Need help

[Navy]

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?

[blondguy]

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

[Hope_for_the_best]

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!

[Navy]

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.

[Blue_Jane]

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

[Navy]

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?

[CMF]

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

[Mr_Walker]

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!

[Navy]

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.

[Mr_Walker]

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..)

[Mr_Walker]

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.