My Intro.....

[iTHINK88]

Hello Everyone 🙂
I am excited to say;
a) I am a newbie 
&..
b) This is my first post on this.

Depression & myself have gone hand in hand on & off for the past 2 years. Up until 3 months ago anxiety/panic attacks started.
My first attack was 'the' worst experience of my life & lasted for well over 12 hours coming & going. I didnt know how to handle it or what to do.I It only stopped when eventually i fell asleep.
One thing it enabled me to do was take comfort in my family, leaning on them which i normally find difficult.

When it comes to showing my feelings i just cant show it, I am outspoken but just in my head.
Im not even sure if i have a fear of crowds, I can speak to a room with 100 people in it, Put me at a bar with 6 people and you may not even hear a beep?

For the time being my outspoken mind can't even show my real name, So just call me iTHINK and know that i am a 25yo male.

My third attack happened on a Friday night at around 3:30am, Having learnt more about the condition i found myself less confused about what to do. Keep in mind the pain & everything else was still happening. But being able to be decisive in a situation like that allowed me to find the number to BeyondBlue where a lady by the name of Emma helped me. She kept me company for about an hour and suggested i take a look at this forum, another great call Emma!

I may or may not be in the early stages of anxiety, but like alot of people on this forum say, you just have to accept it as a part of you. Im not on any medication & dont intend on it aswell as not seeing any psych atm, but i am thinking about seeing someone.
For the time being i just try smile (sometimes i dont even need to try 🙂 & keep a positive outlook about myself.

There a days when i think i have failed and its too late but then i remind myself

"No such thing as failure in my eyes. To fail means you must have tried, found a way that didn't work and that in itself is success."
Btw my name is Tony.

[integrityguy]

Hi Tony

I was interested to read your thoughts on panic attacks. I had my first attack 11 years ago and it took me completely by surprise. The feeling of being completely and utterly overwhelmed was so paralysing, and it was further complicated by sleep deprivation and also major depression. Anxiety seems to hit me the hardest after a period of going over things in my head, especially unresolved questions and 'what if' scenarios. Ultimately it was my inability to resolve anything in my head which increase the panic.

Last year I had a number of panic attacks with similar symptoms. So I started reading up on them. I began trying to identify my trigger points and put strategies into place to manage the attacks. Recently I've had a major change in my life (started a new relationship) and have been threatened by further panic attacks (at least one every 3 days or so in the past fortnight). Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with a racing heart, cold sweats and an out-of-control type feeling. In the past I would automatically search my mind for the source of the panic, the thoughts would surface and the panic would increase. Sometimes they get the better of me. 

However, these days I'm learning to look at a panic attack as a false and irrational signal from my brain to my body. I may still wake up suddenly with a racing heart, but I can often stop myself from automatically searching for the source of anxiety. I then just wait it out and it passes in a few minutes. Gradually the heart rate slows, the body settles down and I can actually fall asleep again. It takes a fair bit of mental agility and doesn't always work, but if you can train your mind, it's very useful as a short-term solution. I say short-term, because my first psyc appointment is in 3 weeks and I want to find some more tailored solutions.

If that doesn't work, a good source of distraction is often helpful. Get up, read a book, watch a short TV program, listen to some music, etc.

It sounds like you're already on track to manage your anxiety, which is fantastic, and I wish you all the best. Keep fighting!

[S_A_D_]

What integrityGuy said ... ditto!

I've been dealing with paranoid delusional psychosis, which is anxiety and depression X 10, for about 3 years now. I'm also borderline schizophrenic, and borderline autistic, and borderline bipolar, and borderline aspergers, and have been this way from birth, 31 years. Hell of a cocktail eh? Even the best in the business can't give me a clear diagnosis, which means I'm ineligible for medication. I have to struggle through this without pharmaceutical assistance.

There is an opiate based drug usually given to patients with panic attacks . It is loosely based on the opium used to make heroin, so it's extremely addictive. "Warning. Consider extremely hazardous. Use only as directed." is usually somewhere on the package. If you ask your GP for a small supply of, say, 5 tablets, the next time you have a panic attack you can take one to calm you down.

Besides that, follow the advice above. Relax, we're here to help each other, just like the song "Lean On Me" says.

Smile!