A moment were you had the false impression you were close to death.
For me:
-Panick attack. I had a stressful internship, and one day, it materialized with a panick attack. Suddenly, i was increasingly paralysed, my skin became insensitive, had heavy tinglings, had hard to breath. I though “that’s it, i’m about to die” and managed to call the ambulance. Of course, by the time it arrives, the crisis had stopped, but i went to hospital anyway. This is were i learned that it was a panick attack, and that was not a vital emergency. If you don’t know what it is, you’re really convinced you’re dying.
-When i tried a blood donation. My blood pressure lowered rapidly, i became weaker and weaker and feeling increasingly bad, they had to stop the process.
When I was a teenager I slipped and fell backwards at the beach and hit the back of my head on concrete, and exhibited light concussion symptoms for half a day afterwards. As I was falling backwards I had a good second and a half to go “well, this may be it, whether I’m ready or not”.
Any time I take Sudafed. It sucks. Clears my sinuses, though.
Panic attacks suck. Rationality goes out of the window. “This is it. I’m going to die.”
For me, stress plus a sudden-onset painful physical trigger usually brings them on. The painful trigger can be anything from a muscle sprain to a really bad stomach ache (we’re talking “I now think I might have some idea what period cramps are like and I don’t have a womb” kind of pain levels here.)
Even knowing about previous experiences doesn’t always help. That nagging thought that you’re going to die while feeling terrible in a stressful situation.
Ironically, I’ve wished I was dead many times, but during a panic attack, suddenly survival instinct is the one ringing the alarm bells. WTF brain.
Passed out in a hospital during one of them. Pectoral pain + Stressful day at work = Must be having a heart attack and going to die. Nope. Just a sprained pec and a panic attack.
