Have you ever had an anxiety/panic attack out in public view?

Of course. You can tell when I have anxiety attacks out in public, which for me, is an every day thing. I get really antsy and I start to fidget. I play with my hair, I walk around very fast, and I also grab the back of my neck because it gets tight. I never feel embarrassed because I know I can’t really control it. I have a lot of things pulling at me.. Some of the things I’m aware of and the other my body subconsciously does. I never get used to them either. People usually just watch me and look at me like what is she doing?. Having conversations with close friends about it helps at the moment. If no one is there, I usually suffer in silence, lol.

It is normal to feel embarrassed, but remember no one knows what was wrong with you. If anyone asks, just say, “I started feeling really ill.”

No one will think anything of it.

I had a few panic attacks while at work a couple of years ago. Luckily I was able to walk off the floor and get to the staff room before I started crying. My coworkers were very kind, as was my manager, but I did feel embarrassed.
Try not to let it bother you too much – and as @marinelife said, no one knows what happened or needs to know, unless you choose to tell them.

I’ve had panic attacks in public and generally the people around me have been very polite and understanding. Coincidentally, I had one the other night at home and didn’t have anyone around to talk to. That’s the worst thing for me. Sometimes they happen in the middle of the night and there’s no one to comfort me.

Yeah, I’ve had panic attacks in all kinds of situations, even ones where I felt perfectly comfortable! I’ve mostly been able to remove myself from the company of other people before it gets to the point of being super weird and embarrassing. That tends to be what I need to calm down, anyway, is to step outside and take a lot of deep breaths of fresh air.

The most awkward panic attack I ever had was on a first date. :\

It was during the most stressful time of my life, and not my date’s fault at all. Fortunately, she was very kind and understanding and made me feel safe and taken care of. I ended up dating her for almost a year, so it couldn’t have been that bad of an impression. :)

Yes. I’ve collapsed to the ground because of them. Of course people who don’t get them do not understand them. I guess just like everything else.

No, it isn’t strange to feel embarrassed about it, but don’t worry over it and do like @marinelife suggested above. And, it isn’t anyone’s concern whether you want to share the reason or not. Perhaps sharing though with someone close will help draw the issue into the light and help diminish the occurrences.

I used to have them a long time ago (knocking on the table). Mine were more like what I thought were heart attacks, with the tightness in the throat and big pain in the chest. Once back in the day when I was attending the local college, I thought I was having a heart attack while driving to class one morning. I drove on to the ER instead (and to think about that now, it was at least 5 miles farther) and told the attendant I thought I was having a heart attack. I was hooked up to the EEG and a bunch of other wires, X-Ray’d, and told there was absolutely nothing wrong. I remember saying, “Why am I having a heart attack then?” lol I was really embarrassed about it when it finally sank in that I was indeed not croaking.

I found my area of contention that caused them. I always watched the clock. If I had 20 minutes to do something in, I would see what I could get done during that time and whatever else would fit into the time left. I would repeat this as each thing I was doing completed trying to do more and more until no time left, or a panic attack occurred. What worked for me was to stop looking at clocks (except time is relevant), and I even quit wearing a wrist watch. That took my mind off the main trigger. And, I took up running about 14 years ago. Running or jogging is an excellent stress reliever and way to think or work things out mentally.

I had a panic attack on the school bus once and almost everyone laughed and the bus driver just sighed. I admit I felt a little embarrassed once I caught my breath but mostly angered.
It’s “normal” to feel embarrassed about something like that.

Thank you to those that shared your stories with us and to the ones that gave advice. Having these attacks is a horrible thing, but it feels worse when you don’t know what to do.

Many. When I have them, I’m having a seizure. If it’s rather minor, I can tell you that I’m having one, and no one else is the wiser. But if it is a stronger seizure, my husband will tell you that I can’t talk, and if I try it is gibberish. I also stop walking, turn my head looking for things, and get a terrified look on my face. He has also said that he checked my heart rate (by listening, nothing really reliable!) and it was extremely high. That’s why I pay LARGE amounts of money to a drug company to get my seizure drugs. These are serious enough, and I don’t want to tempt fate!

It happens to me once in awhile. What I do is find a place to sit down, and close my eyes until it goes away. I never had it happen in the middle of class. That would be very embarrassing, but if you just tell people you are feeling ill, they will understand.