Could I be having panic attacks?

Panic attacks can vary, from person to person..but they generally have alike symptoms. The heart racing indicates you could be having a panic attack.
What’s making you anxious? Being in the car, driving? Going to certain places? Are you stressed out?

I really don’t think the driving is making me stressed out. It does seem to be mostly on my way home from work. But that really doesn’t make sense either, because I live alone, with my dog and I love coming home. No stress here.

It does appear to be a “panic attack”, but it’s probably not from a fear of what you have in your life, but the realization of all the things you lack. Coming home to a dog is not sufficient companionship or social interaction for a person. Your fear is likely coming from the fact that you realize this, and don’t know quite what to do about it.

It does sound like a panic attack. Once your body gets used to having panic attacks that occur for a specific reason, they can occur for no reason at all. I highly recommend talking to your doctor about it.

@augustlan I will. I have an apt. coming up and didn’t really know how to bring it up to her.

Just tell her exactly what kind of symptoms you are having, and that you wonder if they are panic attacks. The fact that they occur while driving is not cool. Right now they sound relatively mild, but they can be much worse and might affect your driving ability. Get it solved! :)

Unless they become so severe that you feel totally out of control, I would try to avoid medication. That can quickly become a crutch that is difficult to do away with later. I would find a group for people with anxiety attacks and do some reading on the subject. Counseling is also a good choice if you can find a good one.

That’s how my nice panic attacks were, and similarly I had those kind on the ride home from work. I attributed it to the stress of the day, bottling it up then my subconscious finally getting a word in and screaming, HEY DUMBASS YOU’RE NOT OKAY. I took the hint after a few years.

I should have done it immediately.

Medication was the only thing that helped me. Crutch or no, don’t rule it out if you find you need it.

^Same.