Recovering after disruption in routine

[CourtneyJ]

GAD, SAD and depression sufferer for 10 years+

I've always had an unhealthy relationship with food. Recently I'd gotten into a really positive and healthy eating routine that I felt was sustainable. This is a HUGE deal for me. 

Then this week my fridge died, and with it all my healthy foods. This threw my new routine out the window. It was exceptionally stressful to buy a new one (spending that much money, making sure it fit in my small apartment etc.) which even causes a panic attack at one point. 

Even after getting my new fridge and it fitting perfectly, I still have residual anxiety/paranoia that's interrupting my eating and sleeping. And picking back up that previous routine seems too overwhelming.

Has anyone else experienced the "residual anxiety" post a panic attack or stressful event?

[Bob_22]

Hi Courtney J,

Great post. Yes that is definitely something I also struggle with. Sometimes for days after a panic attack (luckily haven't experienced one in a long time) I will still experience some of the physical symptoms e.g. pain, increased HR, increased BR, disruption in concentration and sleep. I'm not sure if this is a common phenomena or not. I generally found that reassuring myself that the worst was over helped. Letting myself know that as long as I'm in control of my thoughts that the physical and behavioural symptoms will subside. This ties into CBT where you have cognitive symptoms, physical symptoms and behavioural symptoms that feed off each other. 

Also I found relaxation strategies such as mindfulness and breathing exercises helped. Hope that helps and please let me know if you have any questions. 🙂

Bob