Anxiety attacks

[Kevin160]

I have recently started focusing my how im feeling and trying to accept my anxiety and stress in order to understand and figure out how to get better , i started to realize that i get anxious whenever i remember certain memories or do actions that remind me of stress or just thinking about stress itself , i realized that i am more worried about my symptoms and fearing the next panic or anxiety attack or the next migraine and fear and the terrifying symptoms that come along with it , i tried to do that today and ended up panicking and shaking for a while , i then calmed down and started trying to relax and focus on my breathing , i still havent mastered the idea of trying to accept the scary thoughts and i find that they still can have control over me , it worried me that its sort of a cycle , im worried about stress and being always anxious and suffering physical diseases as a result which causes more stress , and i just want to be able to break this cycle and not be scared about “what if” , its getting better than before where i used to suffer full on panic attacks that put me in hospitals, thinking im going to die ..but since my mentality has shifted a bit im feeling more optimistic but i still dont always feel strong enough to face my thoughts which limits me from doing many things because i find myself in my mind instead of being in the real world

[mhg203]

Kevin I can completely agree with you on how it’s such a cycle. I am opting to start going to therapy. I tried a medication and it was not pleasant for me (not sure if I was so nervous about the side effects or I my just wasn’t agreeing with me?) I think that if we find useful ways with the help of a professional to manage anxiety it will be better to make it through. I used to be able to do a lot of things and now I always think right to the worst case. I’ve used belly breathing, adult coloring and am also going to try yoga.

[Sunnidayz1 in reply to mhg203]

Yoga is awesome. You'll love how you feel.

Good luck

Xx

[Sunnidayz1]

It's definitely a cycle. Unless you are a trained professional it's near to impossible to figure out. Not only is it impossible it's an enigma for the pros to figure out. Leave it to them.

I know how u feel. I felt the same way before I got the help I needed.

If u need to talk contact me

Take care

Xx

[Jeff1943]

Kevin160, you've embraced the idea of acceptance (for the time being) as a means to respite and recovery. But are you completely accepting the symptoms - rather than continuing to fight them?

It takes time to get fully familiar with acceptance and if you haven't already may I suggest you read Claire Weekes' first book 'Self help for your nerves' to understand more about this method and how it fits with her four imperatives: Face. Accept. Float. And let time pass. (If you're American the same book is titled 'Hope and help for your nerves').

The symptoms of general anxiety, health anxiety and strange thoughts can be terrifying when they first strike. But we have to constantly remind ourselves that the power of anxiety is limited. It can mimic the symptoms of serious illness but they are not for real: they can do us no permanent damage no matter how superficially distressing. They are blips in our nervous systems which are suffering from exhaustion and saturation with fear hormones which continue to keep them sensitised. There's no real need to rush off to A&E/ the ER when we're feeling wobbly. They will do a few tests and tell us "Nothing wrong, must be anxiety". But we knew that any way.

We all pay anxiety too much respect and despite the discomfort it causes we should change our attitude towards it. We should tell ourselves: "I may have a panic attack later today, I think I might, but I DON'T GIVE A DAMN! I'm going to work anyway, if it comes I'll just switch onto automatic pilot until it passes."

Or say: "I'm feeling lousy today, SO WHAT? I'm still going out to socialise. If I had a pulled muscle I'd still go out despite the discomfort; so why not with this?"

When we see our symptoms in true perspective they appear far less fearsome. If we can agree to live with anxiety then we will soon be able to live without it. Because when acceptance replaces fear it allows our nervous system to calm and begin the process of recovery.

But it must be true acceptance, not just 'putting up' with the symptoms of anxiety, not simply avoiding anxiety, not just losing ourselves in distraction from it.

To begin with we may only be able to glimpse the new point of view for a few minutes at a time. No matter, we can build on that until it becomes our normal frame of mind. Then the end of our suffering is in sight.

[Kevin160 in reply to Jeff1943]

I understand where you are coming from but easier said than done , for example today has been terrible despite much effort trying to calm myself down , sometimes it helps sometimes it doesnt , its such an overwhelming feeling that is so difficult to overcome and ignore , i have a bp measuring device and as much as its embarrasing to admit eventhough im healthy and young but i keep measuring it as soon as i feel scared which became sort lf like an obsession , i just get terrified when i feel like im shaking or getting some scary thoughts because i feel like i wont be able to control my thoughts or that i will get better for a while then i will relapse and start getting worse panic attacks and stress and eventually like start suffering high bp and heart disease , i know that im not dying when i get stress but the physical symptoms are just too intense, the shortness of breath and pain , what if i keep getttint scared of stuff and getting panic attacks everyday until i die of a heart attack , today regardless of how much i tried breathing techniques and all sort of stuff there was something that happened that scared me and my mind wouldnt switch off , just thinking about this thing and panic all day , i just need a solution because eventhough i make progress sometimes , the simplest of thoughts or realizations or just thinking about the feelings i got before and like when i get stressed and remember how intense panic attacks are and how bad they can be and how scary they were , it just rushes to me and i get these heart drops, im just exhuasted to be honest

[Kevin160 in reply to Jeff1943]

Also its nit that im accepting my symptoms , but i know my body and how it is when i get anxiety attacks or panic attack , and i just try to fight my symptoms but sometimes it works sometimes not so quite , its not panic attacks anymore cuz i sort of realized that im fine and im not dying in some cases , but sometimes when its too intense i seriously 100% lose control and just full on panic , get pain numbness and shakiness and migraines with aura , and i just panic because i dont wanna face all that , i get so dissapointed because im afraid of things that are so simple i used to face so easily

[Jeff1943]

Kevin, you know exactly what's happening to you and why but your bad feelings are overwhelming and I would suggest that the right thing to do is to take advantage of the respite and relief that medications will bring. When you are more settled you can study the self help techniques. Perhaps you have tried medications before, if so you clearly have not been prescribed the correct one. Whatever you take for the longer term I think diazepam would be useful for immediate relief. Do not reject meds because of alleged side effects and other horror stories by people who took them EXPECTING a bad experience. Meds saved my bacon more than once. I suggest you discuss this as early as pos with your doctor. This is what I would recommend. But do know you are not going to feel like this forever. You will recover but you do need the right medication to bring calm and freedom from fear into your life.

[Kevin160]

Yes im planning to , im going to go to a therapist in a while but i just wanted a set of ears hear and not just listen to a doctor’s point of view , but someone who might of faced similar circumstances, i believe just knowing that its very easy to face these problems and get better will make me less scared about not being able to face my anxiety , i know that it sounds lame but my problem is that sometimes i dont feel like i can forget or face me problems because im terrified of getting panic attacks or suffering constant panic attcks