Any Advice?

LegacyUser

Hi everyone

Ive never suffered with Anxiety / Panic/ Depression but in the last year i have been struggling with all three

Im a really outgoing person lots of friend great family no major worries etc and out of no where these horrible feelings started happening
also i keep having horrible thoughts about death ( i really dont wanna die) so i have attacks just thinking about it..

it got to the stage where i was sitting in a restuarant with my friends and i had to leave i though i was gonna faint / die / vomit i felt like a fool..
Its possibly the worst feeling ever i cant describe it when its happening i cant concentate all iwanna do is get out of where i am and hope the ''fussy'' feeling will go away

i went to my doctor and he sent me for loads of bloods which all came back fine so once i realised i wasnt sick or dying it made me feel a good bit better

i havent really been out with my friends im afraid it will happen again (im normally the life and soul of the party) so when im quiet they would all be asking whats up etc.. im starting to get cabbin fever sitting in and i want to go out but im worried about that feeling coming back

im just wondering does anyone else ever feel like this i constantly worry about getting sick i keep thinking that im gonna colapse and die (im 27 reasonably fit and healthy etc) and the anxiety gets worse if anyone has any advice i would really appreciate it

Thanks for reading x

MissThing

Based on my personal experience of panic attacks (I'm not a doctor) I think what you have described is a mild panic attack brought on by anxiety. Anxiety, stress and depression are first cousins by the way. So its not surprising that as you're experiencing all of the above that your panic attack happened.

There's no enough space on the board to advise you in full but I want you to know that it is treatable and you have the potential within you to treat it, BUT, it takes time, a lot of patience and perseverance.

There are many relaxation, self hypnosis audio aids available you can google some or go to a new age store where they sell crystals, angle cards etc. Meanwhile there are some things you can do to help yourself.

First of all keep a food and drink diary for say 2 - 3 weeks, don't do anything out of the ordinary and see if there's a pattern of high sugar foods, caffeine and alcohol. Also consider if you take any drugs, recreational, prescription or otherwise.

If after this period of observance you see that you have a high intake of the food types/alcohol/caffeine, you must cut back, limit your intake, swap high sugar foods for slow release foods such as nuts etc.

Meanwhile, breath, breath, slowly and completely, fill your lungs and let it go slowly. Do this if you can periodically throughout the day and especially as you prepare for bed. Take time to notice how your body feels, are you tense, breath, slow your inhalation and exhalation, breath. Think of a time when you were happy, carefree, a quiet moment, a summers day, breath. Choose whatever imagery you can relax with and breath.

Breathing exercises help you to slow your mind and your heart rate to a relaxed state, you will probably benefit best from it if you do this every day until it becomes part of your routine.

Anxiety happens when you fear the future. You think you will die, you think you will be sick, or you will faint. If you feel quickening in your heart rate, think about where you are. Feel the chair seat you're sitting on, how your shoes feel, the texture of your sleeves, breath. Switching the thought process to the present will remove the fear of the future, breath, slowly and deeply. Nobody knows what you're feeling, and you can control it. Breath.

If you want to PM me I'll log in daily to see if you have. Meanwhile take care.

Cupcake_Crisis

its weird....you just described my brother to a T!!! panic attacks are very scary and happen to way more ppl than you think!! but they're by no means somethings to be taken lightly....theyve pretty much destroyed my family!! just get help while you can...it can quickly take over your life and you wont be able to get help. it may mean medication...but if you dont want to go down that road theres so many alternatives its unbelievable!! seriously dont let this ruin your life....if you need any advice or information please just ask me....i know way more than this than i should!!!!

LegacyUser

Thanks so much for your replies they are really helpful

The thing that worries me is that its come out of no where of course i worry about stuff occasionaly but recently its become alot worse again the fact that im finding it hard to go out and meet friends , go for a bite to eat normal everyday stuff sends me into panic mode - i dont want this to control my life

i keep worrying maybe something hasnt shown up in the tests etc any time i get a pain i think its something serious ive never been like this before and i dont want to be feeling like this all the time

Some day im fine no problems at all and others just set me back the thoughts of going to work or anything (my job is fine im not stressed etc) makes me go fussy and feeling sick - i just want to feel normal again im only 27 i wanna get back out there and have fun like other people!

Im gonna try the diary too thanks for all the tips x

Ive registered a name but it wouldnt let me reply with it at the moment i will try again later thanks again for all your replies xxxx

LegacyUser

hey
I had them bout a year and a half ago, it slowly gets better although I know what brought mine on you can be prone to them, it really helps to just realise its youre mind playing tricks on you(I know its really hard to do) I used to repeat "its all in my mind" (docs advice), repeatedly it just helped(just takes youre mind off it) for me it felt like I had to get used to/adjust everything again like the first time to take a drink again was horrible nerve wrecking experience, or even near a girl youd be a ball of nerves.

you may think youre going insane at some points, or that youre hearts going too fast and the worry in turn causes it to go fast just all turns into a cycle. but eventually youll just realise you will be alright, or you run out of energy to worry trying to sleep can be a horrible experience aswell,It helps to talk about it, but youll find naturally you will want to talk about it

I found near the end Id actually start to fight it, if you know what I mean, its not gonna get the better of me etc. it really helps near the end when you get courage, but mine is not gone completely

Im not a doctor just trying to help cos if someone told me that at the start It wouldve helped a lot........btw a change of enviroment can bring them on aswell I start getting them on holidays or when I have very little sleep but tends to be just worry now,you WILL be alright thats whats you have to remember
god I hope this helps

LegacyUser

Thanks for your reply i feel alot better knowing im not alone i dont even know what triggers them its like im fine and then all of a sudden i get freaked out, im planning to meet my friends tomorrow and ive been thinking about it even tho up to a month ago this would never of crossed my mind..

i just wanna feel well again im gonna take all your feedback on board and try to use it
i think because i had a few health scares (everything was clear in the end) im after getting myself in a tizzy and i cant get out

Thanks again for all your advice xx

Ive had many panic attacks and a long lasting anxiety disorder and like u Im very outgoing and bubbly person. Its something that you can overcome but its a long road and u have to be prepared to fight. But it can be done. I went through the anxiety disorder for a year and a half and many times I hit points which I thought were my lowest but I kept pickin myself up.



Dont be afraid to talk to your friends and family about it too. Make sure its your really close friends that you fully trust though. This helps a lot. Dont go through it on your own.


The not wanting to die thing happened me too. And to be frank....we're all gonna die sooner or later so its important that rather than fear it u learn to accept it and from that u learn to maximise your life. Its kinda like "Well Im here but Im not here forever so lets make the absolute best of it".


Go out in social situations, I know how hard this can be but if u keep hiding at home in fear of it u rn the risk of agrophobia and thats not what u want.



If ur a member PM me with any more questions u have, Im happy to help cos Ive been through it and come out the other side to live with a low level of anxiety. Remember anxiety is natural and u simply need to learn how to control it and know when the burden is becomming too much so u can take a step back and fix yourself.


Dont be shy about PM

amimad07

Thanks s so much for your replies well its sunday night i was supposed to meet friends last night but due to lack of funds i wasnt able to go
so i speant another weekend in the ''saftey net'' i was dreading going out but not to the point where i wasnt gonna go.. so maybe thats a good thing


it makes me feel alot better knowing there are other people who have experienced this and got through it.. im not into taking tablets so the thoughts of having to take something to make me feel better would freak me out

I'll PM you all and thanks again for the advice im hoping over the next few weeks im gonna see a change in how i am and get back to myself

Thanks again

x

dazberry

I became allergic to caffine many years ago, and before it was diagnosed (technically it wasn't - they couldn't find anything wrong - it was discovered by trial and error), I suffered a lot of dizziness which led me to having panic attacks.

Earlier this year due to a couple of years of constant work related stress - I became really run down, and started to suffer constant dizziness - which again led me to start having panic attacks. I found it very difficult to get on any form of public transport for months - but I had to do it twice a day. The only consolation of having gone thru' it once - was that I understood what was happening - and atleast kept trying to stay on top of things - although eventually I had to change my routine a bit - getting a later bus, working late in the evenings etc.

I'm well on the mend now - and the big breakthru' was when the dizziness stopped. I still haven't gone back to the packed morning Luas (something I never had a problem with before), still get a later bus, but the panic attacks have stopped and I'm easying myself back into things slowly. No job is worth your health.

D.