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774736 tn?1311331385

Panic at grocery store

Ive only had anxiety for about 2 months now but lately the symptoms have seemed to change...I used to experience chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath etc...Now it seems to be derealization, dizziness, lightheaded, and even sometimes combined with the other symptoms I mentioned before...Now yesterday I was helping a friend do some elecrical work and I went to the grocery store to pick up lunch.  All of a sudden I felt the symptoms come on I was scared outta my wits I could barely walk in a straight line, I felt like I was gonna faint.  By the time I got outta there after about 10min of shopping I could barely see straight...
How am I supposed to cope with this?  I felt like my life was in danger and I was shopping at a grocery store.
Sometimes I feel like im going insane.  Has anybody else experienced something similar?

Any feedback would be much appreciated
8 Responses
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Avatar universal
I think grocery stores, or large stores in general have been an issue for all of us at one point. I know when this all began for me, I was horrified at the idea that all of the sudden I was afraid of the grocery store! I could not believe it, this is something I had done millions of times over, I had never had a bad experience there, so why was I so afraid now, why did the panic hit me there? I am now able to get through my shopping, but I think about it EVERY TIME I am there. I realized what caused my anxiety, I was afraid something was going to happen to me when I was there, and I wouldn't know anyone that would be able to help me. I had a fear of being alone because I was afraid something would happen to me, and again, nobody would be there to help me. This was all brought on by a health scare about a year ago. As soon as I realized how bad this had become, I sought out therapy, and meds. I never wanted to be treated with meds, but realized right away that it is what I needed to get better, the therapy has helped tremendously, relaxation techniques have help tremendously as well.

As many others have said, these will not kill you, but it is a scary feeling, we all know about.

I can only suggest that you begin the process of getting better, and getting to the bottom of what is causing this for you. Otherwise, it is going to consume you, and continue to get worse.

Best of Luck to you! Keep us posted!
Kristine
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
we have the same situation.. I haven't fully found a way of dealing with a full blown panic attack but the best thing to do when this thing comes is deep breathing.. always remember that it wont kill you.. just stop whatever you are doing and close your eyes. imagine yourself in a hot tub.
Helpful - 0
671285 tn?1292660161
How long did your symptoms last?  Like all day, half the day, or just those ten minutes?

Can you describe the derealization part?  Like how did that feel?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I know what you mean....I have the same problem...
Doctors are tying to figure out if it is panic attacks or vertigo attacks,,,I am so scared, and life had totally changed for me....
Just know that it always passes....and much anxiety comes from negative thinking....try to control your thoughts...that is what I am attempting to do.....

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have experienced something similar...

I used to always get panic attacks when I went to Wal-Mart. I don't know if it was from the crowds, anxiety, or just it being Wal-Mart (evil I tell you- pure evil). It can get better, but you have to break the cycle of panic. The more you do nothing about it, the more set in stone the panic becomes. You need to sort of reprogram your brain. There's help out there, go for it. Good luck.
Helpful - 0
672514 tn?1265655141
You will find people deal with Panic/Anxiety in different ways (to control it) CBT, meds, self talk, relax tapes, breathing exercises and many more. some use all of these and some people use only one or two. regardless the one thing we have in common, is something in our brain is saying DANGER! so we need to find the cause and deal with it in the best way we can! this way we can (THIS IS THE KEY TO IT ALL- one word) WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at resolving the issues we have and move on. in doing so our body will not see danger when danger is not present.

please note you will find in this forum ALLOT OF PEOPLE , WITH different ways of dealing with panic/anxiety, please remember what works for one person may not work for all and also some people deal with panic/Anxiety for one or two episodes and some people have it longer. be sure to take what you can and please allways ask questions. best regards.
Helpful - 0
549637 tn?1316705828
Okay, don't take this the wrong way because I am not lecturing or judging, in fact I have had the same thing happen to me before but I learned how to control panic attacks through what I say to myself and my thoughts.  Now this is a very long hard process to learn and apply, it took me more than 15 years to be able to do it well but I am now off all psych drugs and I can go through a panic attack and totally get myself out of it without anyone knowing there is a problem.  EFT and tapping work well for this too.
Helpful - 0
774268 tn?1236432951
You are having Anxiety/Panic attacks. We all have those same symptoms. Do research on the web, It might help you understand. AND Remember They will not kill you! They are mind tricks, "payback for something"
Helpful - 0
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