passing out

TRIXIE · Post by **TRIXIE** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 5:30 am

Hi everyone ,I thought I would put this out there to see if any of you have any advice for me ? My obstacle right now is my fear of passing out. No I haven't actually passed out but I felt like it a few times and it scared me sooooo badly ( If anyone has actually fainted please don't tell me . this will freak me out) One day I was at the bank and the teller was acting weird like quiet and withdrawn and she kept pausing what she was doing and then she says " I don't fell to well" and she collapses to the floor right in front of me well needless to say I freaked out and was totally embarrased for her and then I started to dwell on it even more ,I mean think about it why did she have to do that in front of me??? Why not someone else? A lot of times this happens with my anxiety I get anxious and the room starts to spin ,I get warm and then I feel like I am going to pass out. A couple of times I had to sit down but luckily I never actually passed out ( except that one time in the hospital when the nurse was trying to get blood out of my babies arm and he was screaming and I was tying to hold him down ) Any way how can I convince myself that this is ok

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 7:49 am

I know that fear all too well...lol. That has been one of my many for the past 8 years and do you know what?? It has NEVER happened. When I start to get nervous I just use positive self talk and also remind myself that I have not ever passed out through all the times I have feared I would.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 12:10 pm

Hi Trixie!
This is a huge fear of mine, and I will tell you, It has never happened to me (knock on wood) ..lol. I get such an off balance sensation sometimes that last all day and I will feel like this for a week straight non stop and other times it just comes on me out of no where. It is very frightening to me. I was so afraid I would pass out because I felt so dizzy for so long, and I wasnt able to hardly leave home for about a year because I was so afraid of driving and feeling that way. I was afraid of being behind the wheel and passing out or being in the store alone and just passing out. Its the worst feeling in the world to think you are going to fall out all the time and feel like you are going to fall out all the time. Hopefully this is something that never will happen. I will tell you what I tell myself, whats the worst thing that will happen if I pass out..I will get up and go home..lol. Anyhow, you are not alone. Take care!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 4:00 am

hi there, i too have struggled with this fear in the past. i can say thankfully now with the help of the program, my psychiatrist and my therapist, i rarely panic now. i have never passed out although i have felt as though i would plenty of times. in therapy during one session(i wouldnt recommend doing this without a professional) we actually induced one of my panic attacks by purposely hyperventilating. i was scared to death that i would pass out right there, then we stopped the excercise and did breathing techniques(like in the program) i IMMEDIATLY lost the feeling that i would pass out.i was so amazed and felt so proud that i had the power to stop the panic! and i realized that part of my bad feelings is not paying attention to breathing slowly and deeply, i hyperventilate without realizing when i am nervous and this causes the feelings like i'll pass out. anyway, your not alone. i hope this helps

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 4:27 am

I used to have this fear, too. What helped me was knowing that your body, during a panic attack, is actually so far from fainting, despite how you feel, that fainting is nearly impossible. Fainting occurs when your blood pressure drops; during a panic attack, your blood pressure increases slightly. This means that you will not faint.

That's not to say that no one has ever fainted from a panic attack, though. What was helpful for me, though, was finding out that people who faint from their panic tend to faint frequently from it, right from their very first attack, and that no one suddenly develops fainting as a symptom.

The reason you fainted with your baby is because blood was involved. The *only* time an anxious/phobic reaction can lead to fainting is when blood is involved. I don't know the physiology behind this, but it's explained in "An End to Panic," which has a great section on overcoming a fear of fainting. Anyway, it can be really scary when something like this happened to you once, but it will not happen again, and you will not faint during a panic attack. If you have never fainted from a panic attack before, you will not faint from one now. That is just not how the body work, or how panic works, and it is something that you absolutely do not have to worry about. Fainting never develops as a new symptom.

I was actually have a bit of trouble with this lately, because I'm pregnant and my blood pressure does dip during the day and makes me feel very dizzy and faint. I know that fainting is something that can happen when you are pregnant. I was really scared of this for a while, but then I just started thinking, "Who cares? What would be the worst thing that happened if I fainted? Someone would get help, and I'd be fine no matter what." It helps me to realize that there are many people out there who have conditions that do indeed make them prone to fainting, and they don't avoid doing things. It seems as though you have a fear that fainting would be embarassing, but only a person with anxiety would think that! To anyone else, it would not be anything to be embarassed about.

Lori

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Dec 18, 2003 1:23 am

I too have the biggest fear ever of passing out. So many times I have felt like I would. People talk about hyperventilating, but I don't. I just sort of breathe shallow or very little.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:25 pm

[QUOTE]
i just wanna say, that ur post, made me feel better. i been struggling with this recently. fear of fainting. i get dizzy, and lightheaded. and think, "great im gonna faint right now, and ur right, whats the worst that can happen, i faint get, up and keep it going. its hard to say in the moment, but i gotta turn my brain on. and keep the positive affirmations going. thank u