Before therapy

[Kevin160]

Hey everyone, its been almost a month since i joined due to my severe health anxiety and panic attacks,

I want to give an uodate for anyone who might be interested, today was probably the first day since december where i almost felt no stress, i didnt panic once, i was calm all day, no headache no nausea , i swear i felt like i could do anything, i still had a few palpitations but i find my self getting distracted easiky and i dont think alot about my problems, i guess im ivercoming a but if my fears if stress, and my body isnt that fragile, like i can take 2months of constant stress and anxiety even if i feel like dying it doesnt mean i am ...

now i have gotten advice from very great people on how to reduce my anxiety and stress levels, i also gotten to see great references like apps for meditation such as simple habit, and books and videos on calming panic attacks , my anxiety had gotten better and worse since i joined,

Better due to the fact that i found support and great advices over my first problem which was constant measuring of bp and pulse , eventhough im physically healthy

But worse because i think i realized this might be harder than i thought ir was a bit hard to face that i actually had a problem, i thought this could be a phase but my anxiety has always been there, it fades but never goes, i would panic over any simple thing that might not even relate to me, i would worry about someone i know going to the hospital for the flu, thinking things never go the way they are planned, i would worry if i get a cut or a pimple , a rash or anything, im very superstitious and worry that if i mention something it will come true and i have my own belief regarding certain situations , its weird im aware, but i always thought that way, i never had anyone to talk to because everyone used to shut me out, in some ways i dont blame them, its not easy to explain, and its not easy for siblings or parents to realize or accept their son has a problem, and they were all going through terrible things , we all did so i understand a but now, although now they are ok but they still dont listen which was the reason i joined he, because i never find solutions where all my parents say or friends and family, is ..”take painkillers, eat more fruits” or my favorite ...”dont be worried, just relax” ..like that is easy for someone like me , i try to tell myself im fine byt skmetimes i worry over anything because i like to be prepared in case the worst case happens...i overthink and analyze alot which i hate, i dont know the future so im not sure ...ill try to get better with therapy im planning my appointment next week or the week after, im starting school tomorrow after a break i had , which was a reason of why i might have felt stressed because i never had any distractions, just alone with my thoughts, hoping it wil get better

I guess my question is what to do now for next week, how to stay like this nit go back to the bottom and the dark terribke days i had , i also for my first therapy session, just send a message of give me advices and your stories and exoeriences, and how u felt and how u feek niw, i heard some byt now i want to see more

My main question i guess is what should i expect and do

[Jeff1943]

What to do now? Accept. Why do you ask?

[Kevin160 in reply to Jeff1943]

I meant with therapy

[Kevin160 in reply to Jeff1943]

For god’s sake i get it, accept

[Jeff1943 in reply to Kevin160]

There's no obligation to believe in the acceptance attitude for recovery. You won't be the first or the last on this forum. That's fine. Some reject it because it's too hard. It is hard. But for God's sake not as hard as putting up with anxiety. I hope the therapy goes well.

[Kevin160 in reply to Jeff1943]

I meant that im starting therapy what should i do to prepare for therapy, is there anything i should know? Anything i should ask him, meds wise or experience wise, what to do to make therapy more affective, how to explain my problems more clearly,anything i should implement like breathing techniques, exercise, drinks, foods, health wise, not just to accept, all due respect but i like to know other people’s experiences that why i ask , i benefit from anyone because i see some things might work for me other things might not

[masa2333 in reply to Kevin160]

I’m so glad that you are good today!

I told you to ask him everything you want to know, it’s his job to prepare you fully for any further attack and to include therapy if needed. I think you would benefit from medication, you know that I did and we had so similar symptoms. He will teach you breathing tehniques and maybe more. You just have to talk whatever is in your mind and be honest to him! Explain to him everything you experienced.

For now what I find effective besides meds is taking vitamins and minerals, eating non-processed foods (junk food, high salt and sugar tend to increase heart beat at least for me) so a lot of veggies and fruits, cooked meat, nuts etc.

About drinks, you should start drinking a lot of water, tea, lemonade (without sugar), and minimise coffee (if you really have to, just have 1 a day)

Walking is the best form of exercise both healthwise and for relaxing. Brisk walk reduces the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and your body and posture also benefits from it. And it produces serotonin (like any exercise does) so it helps with anxiety. I find that high intensity exercises do not work for me right now because it simulates symtoms of anxiety/panic (racing heart, difficulty breathing, dizziness).

[Sunnidayz1]

Wow Kevin you are doing awesome. You are putting in the time to get better! Kudos to you! Yes, you are in the next phase. Absolutely. It's definitely a process.

Just reading over your post it sounds like your brain just automatically goes to the worry of situations. And I understand that. Also, how about the general concept of negative thinking? Sometimes that can get in our way and it can be improved.

[Kevin160 in reply to Sunnidayz1]

Yes for me its basically health anxiety, i worry about any simple thing, the flu, a simple cut, anything , so when i started stressing over my bp about 2 months ago i kept panicking over it and obsessing because i thought i will never stop stressing over it, then i started stressing over stress as silly as it sounds because i kept getting this thought of my dying of a heart attack, i would always feel dizzy out of breath and more..it was terrible and i would panic because i would actually believe it will come true, i would get afraid of sleeping alone and sitting alone with my thoughts , so it all gies back to health anxiety, i can deal with the rest well..

[Kevin160 in reply to Sunnidayz1]

Even when i know the situation is super silly, for example a few days ago i hit my head, it was probably the smallest hit, i barely felt it and i knew deep down im fine, but i kept worrying what if i get a concussion someday, what if i have smth now, what if this or that ,....etc you get it ..so i tell myself its fine i dont always panic but i just hate my overthinking because i know im fine but i keep running scenarios that i will die, and i just learned a system of questions to ask myself, such as

Did this ever happen before

Did any of my fears come true regarding this situation

Whats the worse case

Solution?

Can this be psycological

And i usually calm because i know my brain is playing tricks, sometimes i worry because i forget to be rational or get anxious

[Calm_mama]

Hey Kevin!

Between now and therapy I would do 3 things:

1) Do your best to stop scrambling and frantically finding things to do to get your anxiety to "lay low" or "go away". Rather, try to be anxious. Try to feel palpitations, racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, etc. Try to get bizarre and uncomfortable thoughts to pop up. Try to panic.

That's right, I'm so certain that this is the correct treatment for anxiety- especially somatic/health anxiety- that I'm putting it out there as a suggestion. In fact I'm SO certain that anxiety is 100% harmless that I not only suggest it, I so VERY strongly recommend it.

2) Stop looking up "effects of anxiety on health" on the internet The internet is full of inconsistencies, varied opinions, and honestly, a lot of garbage. I can poke a million holes in research studies that have come to the conclusion that anxiety is detrimental to health (i was in clinical research for years). Rather, believe me. Yes, some random lady on the internet! And have you listened to/read Dr. Weekes yet? That's a doctor telling you to go out there and panic, panic, panic. Because it's harmless. And it's the correct treatment.

3) Commit to long term therapy. You say, "...But worse because i think i realized this might be harder than i thought ir was a bit hard to face that i actually had a problem, i thought this could be a phase but my anxiety has always been there, it fades but never goes..."

You mentioned in a previous post you were going to go for therapy for a little while. I don't recommend that. You've been practicing a certain way of thinking for a long long long time. Changing the way you think about something takes time and support and the right kind of help. Commit to long term therapy- I believe it will really help you to feel good (thought and feeling are inextricably connected. When you get the right help changing the way you think and see things, you will automatically start feeling better).

I'm so glad you are having a good day! Now I know it's the weirdest advice you;ve ever gotten but... Go have a PANIC ATTACK. I recommend you try to have several every single day. The more you try to panic, the more you embrace and ACCEPT anxiety, the more impossible it will be for you to panic.

Such a paradox, but true

[Kevin160 in reply to Calm_mama]

I see what you mean , i respect it and i strongly believe it does work, i believe i faced it enough to realize it wont hurt me and now i barely get anxious throughout the day, today i had an extremely stressful day had it been a week ago i would be panicking so hard, but because i faced what i faced i feel much better coping and im just worried about trying to do anything that will make me more anxious because i just feel a bit ok now ...i get what u mean and i think it will work because i wont be scared that stress will kill me, but i just dont want to go through that again

[Calm_mama in reply to Kevin160]

Fabulous. You are on your way I have no doubt. It's a bumpy road but that's OK

YES! Don't THINK it will work- rather, KNOW it will work. Have the courage and the confidence to go RIGHT THROUGH harmless, benign, innocuous, innocent anxiety and panic. It's just a little adrenaline. BIG DEAL. Practice accepting it and allowing it in to do WHATEVER it wants

[Kevin160 in reply to Calm_mama]

My first conversation about stress with my sister about 2 months ago , i told her im always anxious and feel worried about my bp , pulse, anything health wise , she said you have to control or you will throw a blood clot if you stay like this, my mom said that too, that this will be harmful , and i knew a few people who died from shock, im not saying they didnt have other factors that caused their death, but it just scares me a bit, but im happy to see there isnt alot that i can do which worries me, i guess it was just a fear over my own safety , there was a trigger i just didnt want t face it, it still worries me sometimes but im so proud that i can be easily distracted, today was my first day back from break , and i spent the whole day calm eventhough i didnt sleep well and was a bit anxious about first day because i wont have much support and worrying that i can throw a panic attacj and get no help or no one will understand,

[Kevin160 in reply to Calm_mama]

One of the little things i wanted was atleast a day without stress or a panic attack, and i think i could consider today one , because i had a tiny bit of anxiety but it didnt cause me to overthink or panic..