I had never in my life had an anxiety attack before until a horrific car accident where I was sitting at a stop sign - happened to be looking the other way - when two cars on the intersecting road hit and careened into me at about 50 mph. I had my foot on the brake (sign was on an incline) and the collision still pushed my SUV back and into a telephone pole...I never saw it coming. The first time I got in the rental car to drive to work, I had what I later found out was a panic attack. I .had no knowledge of them, so I thought if I just used breathing, I could get past it. We who have experienced one know that once it is really triggered all the way, the adrenaline is in your system and it won't subside until that does. I liken that experience to driving in a video game. Everything seemed to be coming at me at warp speed, in technicolor! I was a single Mom, and I HAD to drive all the heck over the place (one daughter was in Navy Seat Cadets, Mock Trial, travel softball, so I was constantly on the road with her). I finally went to a psychologist who explained what a panic attack was. I came up with a plan that worked. I realized that the attack actually started when I THOUGHT about driving....so I started out simply stopping during cooking dinner, while the girls ate, cleaning up, or after a walk, grabbing my keys, getting in the car and just going around the block. After about a week, I went a bit further, and then further, until I was on a highway. I conditioned myself over time not to trigger the attack by not thinking about it long enough for it to get started and haven't had one since. Since this was situationally created, that was possible.
SO glad I figured it out. I was still a smoker then, and I am sure the dopamine hit didn't help at all, at all!
Glad you ended up safe and sound - and still smoke free.
Nancy
