I feel lost and alone, but I have been managing. My husband‘s brother is in the Coast Guard stationed in Alaska. We live in south east United States Tuesday. My husband left to go to Alaska for eight days to visit his brother. He won’t be back till next Tuesday. It’s only been a couple of days And I am really struggling. My thoughts are dark and my BPD is making an appearance. A lot of what I am feeling is valid and there’s a lot of unresolved pain that he has caused through our relationship. I thought I had dealt with that is surfacing. I don’t feel like I can trust him anymore. I also caught him in a small lie. Which reaffirms that I cannot trust him. I thought we had a good relationship, but I think I was fooling myself. He is not a bad husband and he’s not a bad Person. But he’s also, not Ben the husband that I need. I realize I have been really really lonely pretty much our whole relationship there’s certain things I ask him to do and he says he will do and then he doesn’t do them. Or things that I tell him are important to me and he says he hears me and then there’s no follow-through.. He knows my story. He knows what I’ve been through and he knows what I struggle with. I told him he should go on this trip because I wanted to be a good supportive wife, but now I regret saying that he didn’t take the time to have conversations and check in with me to see how I was processing the coming up trip and to see what he could do to make sure I would be OK and have a safety plan in place. I really just want him to come home. I need him to come home but he won’t. If the situation was reversed, I would try and get an earlier flight back. And he’s choosing not to. On one side I get it because this trip is important to himand spending time with his brother is important to him but also what about me? What about our family, he keeps saying how he wishes we were there with him, and he keeps experiencing stuff and seeing stuff that he wishes he could share. and that this is hard for him too. But in all the videos and pictures he sent he looks like he’s having a great time and I’m here broken into 1 million pieces with no one to help hold me together. I feel alone betrayed abandoned and left out. Things that I have felt throughout our marriage as a byproduct of his choices he asked me to give him Grace, but I have nothing left to give. I don’t know where this leaves us I think he expects to come home and everything’s just gonna be fine and that’s not the case. I don’t know what to do. I feel so defeated and letdown by the one person that’s supposed to have my back and the one person that supposed to be there for me for better or worse. And he’s not.

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The panic attacks noone sees!

It starts with a small ache in my chest, and then suddenly, it feels like something heavy is sitting on me. My heart races like it’s trying to escape, and I can’t catch my breath, no matter how hard I try. It feels like I’m choking on air. My hands shake, my throat tightens, and my mind spins with fear fear of dying, fear of losing control, fear of everything and nothing. I feel trapped inside my own body, like I’m screaming without a voice. It’s not just pain it’s panic tearing through me, silent but loud, invisible but so real.

#MentalHealth #Anxiety #ChronicFatigue #ChronicPain

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I'm new here!

Hi, my name is Maissaabz. I'm here because i have been suffering from panic attacks and physical symptoms for seven years

#MightyTogether

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I Lived 27 Years in Confusion Before Learning I Had Complex Partial Seizures

For years, I thought I was just “too sensitive.”

I blamed myself for struggling to focus, for my poor memory, and for the anxiety that seemed to follow me everywhere.

At 18, during college, I had what I thought was a heart attack.

Sudden dizziness.

Panic.

A deep fear that I was dying.

But the hospital said everything was normal.

Blood tests, ECG — all clear.

I was told:

“You're just stressed.”

I wanted to believe them.

But something inside me knew… it wasn’t just stress.

Childhood: My Silent Beginning

I grew up in a home filled with emotional tension, financial problems, and arguments. As a child, I didn’t understand what trauma meant — but I was living in it. My mind stored every fear, every scream, every moment of shame.

In school, I faced judgment, discouragement, and emotional isolation. I commuted in overcrowded buses, studied while facing constant comparison and shame, and heard discouraging words from many directions.

No one saw what was happening inside me.

I didn’t even understand it myself.

Age 18 to 27: A Decade of Silent Suffering

After that first panic attack, the symptoms kept coming — but in strange ways that didn’t always make sense:

I would feel like I was watching myself from outside.

My awareness would “slip” for a few seconds or minutes.

I’d have sudden episodes of fear, dizziness, or numbness.

My memory was getting worse.

Learning anything new took so much effort.

My body would feel different — like I wasn’t fully in control.

I had shame I couldn’t explain. Guilt I didn’t deserve.

I asked myself questions like:

“Why is my brain like this?”

“Why can’t I think clearly like others?”

“What’s wrong with me?”

No one had answers.

Even I didn’t.

Looking Back Hurts

Now, I’m 27. And sometimes it hurts to think:

“What if someone noticed earlier?”

“What if I got the right help when I was a child?”

“Could my life have been easier?”

Maybe I wouldn’t have blamed myself so much.

Maybe I would’ve believed in my abilities.

Maybe I would’ve stopped hiding my struggles.

The Diagnosis That Changed My Life

After another overwhelming episode, I finally got an EEG and an MRI.

And that’s when I got the diagnosis:

Mesial Temporal Sclerosis (MTS)

A structural brain condition where part of the hippocampus (mine was on the right side) is damaged or smaller. It affects memory, emotion, and behavior.

Complex Partial Seizures

Neurological episodes that don’t look like the typical “seizure” you see on TV. Mine would come as dream-like disconnections, unusual physical sensations, confusion — and for years, they were invisible to others.

I wasn’t “too sensitive.”

I wasn’t weak.

I was living with a neurological condition no one could see.

💪 I Survived What I Didn’t Understand

In those 10 years of silent suffering, I still:

🎓 Completed my Undergrad

🎓 Finished my MCA

💻 Became a Mobile App Developer in the IT field

I worked hard — harder than most, because my brain was fighting a silent battle every day.

And yet… I made it this far.

💬 A Letter to the Person I Was (and Maybe Someone Reading This)

Dear Me,

You’re not broken.

You never were.

You were simply surviving something you didn’t yet understand.

You lived with invisible trauma, silent seizures, and misunderstood emotions.

And still — you kept going.

Now that you finally know the truth…

Now, real healing can begin.

You are brave.

You are not alone.

And if someone else out there feels the same way:

Please don’t give up. Keep searching for answers.

You deserve to be heard. You deserve peace.

— Me, Age 27

🧠 Final Thought

To anyone living with anxiety, strange mental experiences, confusion, or emotional overwhelm — especially when tests come back “normal” — don’t give up.

Sometimes the problem isn’t just emotional. Sometimes it’s neurological.

You are not imagining it.

You are not weak.

You are just waiting to be understood.

You’re not alone.

#complexpartialseizure #MentalHealth #SeizureDisorder

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Struggling to “relax” without guilt

Hi.

I am currently working on learning to relax.

Like truly learning to LET myself relax. This isn’t about the skills. I know “what to do.” My brain just doesn’t let me.

I just recently found out that I “likely have POTS” and I have had chronic migraines for years (currently disabled ). I just kept doing stuff because I didn’t want to miss out on living my life and being outside. This is the first summer I’m trying to listen to my body and stay out of the heat until I really know what’s going on and what works to manage symptoms enough so I don’t flare up. But it’s hard for my adhd and panic attacks.

The thought challenging of that guilt or sadness about missing out is really hard. I know it won’t be this way forever, but it’s hard right now.

#AutonomicDysfunction #PosturalOrthostaticTachycardiaSyndrome
#Agoraphobia #PanicDisorder #ADHD #ChronicVestibularMigraine #Migraine #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder

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Meltdown

I had a meltdown because of all of this negativity from my mother, anxiety and all. It was too much. I stayed in my closet + blanket from 9:30am to 1:10pm. The nurses were looking for me and they were really anxious and worried but I couldn't unhide. I couldn't press the button to call the nurses. I just hid as I always do... I didn't even ate..

One of the nurses were really "heartbroken" I think because he tried to befriend me the past few days..

I just keep thinking what if my mother is the one in the truth ? What if I'm imagining everything? What if I just want to draw attention to me ?

#MentalHealth #AutismSpectrumDisorder #Autism #Anxiety #GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder #PanicAttacks #MajorDepressiveDisorder #Depression #PanicAttack #EatingDisorder #EatingDisorderRecovery #SuicidalIdeation #SuicidalThoughts #SuicideAttemptSurvivors

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