Bubble wrap panic attack

[orchid]

The other day, we were moving, and a family member was unboxing some china and there was a lot of bubble wrap - the really big bubbles. Anyway, as she unwrapped each dish, she let the bubble wrap fall to the floor. Another family member was carrying something in and stepped on the bubble wrap and it just sent me into a huge panic attack. I had to go for a walk to cool off and when I came back, another family member stepped on bubble wrap and I just lost it, "Get rid of the bubble wrap."


Has a loud noise ever just sent you reeling for no real reason? I have no relationship between a loud sound and something bad happening... it just startled me. (I was already on edge, but it just sent me over.)


It's funny (in a way), because they hand out bubble wrap at my school during finals week to give students an outlet for anxiety.

 

[Sue]

Perhaps you were just on edge that day and that was the thing that set you off. I find there are days were every little sound will annoy me or get on my nerves. Sometimes it may be a person who is just talking too much or even just the sound of their voice. I will have to tone them out because I just feel to yell at them to stop talking. Other times its the sound of TV or the noise of the machines at work. There are other days when it wouldn't bother me at all but some days I am just on edge and my tolerance is very low. BTW I love bubble wrap. I would snap it for hours. It is great stress reliever but I would probably get annoyed rather quickly if somebody else was doing it for any length of time/.

 

[orchid]

Perhaps you were just on edge that day and that was the thing that set you off. I find there are days were every little sound will annoy me or get on my nerves. Sometimes it may be a person who is just talking too much or even just the sound of their voice. I will have to tone them out because I just feel to yell at them to stop talking. Other times its the sound of TV or the noise of the machines at work. There are other days when it wouldn't bother me at all but some days I am just on edge and my tolerance is very low. BTW I love bubble wrap. I would snap it for hours. It is great stress reliever but I would probably get annoyed rather quickly if somebody else was doing it for any length of time/.

You're right, I was definitely on edge that day. I was kind of in a panic attack mode before it happened -- but once it did, it really set me off. I'm going to have to be more mindful in the future of when I'm having a rough time and try to get myself in a quiet, peaceful place where I can be alone so I don't have a panic attack like that one again!

 

[Sue]

You're right, I was definitely on edge that day. I was kind of in a panic attack mode before it happened -- but once it did, it really set me off. I'm going to have to be more mindful in the future of when I'm having a rough time and try to get myself in a quiet, peaceful place where I can be alone so I don't have a panic attack like that one again!

I think that is a great idea. You recognized what was a trigger for you and you are going to make those chances so that you don't find yourself in that situation again.

 

[Turdburger]

Noise is a trigger for me. Loud, sustained noise or many shifting noises, like many people speaking at once, can be overwhelming. I panic and begin to sweat. I need to leave or I'll become a gibbering idiot. Michael Bay movies are my kryptonite. I saw one of the Transformer movies (which had so much sexual innuendo I didn't want to finish it anyway) and the noise and explosions were enough to make me leave my date and hang out in the lobby. A large gaggle of loud, obnoxious kids made me go back to the theater and sweat it out.

 

[Laneorexorcist]

I think that maybe you already were kind of stressed out? And the bubble wrap noise just made it worse. If you haven't had any history of bad experiences with loud noises it seems logical to me., I guess. When it comes to me, I don't really have those feelings towards that material, it's actually really relaxing and weirdly liberating to me to pop out that wrap. 

 

[stephonline]

Sometimes the sound of my boyfriend's voice will have me reeling. It depends on the time of the day and if I am stressed out. I can totally see how bubble wrap would do this to someone. Do not be afraid of bubble wrap in the future. Many factors could have contributed to your agitation. I hope you're feeling better now.

 

[explorerX7]

I believe that the popping of the bubble wrap was not the main reason behind you going over the top. You were probably already on the edge and any unusual event could have triggered a similar response.

 

[DylanRowan]

I've never seen such situation before. Sure, it happens with other things, but this is way over the top. If it were a sound that was constantly repeated, then I would agree here. But according to the post, it doesn't seem like it was a repeated noise. Then, yes. The most likely answer is that it wasn't your best day. 

 

[Choochoo]

For me it's not bubble wrap but just very crowded and noisy places. It annoys me and gives me anxiety so whenever I am at an extremely crowded place I get both irritated and nervous which is a weird mix. The worst for me is when I'm tired and hungry and we pick a restaurant that is noisy because since I'm hungry I get annoyed a lot easier. Nowadays though I am able to handle my emotions a little better and maybe it's also just that I care a lot less about my surroundings and instead can just try to enjoy myself wherever I am. 

 

[oportosanto]

Sometimes we just get scared with unexplained things. It can be bubble wraps, it can be a certain sound, but at the same time we need to realize that if we can focus on something we can send out fears and panics away.

 

[clair02]

This is the first time I'm hearing about this type of anxiety, and I think that I have to agree that you may have already been on edge on that particular day, and the incident with the bubble wrap just happened to send you over the edge. If that has never happened to you before, then it's safe to assume that it what happened.