
Problem with Panic Attacks
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Am I normal, is my question here.
At work, once, I saw a headline of a young child dying of a heart attack after some other children, playing a prank, hung him by his coat in the bathroom on a door. Immediately I ran to the bathroom and couldn't catch my breath. I was crying, hyperventilating, getting dizzy. All I could think was "That poor baby! He must have been so scared. He's just a baby"
Then today, just a while ago, on a preview clip for tonights 20/20 there was a horrific video clip of young child, maybe 4, being surrounded by dentists while laying on a table, legs flailing and screaming. The story, apparently, is about "dentists" performing unnecessary procedures on children for the money. Immediately, again, I started breathing rapidly, crying, and was having a really hard time calming myself down. "Why does this happen?! He can feel that! He's in pain and he's scared with no comfort" is what I was thinking.
Are my reactions something to be concerned about? My heart is still racing. I can't get this little boy's screaming out of my head. Does this happen to anyone else?
I don't think it's at that point yet but I do find it odd that even after we put a security system in place in our house I still don't feel at ease going to sleep. Every little noise sits me straight up and I'll sit there listening for a minute if I don't get out of bed and "investigate" the house while holding a bat. Could it be paranoia? And if it is do I really want it to go away?
when it comes to the news articles, I think you're just sensitive. I think there's a problem with people who feel nothing when they see those kinds of images.
Loving 27 year old mama to a 10 year old activist, a 6 year old energy ball, and a nursling due at the end of May!
I think if every little noise at bedtime is making you fear for your safety though, it does sound like it's interfering with your life and it's possible it could be an anxiety disorder. Sometimes pregnancy can trigger anxiety or make it worse (or better, everyone's different). If you have access to a professional it might be something to look into.
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"The words are being spoken now, are being written down; the taboos are being broken, the masks of motherhood are cracking through." Adrienne Rich, Of Woman Born
I think anxiety is a feeling that can really linger if it's given a home.
(I don't mean for any of these questions to be mean hearted, only want to see if there's something your missing)
Are there other issues going on with your life that your not dealing with?
Are you getting enough sleep? Super stressed about anything?
In my experience if my life isn't in order, if my emotional well being is off, other things in my life start to become an issue too.
Nothing really springs to mind. I generally feel pretty content the majority of the time. I am pregnant and was when my first "episode" occurred so that could be what's contributing but I still am pretty sure I'm ultra sensitive to issues surrounding young children even when I'm not pregnant.

I got really bad nightmares for a while and had to stop watching tv. Especially with the pregnancy, the panicky feeling is normal. If it gets to where it interferes with your life, you can speak to your doctor about anxiety meds.