topic Need help in Anxiety

Need help

Navy — Sat, 27 May 2017 05:36:07 GMT

I am a 25 year old female and i need help coping with panic attacks. I have become scared of the panic attacks. Im not working atm..im scared to be alone, i rely a lot on my mum and boyfriend to always be with me, im scared to drive all in which i have had a panic attack and now avoiding these situations because im scared it will happen again.

I am seeing a psychologist and i am on natural herb tablets and vitamins but i need strategies on how to overcome it all. Or how to cope.

Anyone in a similar situation?

Need help

Hope_for_the_best — Sat, 27 May 2017 06:05:12 GMT

I got very mild panic attacks when I was very stressed out last year. It did not get me to a point to be scared of being alone, but I can still relate to the "frightening" symptoms. To me, feelings of a lump in throat, gagging and a knot in stomach are the most bothersome. I talked to a counselor the other day. She suggests that I try not to focus too much on how I feel. I know it is hard, but when you are overly sensitive to your body sensations, you start to obsess about them and get yourself panic. For example, you are most bothered by a fast heart rate. If you always care about your heart, you start to panic when your heart beats faster.

Breathing techniques are helpful to calm you down. They are readily available on youtube or apps.

One good thing to remember, panic attacks are uncomfortable, but not dangerous!

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CMF — Sat, 27 May 2017 06:22:18 GMT

Hi Navy,

Have you tried yoga or meditation? There is an app called 'smiling mind' which is for relaxation. Exercise is also very good. Have you thought about writing down your feelings? I have found that writing things down transfers the thoughts from your mind to the paper which can help clear the mind.

Hope this helps

cmf

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Navy — Sat, 27 May 2017 06:42:28 GMT

Yes the symptoms are the worst and yes i do focus to much on how my body feels. The mornings are probably the worst. Today was the first day i tried to stay on my own with no one. I was alittle anxious but i just focused on doing things around the house. Is this a good thing or bad?

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Navy — Sat, 27 May 2017 06:48:24 GMT

Yes i have tried yoga just once but had no idea what i was doing ut was all very quick and the instructor was full if herself, so it out me off it alittle but i hace been thinkibg to try again somewhere else. I play meditation music before be and i usually let it play as i sleep.

I did start to write things down and i find it does help alittle but its still hard when i have to start doing things on my own.

I do have the smiling mind app but i kinda got bored from it.

As for exercising i worry when my heart rate starts to go up because thats abit if a trigger with my oanic attacks.

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Mr_Walker — Sat, 27 May 2017 07:08:03 GMT

It's a vicious cycle isn't it? Being afraid of having panic attacks - I stayed at home for a long time too! One thing to remember is it can take quite a while for therapy or medication to start working (which can make you anxious as well). A lot of people give up when they feel like it's not going anywhere when often it just takes a bit more time...

Often, before or during a panic attack you're worried about what MIGHT happen in the future so mindfulness exercises and apps (like cmf suggested - "Stop Breathe and Think" is another one) can help to bring you back to the present.

I found the fear of panic attacks became, for me, worse than the attacks themselves. I really recommend mindfulness, breathing exercises and keep seeing your psychologist as often as possible!

And talking to people here who understand the feeling!

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Croix — Sat, 27 May 2017 07:08:45 GMT

Dear Navy~

Thanks very much for following my suggestion and posting here, I'm sure you are going to find people here that relate to you. You might also continue looking at other people's threads too, there are many here with similar situations.

Thanks

Croix

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Navy — Sat, 27 May 2017 07:24:41 GMT

Thanks heaps i will look into that app and see how i go. Im not on any medication i am quite against it..im trying my hardest to get through this without. But yes i will continue seeing my psychologist.

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Hope_for_the_best — Sat, 27 May 2017 11:11:48 GMT

It is definitely a good thing to distract yourself with housework. Did you find that you focused less on your anxiety? If so, then whenever you are anxious about having panic attacks, try to distract yourself with something. If you are able to distract yourself, you are actually in control of yourself. I am also quite against medication, but to my knowledge, some medication is taken as needed to calm you down when you feel a panic attack is coming. Check with your GP and perhaps get a prescription for a peace of mind.

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Navy — Sat, 27 May 2017 12:44:28 GMT

Yes i did not notice the anxiety at all, which was great. I did go to my gp and he prescribed me some meds for when the panic attack was happening but i havnt had to take them for a month now. So im happy im in control with that. Only because i felt i was becoming dependent on them and rather than half a tablet it was becoming more which was scaring me. Now im on natural herbal tablets.

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blondguy — Sat, 27 May 2017 13:27:00 GMT

Hi Navy

Good on you for having the courage to post!

I understand where you are coming from with anxiety disorder. Its an awful state of mind to have.

My first mega attack was when I was 23. I tried all the self help, natural remedies to no avail (just for me)

I still had these awful panic attacks at 36 and my female GP kicked me hard and put me on a small dosage of antidepressants. 3 weeks later...the anxiety had dissipated to just a minor issue. The meds werent a fix all as I had to combine them with super regular counseling (weekly for 7 months)

I got my life back...my performance at work increased as well the ability to cope a lot better with this awful condition 🙂 Thats just my take on it of course.

When anxiety effects our quality of life its no different than a serious physical illness....like diabetes or a bad infection. Taking meds for a serious physical illness is no different to taking meds for heavy anxiety.

I know many people that have stopped their anti anxiety meds with little or no issues

I have always been anti meds like yourself Navy. This is only my experience with wasting 13 years of my life trying to use natural remedies.

Great posts above on coping techniques by the way 🙂

Hope.for.the.best mentioned "some medication is taken as needed to calm you down when you feel a
panic attack is coming. Check with your GP and perhaps get a prescription for a peace of mind"

You are a proactive person where your health is concerned and good on you for doing your best

Great to have you as a part of the Beyond Blue Family too Navy!

my kind thoughts for you

Paul

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Hope_for_the_best — Sat, 27 May 2017 14:51:44 GMT

It appears to me that you are capable of coping with your panic attacks. You don't need meds for a month and you can tune down your anxiety by distraction. I think it is possible for you to stick to psychotherapy at the moment. Perhaps schedule regular times of being alone at home. It is good to start at home where you feel safe and for short time intervals, so you practice being alone comfortably under good control. During this time, do something that distract yourself as you did today. Then slowly increase the time of being alone, and at other places. Your psychologist probably can design plan like this to help you cope with being alone. Good luck!

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Navy — Sun, 28 May 2017 07:05:46 GMT

Thats my plan for this week staying hone alone. And yes i am capable but its just more frustrating than anything when you are having a good run and then it just hits you. But it is getting easier. And i can see improvements. I do still have my freak outs but baby steps i guess.

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Blue_Jane — Sun, 28 May 2017 10:29:55 GMT

Hi Navy

Sounds like you are being really proactive. I have not had a panic attack for about 18 months but on Friday at work I felt one creeping over me so as soon as I could I got out of the office. I calmed myself down my doing some breathing exercises. I breath for four counts, hold for five counts, then breath out for six counts. It only took a few minutes for me to come back to the present. But so scary!

Please keep us in the loop.

Blue Jane

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Navy — Mon, 29 May 2017 05:06:30 GMT

So today i am home alone and i have had little freak outs everytime i seem to stop what i am doing. I cant constantly keep moving and i do have to rest at sone point i feel like the distraction isnt so good. What do i do?

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CMF — Mon, 29 May 2017 05:09:21 GMT

Hi Navy,

You are doing really well and should be proud of yourself. When you stop for a break perhaps you can give the smiling mind app go and see if it helps you relax a little?

cmf

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Mr_Walker — Mon, 29 May 2017 08:07:39 GMT

I second what cmf said - mindfulness exercises (books, apps, CDs) are brilliant for those times when you can't relax or stop your mind from freaking out. It can be quite hard to focus at first but it's about teaching yourself how to relax - try not to stress about not being able to relax! (like trying too hard to get to sleep - it has the opposite effect!) Just keep practicing it. I actually had a totally unexpected cry when I first tried a mindfulness exercise - I'd been so uptight for SO long I'd forgotten what it felt like to relax!

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Navy — Mon, 29 May 2017 11:09:55 GMT

It is really hard to do. And if i cry thats when i feel i get worse and panic starts to kick in. Its horrible.

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Mr_Walker — Mon, 29 May 2017 13:06:36 GMT

I remember the feeling - it really is horrible. I hope you don't think I'm saying "just relax"? It really is hard work trying to retrain your brain to relax, and it does take time.

I know you're opposed to medication - which I totally understand - but perhaps it's worth considering and discussing with your doctor even as a temporary help until things are more under control?

In my case I found I couldn't really focus or concentrate on what my psychologist was helping me work through - because I had so many anxious thoughts racing around - I found the medication quieted it down enough that I could properly focus and learn how to deal with the anxiety - I still get anxious (though not as bad) but I haven't had a panic attack for 7-8 years. In my case I still need the medication but perhaps you could see it as a stepping stone rather than a solution..? Just another thought...

I'm sorry you're going through this - my days of panic attacks were the worst of my life... At least here you can talk to a lot of people who know how bad it really is...

(I just re-read the thread and saw blondguy said basically the same thing with fewer words! However it has been true of MY experience as well..)

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Mr_Walker — Wed, 31 May 2017 02:30:57 GMT

Hi Navy, just another thought - what helps me when I'm home alone and getting anxious is to put the radio on - listening to interviews on Radio National or the science show or life matters etc. Just gives me something else to think about. Might help for mild/medium levels of anxiety - obviously doesn't help with severe anxiety or panic attacks - just a thought, good luck, J.