am i having a panic attack?

[nicky751]

this morning i had just finished an exam, about 5 minutes later my heart started racingand i felt weak, faint,and dizzy also i got chest pains, breathing difficulties and felt as if i had no control. this lasted less than ten minutes and my teacher sent me out to get some fresh air.
By the way i'm 14 years old

[benthic_man]

It certainly sounds like anxiety. Has this happened to you before? If this was an isolated incident, a physical issue may have contributed- being stressed, combined with low blood sugar, hunger, or illness can make symptoms worse. One of the best and fastest exercises you can do to calm yourself is to breathe deeply 5 times, focusing on slow, even breaths- in through the nose, out through the mouth- focus on the sound of the air moving into and out of the body. This should take a little less than a minute.
Everyone has mechanisms to help them cope with anxiety- when it gets out of hand, that's where it's best to reach out for help. Your teacher did you a big favor in sending you out for a change of scenery- distraction works on a temporary basis. If you find this anxiety becoming problematic, you need to change something in your life- whether it's how you deal with stress, or minimizing the stress itself- getting things back into proportion, where your worries are proportional to the problem, and can be managed, should be one of your personal goals. Going about that may require outside assistance, or it may not. Look up differing forms of relaxation exercises, and try them out. Some will work for you, and some won't. Find the ones that work, and then find the ones that work best.

[onebalance]

Yup you bet....sounds exactly like what happens. Don't worry about it. My advice would be that you talk to your parents about it, and get it out in the open. Talking things thorough with somebody is a great way to try and rationalize WHY certain things (in this case your panic) may be taking place. If it continues, make sure you talk to a physician of some sorts to see if they can help you. There are lots of options for treating anxieties like this.
This can be scary as hell, trust me, I know and I'm 24 now. The more you know about it, the less fear you have of it.

[mammo]

Hopefully this was a one time occurrence and you won't have any more panic attacks.  But mention this to your parents so that if it happens again they can get you into therapy so you can learn how to cope better.  Panic attacks are scary but very harmless.  When you feel yourself getting anxious do some deep breathing exercises...slowly in thru your nose and out of your mouth.  I hope this helps and best wishes.

[mjohnston]

Sounds like a panic attack! getting fresh air helps!! YOU probably had alot on your mind! try and relax and I hope you feel better!