Anxiety out of control

LegacyUser

Not quite sure how to tell my story really,but it starts a few years back with what i can only describe as a mini panic attack while talking to a friend. This overwhelming sense of anxiousnees and breathlessness overcame me and it terrified me.It came out of nowhere.

I have a large group of friends and socialise quite regularly but im very good at putting on "a front" as i call it. I suffer quite bady from low moods (probably mild depression as it runs in my family) and i havent had a girlfriend in quite awhile (im 27) as im terrified of letting my guard down. I think ive built up such a protective barrier around me now ive realised i dont know how to let people see the real me.

Lately though, the anxiety is getting worse.My head feels in a constant fuzzy state and im always tense. I function though and have a fulltime job,but last friday i had to leave a talk in work as a massive panic wave just overcame me and i had to leave the hall. I can rationalise everything in my head, but what my head says and what my body does is two totally different things. I had a lot of family stress for nearly a decade that has never really resolved and i now think this anxiousness is stemming from unresolved anger with a family member. I suppose the negative feelings have to come out somehow.

Ive heard CBT is supposed to be good but can anyone recommend something that was a help to them. I dread going to a GP, more so the thought of it makes me nervous even thinking about it.Its a vicious circle and id love it to stop. Any advice?

VaioCruiser

Hi OP.

Consider behavioral therapy from an NLP specialist. It is very effective in this kind of situation from what I have learned.

All the best

LegacyUser

I can relate to you 100%...ive had a certain level of anxiety for years. even went to a doctor last year about it who gave me a number for a counsellor and i never called that counsellor.
Have recently finally started counselling and feeling so much positive already...turns out i have a lot more issues than i realised..though i knew i had a few! Counsellor is helping me work through each issue in stages... ive let this affect my life for so many years, theres no point wasting anymore time. Some people get a lot of crap thrown at them in life...im one of those stubborn people who thinks they can handle everything...to everyone else, i look like a strong independent individual. but inside ive no confidence.

Im so glad i made the appointment with the counsellor...and you dont need to be referred by a doctor if its a case you dont want to tell a doctor. Its a huge relief and i already notice the improvement. dont let this take over anymore of your life...i wish id sorted it sooner, but im soo glad ive finally got my act together.

LegacyUser

might help

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055169338

Acoustic

op

its like reading my life

im the exact same

problem is , im on a 3 day week , and have a mortgage i dont have €100 a week to pay a cbt therapist

imo they charge wayyyyy to much and something needs to be done about it

maybe other people with panic attacks or mental health problems would go to them if they were cheaper

LegacyUser

A lot of CBT therapists do a sliding scale for fees, so please don't let that put you off. You can even get referred by your GP. Don't let the money thing stop you.... there are lots of great professionals out there that take into account your income.
I have suffered panic attacks myself in the past, and have had to leave the room too on many occasions, I thought I would never feel normal again until I started therapy, it changed my life. Panic attacks are really curable so take the step and go for help, it will change your life.
Good luck with it all.

Kooli

Yes CBT counsellors although great are WAAAAY out of the normal person's budget. But if you think you MIGHT be able to afford it, it's worth remembering that CBT for anxiety would usually be short-term counselling, so you wouldn't be paying out weekly forever.

Anxiety lends itself well to self-help if you have the discipline to follow through on the homework tasks. There are lots of CBT-based workbooks out there like 'The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook' and 'Overcoming Anxiety'. Definitely give them a go as soon as possible, because anxiety is a cycle that can get worse if you don't tackle it. But if you do tackle it, you will see improvements really soon. Good luck!!

LegacyUser

I really feel for you OP because this is a problem that I have had to deal with a lot over the last few years. I even had to leave one job because my panic attacks were disrupting my life so much. I found two things to be really really helpful. Firstly I joined Toastmasters, this means taking yourself out of your comfort zone and it really trains you to become more comfortable with yourself. It is a time investment but they are really really supportive and it has had a huge impact on my panic attacks, they are much rarer now.

Also have a look for the panic attack books by Claire Weekes. They are super helpful, I found that they have practical advice without all the annoying self-help 'finding yourself' malarky. A really good exercise is writing down your anxieties and then writing a way to deal with each one, do this regularly and it does help. Finally if you have a good friend to listen to you ask them for a kind ear, sometimes just talking about it can ease it right back. If you have no one you feel you can confide in, take the step to ring the Samaritans, they are ideal for listening and you will feel better afterwards.

One more thing is to take an hour's walk every day, sounds a bit simplistic, but it really helps to burn up the adrenaline in your system, and the longer you go without an adrenaline saturated system the calmer you will feel generally. Keep reminding yourself that this is just a stage that many people go through, it can't harm you and you will come out the other side.

I don't know about CBT because I've never tried it but I would advise against hypnotherapy, I went a few times, they charged me €90 euro a go to tap various parts of my face (supposedly 'healing' tapping..ha!) and repeat sentences over and over, such a load of rubbish and I didn't find it useful at all.

Acoustic

Unregistered wrote: »

A lot of CBT therapists do a sliding scale for fees, so please don't let that put you off. You can even get referred by your GP. Don't let the money thing stop you.... there are lots of great professionals out there that take into account your income.
I have suffered panic attacks myself in the past, and have had to leave the room too on many occasions, I thought I would never feel normal again until I started therapy, it changed my life. Panic attacks are really curable so take the step and go for help, it will change your life.
Good luck with it all.

me thinks you are a cbt therapist drumming business

that aside , ive never ever met a councellor who took my income into account , you dont have the green you dont get the service , none have ever done probono work , so that the people they help could spread the word how good they are etc

most just fcuked you out the dorr once the hour was up

VaioCruiser

Acoustic wrote: »

me thinks you are a cbt therapist drumming business

that aside , ive never ever met a councellor who took my income into account , you dont have the green you dont get the service , none have ever done probono work , so that the people they help could spread the word how good they are etc

most just fcuked you out the dorr once the hour was up

What a ridiculous post.

So therapists are no good because they have to earn a living like everyone else .....

VaioCruiser

Acoustic wrote: »

problem is , im on a 3 day week , and have a mortgage i dont have €100 a week to pay a cbt therapist

imo they charge wayyyyy to much and something needs to be done about it

maybe other people with panic attacks or mental health problems would go to them if they were cheaper

If 100 or even 500 euros is too much to pay to avoid a lifetime of panic attacks and the consequent destructive effect on your life ....

... then I suggest they cannot be real panic attacks at all.

MizzLolly

Unregistered wrote: »

A lot of CBT therapists do a sliding scale for fees, so please don't let that put you off. You can even get referred by your GP. Don't let the money thing stop you....

Are you sure? I've been getting panic attacks horribly lately aswell plus my insomnia came back. So I went to my doctor and he gave me sleeping tablets and said that it's a pity I'm a student because if I had the money a cognitive behavioural therapist would be great.

I'm having panic attacks because I can't afford college fees, rent etc along with losing my job and starting an MA.. so the cost of CBT is way out of my reach. Bit of a joke tbh, you think by telling your GP that you're not handling the stress as well as you'd like to be would be seen as a responsible thing to do rather than been told your budget doesn't allow you to get sorted!

VaioCruiser wrote: »

If 100 or even 500 euros is too much to pay to avoid a lifetime of panic attacks and the consequent destructive effect on your life ....

... then I suggest they cannot be real panic attacks at all.

also to the above comment, that's a lil unfair. I know I deffo can't afford it as I'm barely making it by as it is (with my job, which I'll lose soon) So I can understand how the cost does make it less accessible to people.

miec

http://moodgym.anu.edu.au/welcome or http://www.livinglifetothefull.com

Hi Op

The above links are based on CBT principles, there are other cites that you can use but these are based on CBT and they are free. Another technique you can do to ease the panic attacks is don't fight them, what I have done when I get the anxiety is as it approaches I breathe into it. You know how it starts in the stomach and then up to the head, try to bring your attention to your breath, and ask your body to relax, this could take a long time to do but keep at it because it works. I find yoga helps allievate anxiety and it helps with my breathing. I used to get full blown attacks where I could not breathe and had agraphobia, I have overcome it now and whilst I get some anxiety, I can manage it.

If 100 or even 500 euros is too much to pay to avoid a lifetime of panic attacks and the consequent destructive effect on your life ....

... then I suggest they cannot be real panic attacks at all.

This is a ludicrous statement, if a person earns 300 to 400 euros a week, have to pay half on rent and the other half on living costs, they cannot with the best will in the world justify paying 100 euros for CBT, but as I said the above websites are good alternatives. It is a deeply unfair statement to say to someone that just because they cannot afford it then they are not serious about having panic attacks.

Op whilst CBT is considered highly efficient, I would also suggest counselling via a psychotherapist depending on what the issues are. Some offer counselling on a sliding scale, some don't, but if you go to your doctor they can help or via a recommendation. Good luck, caring for your mental health will be the best step you have taken and will strengthen you in life. It is not a weakness but a response to either present stress or past traumas.

Acoustic

VaioCruiser wrote: »

If 100 or even 500 euros is too much to pay to avoid a lifetime of panic attacks and the consequent destructive effect on your life ....

... then I suggest they cannot be real panic attacks at all.

serious ban needed here

what a complete muppet of the highest order

lets see

1. im a single bloke
2. i have a mortgage
3. i have a car
4. im on a 3 day week

if i had spare cash id spend it yes like anybody else , but dont these people realise were in a recession , people have to take pay-cuts , lose jobs , etc uey these still charge the earth ?????

ive nothing against people earning a living , but earning it from somebodys mis fortune ???? why dont they charge doctors rate ??? €50 an hour , that would make more people wanna go

or pay me €3000 when ive cured you of your phobia then you'd have no problem paying it , ive been to a few believe me and in fairness know a hell of alot of whats going on inside my head , but like others its hard to put it into practice

half of them havnt a clue what there doing and i know that

i'll usually have 1 session and id have a good indication if this person could help me or is a bull****ter , half of it is having confidence in who your seeing , if u dont then u already lost