Severe panic attacks ? need help...?
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Hi Angel,
My panic attacks are situation oriented things. The last one I had was during Christmas shopping with my kids about 15 to 20 years ago. I'm a Vietnam Veteran and was starting to have some PTSD issues about crowds for some reason? I "get by" by picking the situation and doing little silly things like requesting a restaurant table were I can sit with my back to the wall or in a corner so I can watch whats going on.
Angel, Are you attacks triggered by something??
happy thoughts
train yourself to think of small enjoyable things to get your mind off of whatever is causing your attacks.
Coping with Anxiety
# Schedule a Time Out - A few minutes set aside for just you gives you time to step out of the situation long enough to regain perspective. One time out I like is stepping into a warm tub of water, sliding down into the water and letting the soothing comfort of a bubble bath "take me away" from the stressful situation.
# Give Yourself an Attitude Check - Take a few minutes to ask yourself, "Am I approaching life with a positive 'I can' attitude or with an attitude of negativism and defeat?" Taking an attitude check is as important to my mind as taking my pulse is to my body.
# Search for Hot Buttons - Hot Buttons are places in your life that stir up anxiety and seem to contribute to the stress in your life. Be on the lookout for the things that make you angry or frustrated immediately. These are your Hot Buttons. Once you find them, you can work through them by finding pressure points, the next item in our letting go checklist.
# Look for Revelation in Circumstances - Realize that the circumstances of life don't make you who you are; they reveal who you are. Ask yourself the tough question, "What about me is being revealed by my action/reaction to the circumstances in my life?" Be aware that the same destructive stress patterns in one person's life can be motivation to overcome difficult circumstances in the life of another person. Personal attitude could be the difference between a stressful situation and a learning one.
# Do a Control Check-Up - Take a look at who or what you trying to gain control over, and then remember this very basic truth: the only person you can have control over is yourself. I often try to gain control over circumstances and suddenly realize that the situation is a more difficult than I am able to handle. These moments become Aha! Moments: the moment you realize God may actually have the circumstances there for a reason. Are you working against God? If so, that will always be really stressful. Relieve anxiety by learning that He allows circumstances in your life for a reason. When you are able to do this, your stress will lessen considerably (Romans 8:28-29).
Have you identified the areas you need to work on? Good! After you know what they are, you can develop ways to overcome them, one by one. This includes identifying productive ways to cope with stress and trying to learn to incorporate them into your behavior. Here is a list of ways to cope with stress and anxiety that I can recommend from personal experience:
# Identify Your Unique Coping Mechanisms - Before you cope, you need to find ways that fit your personality and lifestyle. Recognize that some ways of coping -- such as by escaping the situation or running away from your problems -- are destructive in the long run. The only way to effectively coping with stress and anxiety is to face the causes of this stress.
# Change Your Focus - Get your mind off of the stress by changing your perspective on a given situation. Or go somewhere to change your surroundings.
# Feed Your Soul - Everyone has their very own Soul Food. Some of Soul Foods are music, the beauty of nature, inspiring stories, special relationships, a quiet place in the woods, or warmth from a gently lapping fire in the fireplace. God placed in each of us a desire for a unique something that touches and feeds our soul and draws us closer to Him so that we may regain our balance. You may need to take a vacation or getaway to regroup, dream, and allow God to refill the cup of your soul. If you remember to take a faith step toward God, be still (Psalm 46:10) and let God's presence surround you, you will really begin to relax and focus. My communication to God becomes a plea for His help. I pray "God help me to commit my stress and anxiety to You. Help me to be able to trust You to handle it. And please God, help me to accept Your way in my life.
well freaking out isn't going to help much will it?
It's 100% in your mind. If you chill out you'll be fine. Seriously. Step back, take a breather, say everything is fine. Take 2 steps forward 1 step back and three more forward.
Try focusing on your breathing and slowing it down. Concentrate on it and slowly try to slow it down little by little.
Focusing on that will help take your mind off of what was bothering you and will help you get control of the attack.
I think someone has PTSD, if you haven't heard about it, it triggers when a very tragic event happens, then you fear about it for the rest of your life. You can go through psychotherapy or get a doctors help. There really is no cure for it but the things that I mentioned above are some of the few things that could help you.
Try meditating. Counting your breaths. Breathing in deeply through the nose and slowly out through the mouth. I used to have SEVERE panic attacks to where I was hospitalized once because I was CERTAIN I had a heart attack (boy was I wrong). The thing that helped me the most, shaolin gung fu. Get yourself into some sort of exercise class, yoga is even better. It will help you calm your nerves, clear your mind, and even get you in better shape! Also, just talking to people, is an immensely helpful tool. Talk to your friends, parent's or even just come on here and talk. Remember you're never alone, there's always the divine being (God or whatever you wanna call him/her/it/them?)
I have horrible anxiety. A s a young kid and teen I studied forms of Tai-chi and meditation to help me learn to control my anxiety. It has made a huge difference in my life. I have never taken meds. Also eating healthy. exercising in general will release your body's natural endorphins (chemical that makes you happy and relaxed). I still get them, but it's maybe a once a year occurrence. Also if you find that you get depress in the fall and winter to the pet store and buy a reptile UV light. It simulates natural sunlight and will give you the same vitamins as the sun. My boyfriend gets seasonal depression so I bought him two one for his work desk and one for his room, it has made a big difference.
i used to get them in gs and hs but i found that i would believe it or not, panic more the less hydrated i was. i found that just keeping a bottle of water around was something simple and inconspicuous that i could do to calm me down.
See panic attacks, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris... on page 8.
I realize it may be difficult, but try to take your mind to a peaceful place or thought. The beach or mountains etc... something soothing. Take some deep breaths slowly and try to calm your nerves. Tell yourself everything is okay and will be okay and slowly wind down.
Panic attacks are scary...and I know! Honestly you should really see a Dr., There is nothing wrong with medicating yourself, as long as you find out WHY your having the attacks. If its a money issue, try hot baths, Meditation (Which I found great DVDs at our library). Learning how to deal with stress is also extremely important. If it is caused by depression, Medication and the above worked for me
Breathing techniques is one way. If you are at home and feel like you are going to have a panic attack,lay on your stomach and tilt your Head to one side and just take a breath at a time. Another way is to breath into a bag. This is a very scary situation for a lot of people and you are not alone.
I feel like I am having another heart attack every time I have one of these anxiety attacks.
They are usually triggered by a stressful situation, for me. I try to remove myself from the immediate situation, and relax. If that does not work, I just keep my mind on something else, and stop worrying about what caused the attack in the first place.
I hope you find what you are looking for. When you do, please pass it along for the rest of us.
Thanks!
Ok, several things. I have been there. I know what your going through. This is not something you can THINK yourself out of. When you feel one hitting. Close your eyes and make yourself take deep, slow breaths. If you feel lighteaded, sit down.
Some people with panic attacks have a trigger such as a certain place, an object, another person.. etc. See if you can identify something that triggers yours. Not everyone has a specific trigger.
This is one of those things that is self perpetuating, meaning that if you have had one in a certain place or circumstance, you are likely to remember it and be anxious about that place again.. thus you get scared and boom. .it happens and reinfores itself
I understand your reluctance for medication. But I was unable to stop them myself. I got to the point where I was having several a week, I would nearly pass out, and it was interfereing with my job.
At the very least, see your doc, tell him or her exactly what is happening and when. You will get a complete physical. There are actualy medical conditions that cause panic attack symptoms. If this is ruled out, consider a low dose of meds. It has done wonders for me. I went from having many awuful attacks a week (that would leave me flustered and scattered all day) to having no attacks for 2 years. I know these are very distressing and troubling. But be proactive. Good luck hun.
I highly recommend this book:
Dianetics, The Modern Science Of Mental Health.
By L. Ron Hubbard
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