panic attacks during online multiplayer games

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Hello, my name is James and I came here to see if there was anyone who has the same problems as me. I love gaming and I think I am really good but something always holds me back. I would love to do tournaments and things because gaming is one thing I can do well and am proud of. But When I try to play games like starcraft 2 or modern warfare 3 online I feel so under pressure to do well that I panic. It really ruins some games for me if I can't be as good as I can be because I am unable to deal with pressure. Are they any tips you guys could give me to deal with anxiety. Thank you very much in advance

Best wishes, James.

I used to get threshold panic attacks playing the original zelda on my CRT TV. I don't know why I got them, but just sounds like you take it too seriously. Find something else you can be passionate about.

Often panic is a result of too many stress chemicals from in the blood stream causing an increase in autonomic function. The result can be a panic attack, as the heart races from the increase in autonomic function.

It's part of the fight or flight response that is common in all mammals. From the perspective of your mind, if you are involved in a game that invokes the fight or flight response, it wouldn't make any difference if a real or virtual enemy was opposing you.

Unfortunately when one is sitting, playing a computer game, there is no significant physical response in the way of fight or flight, so the stress hormones are not burned off as they would be from the physical effort of the fight or flight.

One way to accommodate it is through exercise, to burn off the stress chemicals.

It could also be a sign that your overall response to stress, is becoming compromised, your body may be telling you it is time to move on to a new hobby, unless you can accommodate the stress hormones through exercise rather than panic.

Humans are one of the few animals, that allow themselves to be exposed to this type of stress, by choice, sometimes on a continuous basis.

I get so nervous when I'm playing online, so I don't do it too often unless it's with someone I know.

I'm not a huge gamer or anything, but I frigen love playing online shooting games. Like Modern Warfare 3 is one of my favorites along with Blackops. It's really kind of funny how you asked this. I just had a post about how I was having panic attacks playing video games too. I don't know why it's happening to me. I definitely don't feel pressured or anything. I could care less if I loose a video game it won't hurt my pride. Try smoking some weed, it always helps me play better

thanks for the replies I shall try exercising more <3 much love to you all

During the agricultural, and industrial era, people often eventually wore their muscular/skeletal system out from constant physical activity. The average lifespan was 40 to 50, so it didn't really matter much.

Now often the issue is a sedentary lifestyle accompanied by chronic anxiety and eventual depression, from stress chemicals that eventually can damage the nervous system, and cardio/respiratory system. We have drugs now to keep us alive to later ages, but it's alot more fun if one remains healthy as long as possible.

I would suggest controlling the stress that one has the ability to control, because in the workplace there are often not many available options to get away from it.

Another note about stress is, the adrenaline feels good to a certain point that one can gain from adrenaline producing activities like violent games.

However, some are more resilient to the stress chemicals that are produced by the adrenaline producing activities, that feel good, than others. For those individuals, once the stress response is overwhelmed, the panic often does come as a surprise.

However, the physiological stress response, is just that, a physiological response, that comes from the stress chemicals, not necessarily the attitude that one holds toward the activity that they are engaging in.

The stress response is the chemical response, regardless if it arises from something exciting in a good way through exhiliration, or exciting in a bad way, through fear or anxiety.

As far as who is reslient to the effects of adrenaline and who isn't. Real combat provides an answer to that. Some people come back disabled with PTSD, after one tour, and others want to continue to go back, in part because of the exhilirating effects of adrenaline.

Some deal okay with it; others it damages. Some are more physically resilient to the effects of the stress chemicals.

And finally, stress is cumulative, so one that properly manages it, gets more mileage out of life, as a relaxed one.

I'll admit it, I laughed. It's because i can relate so well. It's just something one needs to get used to.

I used to be this way with games. I set too high standards for myself (like beating Contra III on Hard without losing a single life, no using bombs). I eventually did it, but that's when I realized that nobody is truly better than anyone else at games. Just depends on how much time you want to spend practicing one game.

yep i got those in the battlegrounds and dungeons in WoW, any other times when i was alone i was fine. i have the fear of people whether i'm in a game or not whether i take the game seriously or not.

if every character around me is controlled by AI i am fine, but when i know there is a person controlling that character i flip out. might be a side effect of playing conquer another mmo, they killed me hourly till i was paranoid to death to level. this happened over the course of a year.

so if i ever get flagged for pvp in a game i go through a stage of panic, because that brings back the awful memories of conquer.

I play eu