It happened on a Tuesday afternoon. I was in a meeting, someone asked me a question, and suddenly I couldn\'t breathe. My chest tightened, my vision blurred, and I genuinely thought I was dying. I excused myself, locked myself in the bathroom, and sat on the floor for twenty minutes. That was my first full panic attack — and I had no idea what was happening to me.
The shame afterwards was almost worse than the panic itself. I work in an open-plan office and I was convinced everyone knew something was wrong with me. I Googled everything I could and started trying all the wrong things — breathing into a paper bag (which can actually make it worse, apparently), pushing through it, pretending it hadn\'t happened.
What eventually helped: the cold water trick (running cold water over your wrists and face actually works to jolt your nervous system), grounding — naming 5 things I can see, 4 I can touch, 3 I can hear. And honestly, the biggest thing was telling my line manager. I was terrified she\'d think I was unstable. She didn\'t. She moved my seat near a window and told me she\'d had panic disorder for eight years. I nearly cried.
Has anyone else experienced panic attacks at work? I\'d love to know what helped you — the more specific the better. The generic advice never cuts it.