I need help

[Amy97]

I have been an a a anxiety andpanic attacks sufferer for about 6 years. I'm finding it so hard to deal with. I have no idea what causes the anxiety. I see a GP and psychologist regularly but this doesn't seem to help. I feel so sick and sometimes I can't eat for days. I'm on medication but I'm not sure if it's right for me. Does anyone have any tips to manage this when you don't know the cause? And how do you get rid of anxiety if you don't know the cause of it? I really need some support 😔

[white knight]

Hi Amy, welcome

Here you'll get responses from sufferers.

I had anxiety and panic attacks. My first PA was at 31yo (I'm 61) and so severe, that along with a ecg suggesting irregular heart beat I was falsely diagnosed with heart attack.

Now my anxiety is gone. I knew in 2012 it had finally passed. 25 years! So it can be a long time to find peace with this so likely needs some lifestyle changes and routines.

Relaxation techniques help, I used muscle tensioning exercises. Research it, it really calms you before your nightly sleep. And you sleep better. It takes 20 minutes. Every night.

Exercise helps a lot, diet assists, lifestyle changes like a calmer more suitable employ does wonders, ridding your life of toxic people, even family members that dont contribute positively to your life can help.

Sounds radical? It is, because its a serious condition.

Google Topic: be radical- beyondblue

Anxiety can be natural.

Topic: seeking the origins of anxiety- beyondblue

Topic: running around trying to save the world- beyondblue

Topic: what life can be like at the end of the tunnel- beyondblue

But for the last 30 years one treatment stand out above all else. Spiritual inner peace (not religion).

Topic: the balance of your life- beyondblue

The last bit of advice I have is that if you put all your efforts into your healing then some of your symptoms could well be part if your character. This means accepting that you are who you are and not to seek perfection.

Topic: accepting yourself the frog and the scorpion- beyondblue

Topic: know your limits- beyondblue

Then make plans

Topic: plan your future- beyondblue

Thete is plenty of reading and so many other threads here on this site. Good luck and hope to hear from you whenever you feel like chatting.

Tony WK

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Amy97,

Welcome to the forums and thanks for being here.

I'm sorry that you're struggling with anxiety and it sounds like it's been very frustrating not knowing the cause. Can I ask how long you've been seeing your psychologist?

I feel like not knowing the cause of anxiety can probably feel like between a rock and a hard place. Since you don't know the cause, my guess is this probably causes more anxiety wanting to know the cause. I'm wondering if maybe it would be helpful to try and ignore the cause for now and instead focus on how you're currently dealing with anxiety when it comes on. A lot of anxiety can be about worrying or struggling with the future; so in many ways it stops us from being in the now.

Do you want to share more with us about how you struggle with anxiety? What does it look like for you?

On a sidenote I also think it's important that your GP is helping you specifically when you're not able to eat for days; even if this is nutritional supplements or drinks just so that you can keep your energy up.

[Mr_Walker]

I had a similar experience at first - nothing seemed to help, and it took (for me) about 5-6 years of medication, CBT and EMDR before it became clear to me where my panic attacks were coming from, WHY they were happening.

Definitely good advice to not get too stressed about WHY - I got quite obsessed with trying to figure out WHY and it did become very frustrating and stressful - but I think I just needed time and lots of talking through it - eventually it became obvious...

If you can keep working on techniques to reduce the CURRENT anxiety you might find you can clear your head enough to begin to work on the past causes or the mental habits you got into...

For a long time I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere and would be trapped in a cycle of anxiety and panic attacks forever - it took longer than I thought it would but it did get better! I still have times of worse anxiety but I haven't had a panic attack for quite a few years.

I would say - don't give up, keep talking, and work on reducing the symptoms first.. (and keep talking!)

[geoff]

hello Amy, some great replies, but sometimes it's very difficult to try and explain to your doctor/psychologist what type of attacks you are having, because none of them maybe connecting, in other words you have an attack over problem A but also over problem B, but the two aren't related to each other.
I wonder whether the topic of depression has been discussed, rather than the panic attacks and so approach it from another angle. Geoff.