Panic Attacks - Affecting job

antodeco

Hi all,
I suffer from panic attacks based on certain circumstances. It's usually down to feeling trapped.

Example: it started 2 years ago. I was travelling to Cork and was staying down for a few nights. Randomly, I just got a panic attack. Thought I was going to die, thought my world was ending. I ended up driving up and down to Dublin each day for that week.

I then had to travel to Cork for a week another 3 times, and again I had to drive up and down every day.

I'm not being affected by the fear of getting a panic attack, which is making things worse. The problem I have is that I will now be doing international travel, so the ability to return home is gone. This is making things worse for me, but I'm not getting an attack yet (haven't travelled).

Can anyone give me any advise of what I can do? They are only sporadic and only happen when I am away from home, or I am doing something that causes me to feel trapped (I randomly get them in traffic jams).

I feel like I need to leave my job, so I don't have to travel, but the nature of my profession will normally have travel involved with it.

Thanks

fret_wimp2

antodeco wrote: »

Hi all,
I suffer from panic attacks based on certain circumstances. It's usually down to feeling trapped.

Example: it started 2 years ago. I was travelling to Cork and was staying down for a few nights. Randomly, I just got a panic attack. Thought I was going to die, thought my world was ending. I ended up driving up and down to Dublin each day for that week.

I then had to travel to Cork for a week another 3 times, and again I had to drive up and down every day.

I'm not being affected by the fear of getting a panic attack, which is making things worse. The problem I have is that I will now be doing international travel, so the ability to return home is gone. This is making things worse for me, but I'm not getting an attack yet (haven't travelled).

Can anyone give me any advise of what I can do? They are only sporadic and only happen when I am away from home, or I am doing something that causes me to feel trapped (I randomly get them in traffic jams).

I feel like I need to leave my job, so I don't have to travel, but the nature of my profession will normally have travel involved with it.

Thanks

Learning to identify when you are about to have one and learning to talk yourself down are two essential skills.

1. Identify signs of an oncomming attack.
You dont realize it right now, but 20+ minutes or more before an attack you will start exhibiting signs. With me i would start sitting right on the edge of my seat, fidgeting with anything i could find, and procrastinating, basically doing anything but the thing that was causing me anguish. My shoulders would completely tense up. Its hard to see yourself as you are locked in your own brain in a state of panic but try to identify these small signs that show the onset of an attack.


2. Talk yourself down.
Once you realize you are about to have an attack you now have the upper hand and can sort it before it occurs. You are now in control, not the panic.

Make an effort to tell your body to relax. as my signs of an oncomming panic attack were sitting on the edge of my seat and fidgeting with things, id make an effort to sit back into my chair fully, and relax, sit with my hands by my sides and just concentrate on relaxing and taking slow deep breadths. The act of simply putting your body in a relaxed position helps to quell an oncoming attack.

Now, ask yourself why are you panicking? With me it was when i was faced with a problem i didnt know how to figure out instantly.

Next, ask whats the absolute worst case scenario that can happen. When panicking your brain is visualizing something awful happening to you and is trying to tell you "GET OUT OF THERE, RUN SOMEWHERE SAFE".

Its not worried about reality. You have to make a conscious effort to show yourself that you are not in danger. Again using myself as an example, worst case scenario was that id do some research and be unable to solve a problem. But thinking this out rationally i reasoned that worst case would be id have ask someone for help. And if there was nobody about to help then worst case would be that the issue would have to wait until i solved it or got help. It seems simple once you reason it out but during an attack you are in such a knot of fear that you dont see that.

Once you have rationally visualized the worst case scenario and can see there is nothing to fear, the panic almost instantly subsides. It takes work but after a while it becomes reflex and you just dont panic.




Panic as an evolutionary safety mechanism. in a dangerous situation your brain switches to a very primal mode, and gives you 2 choices, either stay and fight the danger, or run away, with little room for higher connotative reasoning. very useful thousands of years ago if you were faced with a wild animal, not so useful in a modern corporate environment!

But we are self aware and in control of our own brains and bodies. it takes effort sometimes such as in a panic attack but we can control and manage it.

I know it seems difficult now, and it is, but with a little practice it gets easier and you will be a much better, stronger and more capable person because of it.

cassid

Great book by Aine Turbidy, she was an Irish counsellor, her books had a cd at the back to listen and learn to relax, really recommend it, great book and makes prefect sense.

antodeco

Ordered the book by Aine Tubridy today.

I need to try learn how to cope with them before I start travelling internationally.