dead plants rule

Hi. Long time therapy winner here. So first things first, you should absolutely talk to a therapist, not just take pills. The second thing you need to do is figure out your preferred grounding mechanism. This is usually going to involve one your senses, sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste, or breath. (Even though breath isn't a traditional sense)

I know people who keep pine bark on a necklace, I know people who list 5 things of a particular color near them, and I know people who listen to a song. Usually breath is combined with whatever else you're doing. Both as part of grounding and to cue your brain to pay attention to the sense you're using.

A therapist can help you figure what works for you to get you back from panic attacks as quickly as possible. And you are absolutely not alone.

I would definitely recommend trying therapy. Self help and meds will both help, but, for me, therapy made the biggest difference in the long run.

I don’t know anyone irl as affected as me so I mainly just want validation I’m not alone and there’s a path forward.

you can have that validation from me. spontaneous panic attacks or anxiety attacks can happen in the face of extreme danger, even if that danger would only be imaginary. in this case, it might be real, though, depending on your situation.

I assume you live in the US, since you didn't say.

What's important is that you make a long-term plan ("where do you see yourself in 30 years") that's as realistic as possible and also at least acceptable. Every time the panic attacks start just focus on that vision (and on the path to get there). That will calm you down and give you a clearer mind. However, it is utterly important that you make such a plan. Without such a plan, i am deeply convinced people cannot live healthy, happy lives.

There are already some good suggestions in the other comments, I just want to add a point: Anxiety attacks can be a problem by themselves, but they may also be a symptom of something else. Insofar it is good to sort things out with a professional (therapist or psychologist) who can do the tests to determine what the root cause is.

Having said that, a personal addition: Mental and physical exhaustion can exacerbate mental health symptoms of all kinds and - to me - it sounds worth pointing out that you experience these anxiety attacks at or after work. So anything you can do to reduce the exhaustion may already help a little to alleviate symptoms. If you have a possibility to slow down a bit and ensure that you are well hydrated and that your blood sugar doesn't drop too much (ie. make sure you aren't famished) that could already help you to get a better grip on these anxiety attacks.

Either way: Stay strong, friend!

A therapist probably wouldn't hurt to give a try.

You could also take stock of sources of stress in your life, especially any that have emerged/increased in intensity in the last few months. At my previous job, my anxiety took a massive spike due to a crazy boss, layoffs hanging over everyone's heads and an increasing workload. Even on anxiety meds, I was getting massive headaches on a daily basis and would spend hours on the verge of being ill from it. Once I got laid off, the anxiety went back down to my more manageable baseline, and the medication became a lot more effective for managing it.

Obviously, just entirely leaving the situation isn't a great option for everyone (heck, I lost the best paid job I ever had in the process, which wasn't great), but even if that isn't feasible, it might give you some insight into how you might mitigate the issue.

Also, keep on going when treatments don't work. There's no magic bullet here that works for everyone, so while it can be frustrating, keep trying things until you land on something that does the trick for you.