I have only had one full-blown anxiety attack and it is definitely something I don’t wish to repeat anytime soon. The lack of control is terrifying and it felt like I was being sucked into a black hole and would never see light again (dramatic I know).

Since the attack I have had a couple of moments when I felt the beginnings of another start. Once it happened when I was driving, which was frightening as you couldn’t pick a worse place to lose control. Nausea, feeling detached, light-headed, trouble breathing…scary as f*ck when you’re behind the wheel. However I controlled it and managed to stop it developing further. How? I remember concentrating hard on what was real. The feeling of the steering wheel, the look of the trees alongside the road, the sound of my breathing.

So that’s all I can advise from personal experience. If you feel an attack beginning, try taking long, deep breaths and focus hard on something physical in the room/area. It brings me back to reality and it’s a technique I will continue to use.