micknewton
Contributor
His pants, eh? When I do that, all the women panic.PaulChristenson:
sorry
Panic Attacks?
- Thread starter KingViper
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sorry
annlaur
Contributor
I think fear, anxiety and panic are three very different things. Fear is a very sane, normal thing to experience when a danger arises. Fear alerts you that something is not right, so you might take the appropriate action to be safe (unfortunately, as animals, our first reaction when confronted to fear is : RUN. Which underwater could translate into BOLT TO THE SURFACE. Thats where we need to stop and breathe and think and find a more appropriate solution).
I would describe anxiety as a fear with no real cause. You fear a danger thats either imaginary (what if a big shark suddenly showed up looking for food ?) or not relevant to the situation youre in (thinking about problems at the office while diving). In that sense, it is irrationnal fear, but it doesnt have to lead to irrationnal behavior. Just as with «real» fear, you can still stop, breathe and think. The trick being that its easier to find a response to a clearly identified problem (Im tangled in a fishing net) than to one thats on your mind but not in your face.
Both fear and anxiety (as well as drugs, narcosis and exertion) can lead to panic, which is the total loss of control of oneself.
Its only my opinion, Im no doctor or anything.
My point being : experiencing fear underwater doesnt necessarily mean youre the anxious type, maybe youre just being aware of the potential dangers of the situation. And if even if you are prone to anxiety, not only can you avoid panic, you may also react very well when faced with real danger.
Ive experienced that many times (unlated to diving though). Im the kind of person who will be constantly fretting over little things (will I be able to do this ? What if this happened ? ) but when sh** happens, everything seems to clear up in my mind and Im usually the one handling the problem at hand while the calm and collected are still wondering what they might do.
One last thought : being so aware of danger, nervous people might be more focused on safety than fearless divers. So they might become good divers as long as they learn how to control their feelings. (Hope thats true and not just wishful thinking. Time will tell).
Anne-laure
I would describe anxiety as a fear with no real cause. You fear a danger thats either imaginary (what if a big shark suddenly showed up looking for food ?) or not relevant to the situation youre in (thinking about problems at the office while diving). In that sense, it is irrationnal fear, but it doesnt have to lead to irrationnal behavior. Just as with «real» fear, you can still stop, breathe and think. The trick being that its easier to find a response to a clearly identified problem (Im tangled in a fishing net) than to one thats on your mind but not in your face.
Both fear and anxiety (as well as drugs, narcosis and exertion) can lead to panic, which is the total loss of control of oneself.
Its only my opinion, Im no doctor or anything.
My point being : experiencing fear underwater doesnt necessarily mean youre the anxious type, maybe youre just being aware of the potential dangers of the situation. And if even if you are prone to anxiety, not only can you avoid panic, you may also react very well when faced with real danger.
Ive experienced that many times (unlated to diving though). Im the kind of person who will be constantly fretting over little things (will I be able to do this ? What if this happened ? ) but when sh** happens, everything seems to clear up in my mind and Im usually the one handling the problem at hand while the calm and collected are still wondering what they might do.
One last thought : being so aware of danger, nervous people might be more focused on safety than fearless divers. So they might become good divers as long as they learn how to control their feelings. (Hope thats true and not just wishful thinking. Time will tell).
Anne-laure
cleung
Contributor
When I was diving in Costa Rica, I saw a guy from California who is an experienced diver, go through a panic attack too. He had a hood on thinking the water was not warm enough to go without one. Moments after he jumped in, he had the attack and scrambled to get out of the water. He later said that with the hood on, he felt like he was heating up too much which brought on the attack. After calming down on the boat, he jumped back in without the hood and everything was fine. Even so, this was a weird thing for me to see as he was an experienced diver.
Panic attacks and diving certainly doesn't mix does it.
wsj711
Registered
I am not a doctor but from what I have read Panic attacks are caused from fear
F-false E-evidence A-appearing R-real. When I started diving I experienced it once.
The water was murky and I did not like it . Fear set in and I actually did not complete the dive. This person was experienced , but in this type of environment? We sometimes fear what we cannot see.
F-false E-evidence A-appearing R-real. When I started diving I experienced it once.
The water was murky and I did not like it . Fear set in and I actually did not complete the dive. This person was experienced , but in this type of environment? We sometimes fear what we cannot see.
Demo Dan
Registered
Yes I have experianced anxiety as well. While doing my first 130' dive my heart started to beat real fast and my first thought was to go up and get the hell out of there. But I signaled to my buddy that something was wrong and we ascended a few feet. Then I signaled to stop and just sat there and focused on my breathing nice and slllllooooowwwww in and out. And then BAM anxiety just disappered and the rest of the dive kicked butt!!! This has sinced happened to me every now and then, and the only thing I can say is stop breath think then act, just like the manuel says. I find though holding on to somthing and focusing on my breathing helps alot. I talked to a navy diver whos regular diving depth is 300 feet!!!!! And he said that diving deep is a akill to be learned just like anything else i takes time and experiance to be able to be comfortable under the water. Take your time and work within your comfort level.
Hope this helps
Dan
Hope this helps
Dan
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