Anupam Mittal of Shaadi.com on panic attacks: “The scariest thing I have experienced is praying to God…”

Anupam Mittal, Founder and CEO of Shaadi.com, recently opened up about his struggle with anxiety. In a podcast, he shared how he experienced panic attacks and also spoke about the third season of Shark Tank India, in which he appeared as a judge. Anupam Mittal opened up about his first panic attack and said it happened when he was in the United States in his 20s.

He said: “If you have never experienced a panic attack, I pray to God it never happens to you either,” he said.

He added: “A panic attack is the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced. You feel like the earth is eating you, the walls are crushing you, you have trouble breathing. From the outside it looks calm, but inside a volcano is erupting. At this moment you are ready for anything. If someone told you to shoot yourself, you probably would. It’s so scary.

The second panic attack Anupam Mittal experienced was in 2008, he said. He shared, “If you are a problem solver by nature, panic attacks can leave you feeling helpless. You feel like a complete failure, useless. If your baseline anxiety level is high, you can easily have a panic attack.”

Speaking about starting and continuing therapy in 2012, he said: “After reading and talking to the therapist, I realized that every person has a different mental state. Fear is good, it arises when you are afraid that something won’t work out. It is normal. It’s not a mental health issue.”