New to Anxiety!

[Ready1]

HI, I am a 35 year old male and had what I thought was my first full blown panic attack a week and a half ago.  I ended up in the ER and did bloods, Chest X-Ray and ECG and all came back clear.  Since leaving the next morning I have felt extremely flat and cant get the fear that I am about to have another out of my mind.  My doc prescribed some meds to help me sleep but really hasnt worked - I feel tired in the mornings and a little "hazy" for most of the day.

One thing that I have found weird is that when I am tired since then I get a sort of pins and needles feeling in my face and left arm - of course I tell myself its something more sinister and around it goes again!  I can keep active, I still play Aussie Rules footy and have no issues when I am playing.  Has anyone else had feelings like this?

While in the hospital the nurse sat with me and we worked out I have probably had this ongoing for some time and it s kind of like it has hit its peak and I am struggling to get right from here.

Any advice from any out there would be most welcome!

Thanks in advance!

[Pax66]

Hi all,  

I too am new to anxiety I was only diagnosed around 4 weeks ago,  when  funny enough I was out with friends and went to a theme park while there I climbed up a flight of stairs to get to the top and frozze not from fear of heights and that's never been an issue but I started sweet and breath very fast and shallow,  I couldnt breath and had panicked real bad.

Now every day is a struggle to get up and go to work social life there isn't one im 47 and just really dont care anymore I love my family but really don't think people understand 

[faeriedust88]

Hi Ready 1,

Yes, you're right - we all have bad days - some have more than others - sometimes bad days don't have to be bad days but the way we react to and handle stress makes them bad days.  It is important to look after your nervous system and take some "me" time aswell, time that you allocate weekly to doing something that makes you happy - something that fills up your happiness bucket.

When was the last time that you did something for you - something for you and you only?

I get the impression that you work alot and are often on the road?  And then it sounds as if you have a family to look after as well?

When our body is holding onto stress and tension it takes only the smallest things to tip us over the edge and anxiety rises.  I think you would benefit from doing progressive muscle relaxation, try to do this daily - you can even do while you are driving long distances - may help you in 2 ways - 

1.to keep your mind occupied 

2.to train your body to let go of tension and naturally relax itself

if you google inner voyage guided meditation youtube - a great progressive muscle relaxation will come up - I encourage you to try it.

Also, google - inner voyage and holistic human development - they have some great free relaxation resources (you can find them if you scroll down on the left hand side of their webpage)

Do you take any vitamins and minerals? 

I hope you are travelling well.  Take care. 🙂

[faeriedust88]

Hi Pax66,

I really feel for you, what you have described here sounds terrible - I myself would've had a panick attack as well I think - I can't do theme park rides and there is no way in hell I could do something as scary as the giant drop - I definitely think I would have a heart attack first.  I hope you are ok.

If you have a good look around on this site - you will notice that there are alot of caring people here who are willing to share their own unique stories and offer advice.  

I hope you are well.

🙂

[Ready1]

Hi all, just wanted to update on where I am at at the minute.  Had my first therapy session last week, was positive but today I am having trouble.  The Psychologist said she will work on my sleep patterns along with what seems to be some health anxiety along with generalised anxiety.

My current state is I cant believe that all that I am feeling is in my head - i am still getting this pins and needles feeling in my left side of my face and have found my left eye and lower lip has been sort of flickering or twitching.  The pins and needles are still coming in my left hand and every now and then I get a sharp pain in my left side of my chest - closer to my armpit than my heart.  Its like a merry go round - I feel these things and then I fear the worst - my jaw hurts at times and I find that I am biting down so hard on my teeth without even noticing.

Each time I feel these things I think I am having a heart attack or a stroke - now stupid thing is it would be the longest heart attack or stroke ever - i know this but cant believe my mind is bringing this all on!

The psychologist did also say that having had the panic attack only 5 weeks back I would be in a panic state still - she is right I am nervous that another is going to happen and I have zero control over it!

another bad day for me that I am hoping will start to improve!

[Ready1]

Hi all - been to the psychologist twice now and not overly happy with my progress but I am also not expecting any miracles - was having a good run until the past few days where everything seems to be back to how it was before.  Trying to keep some sort of journal to work out what is triggering these feelings but I cant pin point anything.  Last night for no real reason I started to feel a sharp pain in my chest (close to my left armpit really) and my left arm had the pins and needles again - a work mate told me that he puts headphones on and goes for a walk - which seemed to help last night but its not always possible to do this, especially with myself and my wife working full time and two young children - getting time for me is near impossible!  As before I am really tired and run down which is always an issue - last night I had convinced myself I was in the early stages of a heart attack when I started feeling these things - of course I wasn't but at the time it is really scary.  When this happens I tend to feel alone - no one really to talk to and rarely happens when anyone else is around, walking/running did help but this was more of a way to convince myself I wasn't having a heart attack - which did work some last night - but then I get home and struggle to get to sleep and the pattern goes around again today.  Really struggling at the minute - thanks for taking the time to listen.

[Ready1]

Having a really bad time at the minute, can't seem to shake the feeling that I am getting all my symptoms are from anxiety and not something more serious!  When I keep busy I am ok but at the end of a long day I start to get the pins and needles in my face and left hands and feet - it's consuming me!  I am having real trouble sleeping and each night when I do sleep it feels as though I am still awake even though I am not.  Sometimes I am feeling like I am going to explode!  I am really over it - I haven't been dealing with this for as long as others but I know it's been with me for such a long time I just haven't acknowledged it and now that I know it's there it's all I ever think about - I just want it to stop.  

[AGrace]

Hi ready1,

Sorry to hear that you're struggling. I was just reading some of your earlier posts and I see your going to a Psychologist and you've been trying to meditate and do exercise to ease your symptoms. Anxiety is such a pain but I try to practice making room for it. IIt's kind of like having a conversation with your anxiety. "Ok, so I'm noticing that I'm feeling anxious now. I can feel it in my arm, it feels like pins and needles, it runs from the top of my arm down to my hands, the pins and needles are constant, I can feel them more in the top of my arm..." So the key is to point out the facts without judgement. Quite often we get hooked on the symptoms and start to resist them, even if just in our mind "why do I feel like this,  I wish it would go away, why does this keep happening..." Our resistance is a bit like the white elephant, once we hear it we cant think of anything else except the white elephant. 

The other thing I practice is mindfulness. I was really skeptical of this at first but now I do it several times a day. Its about being present in the moment without judgement. You can do mindfulness of breath, breathing just deep enough that it requires your concentration, you can even do mindfulness while eating a minty. Focus on the size, colour, shape, texture, put it in your mouth and focus on the taste, the salivation, the feel on your tongue, the need to swallow. The good thing about mindfulness is that it's not about stopping thoughts, just notice them and bring your attention back. You can also do mindfulness for 1min or 30mins, whenever, wherever. Anxiety is a lot to do with worries about the future "what ifs". Mindfulness helps you practice being in the now. 

It's worthwhile googling Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and googling Mindfulness. There are plenty of apps and downloads available. 

AGrace

[faeriedust88]

Hi Grace,

I really enjoy reading the advice that you give.  I was wondering what mindfulness sites/apps/books you use?

Thanks again,

🙂

[kidcrazy24]

Hi, My name is Camrin, I suffer for social anxiety I have suffered from about the age of 15 but, I never really had a lot of friends growing up. But, I have recently had some of the same symptoms that you are describing. Sometimes I get so upset that I act on impulse and say things that I don't mean to say and I only say them because I am upset. My episodes can last from minutes to hours until I am completely calm again but I try very hard to not get to upset cause it makes my eyes become swollen and my train of though goes completely wacko.

[AGrace]

Hi fairiedust - I love the name, it always makes me think of me nieces and smile:)

In terms of mindfulness I like listening to Tara Brach - she has a CD which you can download (it's not too expensive). She also does a lot of podcasts with Ted tv.

You can also google Jon Kabat-Zinn - He's a bit of a guru in the mindfulness department. He has books, CDs and also a lot of clips on youtube.

The happiness trap by Russ Harris is a good read. It more so looks at Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, but mindfulness does play a part in this form of therapy.

Smiling mind is an app you can download for Iphones, Ipads etc.and I think the android version of this is buddhify.

I like to have some on my phone only so that I can practice wherever. When you get used to the idea of the practice you can actually do it on your own without a guide. 

One of the easiest things I find is to be mindful using the 5 senses. You can do this with your eyes open. 

Find 5 things you can see and really pay attention to them (ie their colour, texture, size, shape), find 4 things you can hear, find 3 things you can touch/feel (this could even be wind or sun), find 2 things you can smell (a plant, or flower etc), find 1 thing you can taste (I keep mints in my bag for this).

Hope that's helpful:)

AG