After a summer of mostly down days and many panic attacks I suddenly felt better a few days before an eye operation. I was surprised by that because I was quite stressed out for this operation. But no complaints …finally feeling better.
That lasted 3 weeks and then the panic attacks came back. Some stressors I could think of, I faced head on. Knowing that letting them linger inside my head was not going to help me. But somehow I could not get the good feeling back.
And about a week ago my lungs decided it was high time for an exacerbation of my COPD and the stress of that, leaves me now with a tired body, a tired mind and confusion about what is what. It is quite hard to distinguish hyperventilation from breathing fast from fysical strain.
And last night I woke up to an panic attack and that makes the coming night one I am not looking forward to.
And before anyone wonders…I have medication for my lungs and I have spoken to my doctor today.
Hi @Razzle
Anxiety attacks are really hard to handle, I’m sorry that you’re having a bad time with it. Facing your fears head on is a healthy way to manage it, I’m proud of you for doing that!
Some coping things I’ve learned that I can share with you are… being in the moment which means focusing on the “right now” and that you are safe. The other really important thing to remember is to breathe. We forget to breathe correctly while we are in a panic and that actually causes more distress. Taking deep breaths from your diaphragm… in 4 seconds and out 4 seconds really helps to calm you. You can also do something that is distracting and has nothing to do with your fears. Sing a song out loud, draw, play with your pets, sit outside and listen to nature etc.
I hope this helps, I know how scary this is and how hard it is to get a handle on. I also hope your doctor can help you with your COPD 
I can’t say that I have experience first hand with COPD, however I had Covid in January which brought on Double Lung Pneumonia. (sarcasm That was just soooo much fun… 
) It took me so long to recover this year. But, I honestly believe staying in the hospital away from my loved ones triggered my anxiety and pushed me back into a deep depression. I have been battling that for too long and I’ve grown quite tired of it. Anxiety and Panic attacks are no joke for me, so I know it’s difficult to deal with. I agree with @Mystrose as well. Knowing your triggers and learning how to cope with them are going to help you in the long run. I think it’s also a good idea to have a trusted friend/family member you can call that will help you get back to focusing on the good, even if it takes you having that person with you. Moving helps me with I’m in my situations: walking, dancing to music, drawing, driving, etc.
I’m sorry you have had to deal with medical issues as well as these panic attacks. I think many people don’t realize that emotional issues can arise in life when there is a lot of trauma to their bodies, especially having and extended illness or long recoveries. It was so helpful to have people that cared about me and walked with me through my recovery. I hope you have the opportunity to surround yourself with love and support, and know that you have that here as well. You are not alone and you are loved! Stay strong, friend!
Thanks @Mystrose and @voiceless_wonder for your stories and encouraging replies.
Unfortunately COPD is a chronic disease with no cure , so I just have to deal with it. I live with adjusted speed in everything and that lousy but doable. But having a flare-up is hard to deal with when already having regular panic attacks.
Sometimes I know the triggers and I can act, but worrying about my health is something I cannot seem to stop and I have so little influence over…just waiting for the medication to help me back up.
I watch some tv, play some games on the computer, wander around a bit on the internet, try some meditations. But meditations are sometimes even hard to do because breathing is hard work for me.
Today I feel a bit less down and I hope recovery has set in. And I also hope that this posting will create a bit more awareness for people that also deal with physical limits as well as mental challenges.
I’ve done a certain meditation since I was a teenager. My school counselor was a big support for me and during a group counseling thing I was in for drugs he taught it to us. It pretty much changed everything for me in how I coped with the horrible anxiety I had been experiencing. Part of it is breathing, but in a way that I think might be more easier on you.
This is how:
Lay on your back or sit comfortable in a chair in a quiet safe space. Close your eyes and notice your breathing only, don’t do anything else physically with that; just breathe as you normally would. Choose a favorite color and when you exhale imagine seeing that color leave your mouth in your mind. (mine is purple with glitter). Just focus on seeing the color of your breath as you exhale, not on taking deep breaths.
Once you have that down you can start the meditation. It’s really easy. Keep seeing the color of your breath in your mind and just notice your toes, focus on them and feel them…slowly move up to your legs to your head. Just notice how each body part feels and focus on it. Take your time and when you get to the top of your head you should feel peaceful. Sometimes, if I get really into it I feel like I’m floating.
Sometimes, I need to stop at more body parts than other times. Like I’ll do ankles, shin, knees. So, you can do whatever order you want, just as long as you move from your feet to your head.
I hope this helps 
From: Lisalovesfeathers (Discord)
Hi Razzle, thank you for you post. I am sorry you are having such a rough time, that few weeks of feeling good and feeling like a long time ago now, aren’t they? I think all the excite-ment and adrenalin of having the eye op, of it going well and getting better all made you feel good and both you and your body were focusing on that. Its like if you have a pain in one part of your body and you hurt yourself somewhere else, the other pain seems to go away until the second pain stops then automatically comes back, I don’t know why that happens its like you brain can only focus on one thing at a time. I cannot imagine what living with panic at-tacks and COPD together is like, it must be very frightening not to mention the utter exhaustion that goes with it, I am not surprised you feel the way you do. I urge you to let the doctor work on your meds and your COPD and you focus on Self Care. Relaxation techniques, breathing exercises if that is possible. There are so many videos on YouTube that you could listen to, talking ones or I find those a little irritating, so I tend to listen to thunderstorms or the ocean sounds. You will find something that relaxes you. Also have a look at mindfulness videos for when you are feeling panicked. All of that can assist you, it can’t cure your COPD but it can certainly go a way to helping. I do hope some of this is of some help for you friend. Please let us know if there is any more help you need. Much Love Lisa.
The panic attacks have come a little less frequent the last week but this afternoon one decided to visit. I have no clue as to why. I suppose something triggered it but what?
What I also wanted to to share is a meditation on youtube that helped me several times to get back some control over my breathing. Maybe it can help others too.
Anxiety Relief Meditation
Hey @Razzle, thank you for sharing this resource! It’s very much appreciated.
I’m glad to hear that the panic attacks are becoming less frequent, even though it’s stil there. The few times I personally had some, it happened during times that just didn’t make sense. I would generally be relaxed actually and focusing on something, but it seemed that my mind decided that nope, it couldn’t be a peaceful moment.
You may not always know why, or understand it immediately, but you are still able to focus on how to slow down and ease the distress you might feel at the time.
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