My anxiety attacks started almost exactly 10 years ago and changed my life completely.   The Change was very hard for me, I hated the anxiety and wanted so much to feel “normal emotions” again without the bouts of extreme fear that would start to control my life.

My anxiety attacks varied from physical feelings like palpitation and hyperventilation to severe nervousness where I felt as though I could crawl out of my skin, go crazy, or pass out at any moment.  I once heard it described really well…

“Imagine your sitting on a beach, the suns beating down, your children are playing and laughing in the water in front of you, you close your eyes for a moment to feel the warm sun on your face and suddenly everything is silent, when you open your eyes your children are gone, you look left, you look right, but they are no where to be found…. that moment… that intense fear… is what anxiety attacks are like”  except there is no scenario the sweats, racing heartbeat, hyperventilation and feeling that you could loose control or pass out comes from nowhere.

I’ve learned to live with it although at times it has made my life very difficult.  I have a hard time trusting people and making friends.  Simple social situations that used to come so easy to me now can be very arduous and I can sometimes become sort of like a deer in headlights.  However, I am trying my best to overcome it and taking small steps towards beating it.  I would be happy to talk with anyone going through something similar.