Today is going to be a high anxiety day. For some of us, it might be the first time we experience a panic attack. Reducing or eliminating caffeine and alcohol can be good first steps to preventing the worst outcome. https://twitter.com/markyjackson5/status/1323607130243440640

I think Marky is probably a stress/anxiety pro at this point (lol Ops jobs). That said, when I first had panic attacks, I didn't understand what was happening. The doctor thought it was just gas.

You can read more about symptoms here https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/panic-disorder-when-fear-overwhelms/index.shtml

I was only diagnosed when I insisted to my doctor that it felt like I was DYING. That feeling of depersonalization and death is actually part of the diagnosis for panic attacks https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t10/

Medications like Ativan/Lorazepam are very effective at stopping panic attacks in the short term. Over the long term, if you think you're suffering, you absolutely want to speak to a doctor. Trust me, this stuff is all bound up in our behavioral circuitry.

Talk to your doctor. For me, I also specifically asked my doctor for an alternative to Ativan. I don't like depending on addictive drugs (however slight their addictiveness might be).

My doc prescribed me a beta-blocker, which treats most of the adrenaline related symptoms

As an aside, Beta Blockers are also great if you get anxiety or panic about other stuff like public speaking. They can stop the sweats and nausea, and make life like 100x better. Seriously, talk to your doctor about it. Severe anxiety is treatable.