carol started the car and was amazed at how nervous she was.she had driven in all sorts of bad conditions before , but this fear she did not understand it.carol had made it down to the end of her street before she felt the first wave of panic hit her.oh my god , '' she cried out , and pulled to the side of the road.she knew what a panic attack was , but had never experienced one first hand.carol threw the seat back to its reclining position and began some slow breathing exercises.she forced herself to take long breaths through her nose , and then gently blew the air out through her mouth as she rode wave after hot wave of extreme fear.as the ocean attempted to pull her under , she remained focused on one cloud and her breathing.finally , with beads of sweat running down her face , the attack began to dissipate.she slowly pulled the seat back into its upright position , and looked around momentarily in a daze.carol wiped her damp face , and took one last long breath .