Is it normal that my good friend reacted to my panic attack this way?

46% Normal
4 Comments

First off, I'm a 24yo guy. I'm generally the reserved type and almost never talk about myself. This means I listen to what others have to say, discuss it, and or comfort them when they have a problem. I'm actually the kind to ask questions because I genuinely care, am interested, or trying to understand the situation. So you can understand how disappointed I was when the following happened

Last night I was on the brink of a anxiety attack. Long-story-short I was freaking out about an email I got, and that I wouldn't know what would be the verdict of that email until 5 hours later in the morn. Maybe I had an attack and averted it, cause I was trying to breathe slowly, dilating pupils, and all sorts of remedies for minutes. I know when an attack is imminent. I texted my friend cause I felt helpless.

I sent her 3 full texts to which she said "Hopefully everything works out and I'm sure it will :)" After which she continued, "Want to hear something weird?" "So my mom wants to set me up with this guy from work or just as friends because he's super nice and him being shy and quiet would balance me out lol"

I was offended. Here I am struggling to catch my breath and fearing losing control and sanity, and she kind of like shrugged it off

Am I being a whiner/wimp or is one of my oldest friends really just a crappy one?

Voting Results
46% Normal
Based on 26 votes (12 yes)
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Comments ( 4 )
  • [Old Memory]
    9 years ago

    No offense or anything, but usually when a person is having a pannic attack serious enough for others to ne genuinely concerned for your health, you aren't texting people. My gran is on chronic medication and if she loses her pills or runs out she has genuine pannic attacks that land her in the hospital. When I was 14 I was sick and went out regardless, only to go home and find I couldn't breathe, had a heavy chest, I was bawling my eyes out and gasping for breathe and I definetly was in no shape to be able to text anybody so I can understand that your friend wasn't exactly out of her mind with worry about how you'll ever live through this pannic attack of yours. I'm not saying you're attack wasn't real or serious but pannic attacks aren't really that life threatening. Its basically all in your head. If you let it get worse it gets physical and inhibits breathing but like I said, people who can't breathe, can't text. That being said, it doesn't mean that your friend isn't completely insensitive. Even though your pannic attack might not have been life threatening, she could have shown some compassion atleast by telling you to calm down, think positively and that its all in your head. She seems like she doesn't really care about talking about much other than herself.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      9 years ago

      Well I did say I was on the BRINK of an anxiety attack, and that I was "freaking out" implying it wasn't really a fullblown attack. But if it helps I apologize for being possibly misleading in the title

      Truth is I have never gone to a doc, shrink and needless to say never taken any medication for this. So I can't confidently define what it is, so you be the judge: Generally I am a mildly anxious person, almost normal amount. but I had one big, and the only one ever, "episode" 2 years ago. Whether that episode was an anxiety attack or something else, I dont know, but it lasted 3 whole weeks. I had shortness of breath (but not gasping for air), very exaggerated reflexes (get startled by smallest things), compulsion to drink a lot of water, fatigue, racing heart, insomnia, nausea, feeling of helplessness, feeling of being stuck in 5th gear and unable to come down, and the worst: tingling sensations all around my brain as if someone had opened my skull and marinated my brain in peppermint oil

      This time, it came and went within minutes. Like a passing storm that didn't bring showers, but just a little thunder. Because this time, instead of freaking out that I was slipping and losing control, and getting that feeling of impending doom, I forced myself to shrug it off as if it were nothing, googled for remedies, listened to some relaxing sounds, made a sandwich, and it went away 80%. Come morning, it was 100% gone

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  • kelseyt
    9 years ago

    Hmm, I don't know if she's a crappy friend. That was a pretty selfish reaction, but you should give her the benefit of the doubt if this is the first time she's done something like this. As much as that must have hurt, nobody's perfect.

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  • NeuroNeptunian
    9 years ago

    I wouldn't label her as "crappy" myself without knowing her first but that's a pretty fucked up thing to do. I can think of 100 things she could have done that would have been better than that. I know hindsight is 20/20 but shit, that's cold.

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