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I also have a anxiety disorder and I can remember my first episode. I was 16 years old and I was going with my parents to buy my first car. As soon as we got to where the car was for sale I felt an uneasy feeling come over me. My heart started racing and I felt very nauseated. All I could tell my parents was that i needed to go home, and they really didn't understand it. As soon as I got home I went into my bedroom and hardly came back out for three days. I finally went to the doctor and she prescribed Tofranil (for minors). It basically made me sleepy, but it helped a little. As a teenager every time I would have a panic attack it would be followed by severe depression. Now that I'm older my panic attacks have changed a bit. Now they mostly consist of a flush feeling and diarrhea. I can be somewhere as simple as Wal-Mart and it will hit me, first the hot feeling, and then the stomach cramping. Any time I go to a social function now I make sure to take Immodium first. It does get very aggravating. Like the above poster said, all I have to do is think about a panic attack, and I will make myself have one.
....I think it may, in part, be due to the fact that I am very sensitive to others around me, in that I am generally very in tune with what they are feeling, thinking etc. when others are not. That heightened sensitivity is something I have in common with another person who suffered from them really bad, and like me he came from a very good family (similar to mine in fact). So I wonder if this heightened awareness of our surroundings almost causes a physical sensory overload for some sufferers? I mean there is an actual physical reaction. I sometimes can't even move my eyes to see what is happening around me visually. My point though is that your answers are no where near as simple as you would suggest so please be sensitive to that.
Hi b75 - I completely agree. I'm very sensitive to any aggression or arguments as well, in fact I replied to a post I vehemently disagreed with on another bit of this forum last night and I didn't calm down all night, I hate confrontation that much. I've been living like a saint all week with a good diet and exercise but my blood pressure was through the roof!
Another related trait that I think makes people susceptible to anxiety problems is "people-pleasing". Just try googling "anxiety people pleaser" and you'll see what I mean!
Your comment about not being able to move your eyes sometimes because of the sensory overlaod is quite alarming. Poor you! You don't experience synaesthesia do you?
I personally dont takle meds for my anxiety -- for me -- taking meds makes things worse, because then i start worrying about what the meds are doing to my body. I am like this with all medication, the paper with the side effects the pharmacy gives you freaks me out. I can laugh about it, but, I guess its just part of my anxiety.
I have taken homeopathic rescue rememedy in the past and it really helped, along with massage and relaxation tapes. I need to find a store here that sells rescue remedy and try again.
What very odd though is, i did my relaxation tape, only 1/2 though, and im sat here feeling a little better.
I will let you all know if I stay feeling good from it, and how it goes.
LDB512 don't feel alone, we are all here for you.
That's great that the relaxation tape worked for you! Was it music or sound effects or someone talking you through, a bit like self hypnosis?
I had one of the latter once and it was rubbish, the man had a really horrible voice and I couldn't relax at all. It was like trying to relax to Bernard Manning (if anyone gets that reference!! Big unpleasant sexist "comedian" with a gruff northern accent)
Anyway do keep us updated as to how it goes.
I had a massage last year but it was making me panicky lying on my back, I could feel the tension in my chest. How annoying.
What do you guys do when your anxiety manifests itself as the feeling of not being able to breathe. What I mean by that is, you feel like you are suffocating and cant get enough air, so you have to yawn, to try and "catch your breathe" and then that deep breath only lasts for about 5 seconds and you are back to feeling like you can't breathe again?
The bad thing is, when you KNOW its your anxiety thats doing it, and you manage to take your mind off of it, and a few hours pass when you suddenly think "wow, I have been able to breathe ok for the last few hours" then, voila, the feeling of not being able to breathe reappears.
I have suffered from anxiety since I was 8 yrs old when I found my grandmother dieing on the floor and I was all alone with her. I couldn't save her and she passed away.
My panic seems to comes in cycles, and I can be anxiety free for years, then a cycle will hit and I am a wreck. I have taken meds in the past, paxil, and I didnt like the side effects. When I had post partum depression I got through it with homeopathic Rescue Remedy.
Anyway, any help on ways to try to stop the feeling of not being able to breathe would be appreciated.
Mrs Handitak
I have been suffering from panic attacks for a couple of years but they got worse and I sort help as I wasn't sure what it was. I have got much better that I have a life again as I was really really bad and not able to go to local stores most days. The trained professional I saw taught me a breathing tecnique that helped me. Basically you clasp your hands together over you nose and mouth (like covering your mouth when sneezing or coughing). Leave it there for a minute or so. What this does is to put carbonmynoxide back into your system which means your brain suddenly starts sorting that out rather than dealing with the fight it thinks it is in when you have a panic attack.
I also have a anxiety disorder and I can remember my first episode. I was 16 years old and I was going with my parents to buy my first car. As soon as we got to where the car was for sale I felt an uneasy feeling come over me. My heart started racing and I felt very nauseated. All I could tell my parents was that i needed to go home, and they really didn't understand it. As soon as I got home I went into my bedroom and hardly came back out for three days. I finally went to the doctor and she prescribed Tofranil (for minors). It basically made me sleepy, but it helped a little. As a teenager every time I would have a panic attack it would be followed by severe depression. Now that I'm older my panic attacks have changed a bit. Now they mostly consist of a flush feeling and diarrhea. I can be somewhere as simple as Wal-Mart and it will hit me, first the hot feeling, and then the stomach cramping. Any time I go to a social function now I make sure to take Immodium first. It does get very aggravating. Like the above poster said, all I have to do is think about a panic attack, and I will make myself have one.
Vomitting, diarrhea and light headedness are all signs of panic attacks. It's because your body gets ready to fight and pumps blood to your essential organs away from unnecessary organs to survive - like the stomach and bowels.
The catch 22 is common as well but I got round it buy using the breathing techniques and exposing myself to situations I had issues with little by little.
I have been suffering from panic attacks for a couple of years but they got worse and I sort help as I wasn't sure what it was. I have got much better that I have a life again as I was really really bad and not able to go to local stores most days. The trained professional I saw taught me a breathing tecnique that helped me. Basically you clasp your hands together over you nose and mouth (like covering your mouth when sneezing or coughing). Leave it there for a minute or so. What this does is to put carbonmynoxide back into your system which means your brain suddenly starts sorting that out rather than dealing with the fight it thinks it is in when you have a panic attack.
Interesting - that's basically working the same as the paper bag thing isn't it? Only you probably look less conspicuous Nice one.
1)The relaxation tape really did help; I had a hard time picking one because I couldnt find what I was looking for exactly, something for anxiety, so, instead, I got one for deep stress relief. It comes with 2 Cd's. One is a guided journey, the other you are supposed to wear headphones to listen to. Both have some kind of sound wave under current to them that helps alter your mood.
Its a womans voice, with music, and its very soothing, I liked it, and I fell asleep at one point -- ha ha.
I haven't tried the other CD yet.
2)I decided to quit eating chocolate yesterday. I have a passion for chocolate, and when Easter comes and the mini eggs by cadbury come out, I am ALLLL over them. Anyway, today, my tummy feels better, I dont feel as bloated, AND, the biggest thing, I have only had 2 minor instances of feeling like I can't breathe. Up until today, it was a continual thing.
Im wondering if food has a lot to do with stuff.
Of course, this is my 3rd day in a row I have had a headache, so, now my brain goes off on a tangent of, hmm, wonder if I have a brain tumor!
sheesh, if its not worrying about one thing its about another!
For all the new people that posted on this thread, welcome to you. This is a really great place to come and talk about your anxiety/panic. As you can tell, we all have so many of the same symptoms, same stories about how panic has changed our lives. Some people have found things that have worked for them, and as a result, are panic free. I love when I read the success stories, it makes me so happy.
I have a list that I want to share with you all. It is from the Ross Center for Anxiety. These are the steps to help you with a panic attack;
1. Expect, allow, and accept that fear will arise.
2. When fear comes, stop, wait, and let it be.
3. Focus on and do manageable things in the present.
4. Label your level of fear from zero to 10. Watch it go up and down.
5. Ask yourself, What am I really afraid of?
6. Ask yourself, What is actually happening? Compare it to your fear.
7. Function with fear. Appreciate your achievements.
8. Expect, allow, and accept that fear will reappear.
I hope this helps some. I printed off these steps and carry it with me now. When I feel anxious, I take it out of my wallet and read it over and over. It has helped me.
I also wantd to add, keeping a sense of humor is a must, while dealing with this disorder. If I lost that, omg, I would be in some serious trouble. We all need to laugh more and also at ourselves, for some of the silly things we do when we panic. Like me, I clear my throat almost non-stop. Now I make a joke out of it. You have to laugh and give yourself a break once in a while.
Never give up the pursuit of a happy normal life without fear.
Suzet, that is a wonderful list to have handy. Most of us who suffer from panic attacks suffer, after all, because we suddenly feel that we have lost control somehow of ourselves and our situation.
A list of things to do takes our mind away from the symptoms and give us some control over how to handle the situation at that moment. I like it!
I first started having severe panic attacks in college. First, the hyperventilating, the pounding racing heart, diarrhea, stomach pains. I would be utterly incapacitated by them.
I started to carry a small bottle of Rx paragoric (45 years ago we did not have Imodium.) in my purse. When I felt the uneasiness beginning, I took a swig. It has a narcotic effect, plus it helped with the diarhhea, which is why my doctor prescribed it.
I felt ashamed, isolated and different from my vivacious, easy-going friends. It was a mental and physical ordeal as you all know.
Over the years, I tried many medications including valium and xanax. I was unable to go to the grocery store, take my toddler to Montessori school, which I wanted so badly for him. I couldn't go with my husband to a movie, out to dinner or a concert or game. It was ruining my life and the medications were only a temporary help.
I finally met a wonderful doctor who led me to try desensitizing myself. She was a PhD. in psychology, not a medical doctor. I gradually started to spend time in our yard for 15 - 20 minutes. After a couple of weeks, I would venture out of the yard and walk 2 houses down the sidewalk.
Gradually, my sister would drive me to our grocery store about 1/2 mile from home. She would shop for me while initially I waited in the car. Eventually, I started to go in the store with her for a short time. She was wonderful and the only person I felt I could trust with my terrible fears.
This process took me a couple of years to reach the point that I could confidently do anything or go any place I wished. Now, at 61 yrs. old, no one talking to me or knowing me would ever guess that I was not completely confident and in complete control at all times.
I have conditioned my mind and body through repeatedly exposing them to what would trigger my attacks to not over react, but to remain calm and "bluff" it. I started to view it as a personal challenge and a well-deserved victory every time I managed to go just a little further into a situation than I ever would before. I felt a pride in myself that encouraged me to do even more with my life. I returned to classroom teaching and still relish teaching children and adults with no reservation.
I still feel, at times, an uneasiness, but no longer have full-blown panic attacks. I do like to plan events and outings ahead of time. This gives me more of a feeling of being in control than spur of the moment events. But, this is not an interruption of life, but simply an accomodation.
I believe that meeting my friend and psychologist and the constancy of my dear sister, who both helped me put myself very gradually in my dreaded situations saved my marriage, gave me a normal family life with my husband and children, and may have saved my own life. Anyone can do this; I am proof!
I am sorry that this is so long, but just wanted to encourage anyone who suffers from panic attacks, that there is a way for everyone to overcome them, to take back control of your own life and live a "normal" life without fear. Just never give up on yourself and be your own best advocate. You can do it because you deserve the very best out of your life.
strongly recommend the anxiety and phobia workbook by dr bourne
available on amazon.com. there could be multiple issues.
a new doctor might do wonders. power down no stimulants
romance is probably the most powerful destabilizing drug i know. pray hard.
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Nice one.
Never give up the pursuit of a happy normal life without fear.
