-- Posted by Ms Monster at 6:39 pm on July 9, 2009 i have had panic attacks before, and in general i am just anxiety-ridden i have improved over the years, but i was wondering when you feel that pit-of-your-stomach feeling for no reason, what do you do to calm yourself down immediately? all i can think to do is focus on my breathing but it doesn't always help. do you guys have any tips for this sort of anxiety? how many people have experienced this? :( it seems like when i mention this to other people they have no idea what i am talking about. thanks :) -- Posted by melodramatic at 6:39 pm on July 9, 2009 Definitely have. It's a very common thing, I've found. But I learned to get a handle on it. PM me if you want :) -- Posted by anc8469 at 6:40 pm on July 9, 2009 OMG I get the same way! Does sometimes you feel like your just going to stop breathing? I've found out that if you chew gum it always helps. Or it does for me lol. -- Posted by germanygirl at 6:43 pm on July 9, 2009 I get the same feeling. I sit there and figure out what I have to be upset about. If you really think about it and try to be optimistic, you realize that you have no reason to be upset and it goes away. Just don't let the feeling overwhelm you! -- Posted by Ms Monster at 6:43 pm on July 9, 2009 Quote: from anc8469 at 6:40 pm on July 9, 2009 OMG I get the same way! Does sometimes you feel like your just going to stop breathing? I've found out that if you chew gum it always helps. Or it does for me lol. a little bit, actually. it's hard to describe the feeling, it's more of a gut reaction, like i feel like something dreadful is just about to happen, and it kind of takes off from there. :S i will definitely start bringing gum around with me, who knows, maybe it will help :) -- Posted by LiveForeverDieTonite at 6:43 pm on July 9, 2009 I close my eyes tight and count to five.  (while focusing on breathing) -- Posted by 1deep at 6:44 pm on July 9, 2009 nothing you can do really... i dont get the stomach feeling, just the nervousness and heart beating fast part -- Posted by lyfsux420 at 6:44 pm on July 9, 2009 My best friend and I have pretty bad anxiety, sometimes leading to panic attacks.  She takes klonapin for her anxiety, which is like xanex.  She says it really helps out alot, and I'm thinking about going to see a doctor and maybe getting put on some meds. -- Posted by RayOrama at 6:46 pm on July 9, 2009 When I feel that way and I'm home I put on loud and aggressive music and blast away. When I get it outside the house it' usually when I'm in the middle of a large group or crowd so I try get away from them as quickly as I can. -- Posted by Ms Monster at 6:50 pm on July 9, 2009 wow, thanks for all the quick responses! nice to know that other people experience this. -- Posted by Doubleshift at 6:51 pm on July 9, 2009 After trying medication and therapy, I became frustrated because neither seemed to work. Out of curiosity, I studied what panic attacks really are. I learned that the attacks, while terrifying, are not dangerous and they were just unneeded panic responses. So every time I felt like I was about to have one , I would think "No, you have no reason to panic. You are not in danger and there is nothing to be afraid of. These attacks are useless." I gradually stopped having panic attacks.