Overcoming Panic Disorder.

[punk rock warlord]

Been suffering with Panic attacks recently. Have suffered with them since I was a teenager. I have chosen to keep off the ale and certainly any drugs - why I thought they would help with my paranoia is beyond me. Anyway I spoke to my psychologist and he reminded me that healing from trauma is not a destination it is a lifelong process. You exercise your brain as you would your body in a gym. I know there are quite a number of people on here continuing to suffer, so as an almost 60 year old here is my advice to those like me who feel trapped in mental pain.
1. Dont bottle it up inside - speak to someone about how you feel without guilt or embarrassment.
2. Take advantage of the multitude of resources out there on the internet. Loads of podcasts, websites and audiobooks that will help you develop strategies to overcome your demons.
3. KEEP OFF the ale or any drug that provides only short term relief. Self medicating will only worsen your situation.
4. Get to your doctor sharpish and tell him how you feel. Anti-depressants plus a referral to a psych might be what you need.
5. Try and maintain a healthy lifestyle - exercise and diet are crucial. Meditation is also a great tool to help combat depression and anxiety.
6. You are not alone. There are millions suffering from mental health problems and the number grows each year. Do not be fearful of any stigma attached to mental health.

[TrueSeeker]

Hello

Thank you for sharing your story, I find it very interesting. I really like the bit where you describing that we need to exercise our brain just like we do in a gym.

I think that sometimes it can be very hard to change our thinking habits that can cause distress. It does need a lot of practice, repetition, patience and hope that things will get better once we fix the thoughts that aren't useful to us. It also needs to make sense to us as other competing thoughts can keep interfering with our good efforts. And the hardest thing can be to get the courage and strength to actually face out thoughts and prove them wrong or align them with reality. It's a bit harder with actual memories that I'm still working on.

Sometimes all we can do is to just keep trying and hoping that things will get better

[Annas1]

I think your advice is really spot on PRW. Thanks for the handy reminders.

I am now really aware of the shame I have held about my emotional distress that has been such a barrier to seeking support. I am trying to counter the shame with my humanist values so that I can properly focus on what is distressing me. It's not always easy to catch, like right now, I've worked out that I need some time to honour my spiky, distressed feelings rather than feel self-conscious about them in others' company. I have come to a quiet corner to reaffirm my understanding that difficult feelings and distress are part of the human condition and part of my reality. I don't need to feel guilty, less, deficient or marked by them. And neither do I have to hide them. Of course we need to be mindful of others, their capacity to manage emotional weather, and even if it is helpful for them to know exactly where we're at. But that is different from feeling shame, hiding or apologising for being who we are and feeling as we do. Thanks for your reminder here PRW.

And, yes, lots of online resources to draw on and take comfort in - both about the normality of not feeling good and that things can improve.

Alcohol and drugs can feel like they help in the moment, but as a long-term strategy generally not so useful. Anti-depressants however have been essential for my ongoing wellbeing, though I'm open to how things may change in the future.

A friend of mine has given me the wonderful phrase - there is no human health without mental health. Mental health is a health issue, and when I'm struggling the gp is often the first port of call. Sometimes it's reassurance, sometimes it's a psychology referral, sometimes its a related physical health issue.  Serious distress requires professional support - your gp, psych, or counsellor.

Being in contact/connection with another person is so important when distressed/in pain. It soothes the sense of isolation. However, it can be very hard to do when in the vortex. My challenge is to reach for connection when I'm not feeling great but not in distress. I can feel shame when sharing this with others and tend to avoid it. Unfortunately I miss out on a possible source of support which could allay distress proper. Then when I'm really not coping well I tend to reach out to say 'Í'm in a hole right now so I'll be offline for a while'. Not that satisfactory for me or them. I tend to feel fatally flawed, and others don't get to offer support. This is my growth space!

And TrueSeeker, I agree that in hard times we just do the best we can to move forward and hold onto hope. 

Staying open to all the good that surrounds us too - even in those hard times.

Thanks both for your thoughts.