I have been several ME's during my life. Not necessarily due to age but more to where I was in my timeline. Every life process requires a different set of skills and it can be a real challenge acquiring them. I stumbled a bit when I was a young Mother learning to become more self-reliant. This was my introduction to anxiety and panic attacks and agoraphobia. The more restricted I became the more I hated myself , and that in turn increased the anxiety. I was afraid I was dying , every pa was facing death. I realized , finally , I was experiencing it and surviving, so why not on purpose. I would accept it, walk through it, and say to it , go ahead do your worst. Oh, I was scared alright, but I was more angry than scared. I had lost me , lost my life, I wanted it back. That's what gave me the courage to fight. I didn't get the old me back. I got a stronger me . When you have survived pa you are not afraid of much else , and I like that about myself. All of you with pa have done this , just not on purpose. You have experienced panic and lived. You are already doing it, now do it with purpose. Pam
PANIC ATTACK ? NO, ATTACK PANIC. - Anxiety and Depre...
PANIC ATTACK ? NO, ATTACK PANIC.
I love... “I didn’t get the old me back. I got a stronger me.” This is what I envision for myself. How could we not be stronger after coping with what we have!!! Thank you for your wisdom. Exactly what I needed to hear❤️
Yess. A survivor💪 we need more posts like this. Mental illness can be beat. We just have to have those moments of " oh wait, I can get better...and I will get better." Sometimes it may take awhile.. Im a believer that humans dont ever stop learning. We'll always fight these inner battles... but we can figure out what works and what doesnt for coping skills. And have the ability to live with a sense of control.
Because I was not in control as a child when I went through many traumas , I've always had a need to find ways to have more control. Of course our control is limited if it exists at all.
I lived in fear my first 31 years on earth. Your words spoke to me. Im just learning that I have skills I can use to face the world and though I cant change who I am I can learn what it takes to be a functioning person. My illness remains but Ive accepted it and fight it. I chose self love for the first time. Ive become to be my friend rather than enemy. I let myself feel proud. Ive gained new perspective in my 30's. I feel strong. I feel like I can fall apart and get back up again. I put one foot in front of the other and choose to rise above.
Great post.
I'm glad you became stronger after yours...I feel terrified just thinking about the ones I've had. It's like the worst fear a normal person experiences but times a million. Dont smoke marijuanna if you already have intense anxiety because it can make it a lot worse. Control is an illusion.
This is only what happened to me, if you can use it to help yourself , please do. I recall the fear, it was debilitating , gut wrenching, but if you can use it. Turn it on itself. .It takes time to accomplish this.
Pam
I seem now to be entering a very trying time in my life with the results I have just received from my Specialists, No-one so far has given me any form of conclusive prognosis and treatment plans they may wish me to take, So I would not say I am having Panic Attacks as yet just a concern on what is expected of me.
We all here go through periods of life that prove negative in outlook so We need to be able to control our worries and expectations as best we can. The problem like you I am getting older and parts of my Life is dropping off, through my final decades. What concerns me is how quickly thing are going wrong, and the treatments seem to be more heroic, For example my teeth, I have been given a prescribed a toothpaste that cantains a large amount of flouride, I hate the stuff, I was told this stuff is a substance that , yes hardens the teeth although a substance that can have negative concerns regarding health, so I now bite the bullet and consider for treatment negative medications are given this in other words mixed with other medications Pensioners take will eventually take them out.
We live and fight our health conditions that become more complex, we are entering a different period of life, we now have to understand our Depression and Panic attacks have greater ground to extend their webs of physical illness.
Now I am basically pushing myself to do things I have wished to do in the past and not managed to fulfill.. If we keep busy and start to plan our future activities life and our worries should lessen as we get older. We may live longer, what negative disabilities we may suffer from. We live our life with a deeper intensity as we get older, and try to hide our negative thoughts of Depression and Anxiety, Mental health concerns need to be put on a back burner as we struggle with, greater health problems
BOB
Please tell me how and if you have accomplished this yet ????’n
Are you referring to turning fear on itself ? My thinking was that I needed the fear to become stronger. It provided the opportunity for me to change myself. Realizing that the fear and panic were part of my psych, I didn't think I needed to be afraid of myself. It is one with me, there is no outside source. Knowing this , you still have to fight the battle, face and accept the fear. I would stand and shout in my head' come on, do your worst, I don't care, you won't stop me. I guess after awhile I believed myself. It did stop, there were a few times when it tried again, but by this time I was strong. I am a strong person now and I continue to grow. In my twenties, I wouldn't say boo to a goose, now geese fear me.
Pam, I totally agree with you in that it was about fear in the beginning
but once I became agoraphobic for 5 years it turned to anger. It was
then I started taking steps forward in healing. Thank you for sharing
a positive post that anxiety and panic attacks do not have to be a lifetime
sentence. xx
Brilliant post: great wisdom born of experience in dealing with panic attacks.
Good for you Pam surrender is a wonderful thing 🙂❤️
I really feel like I am taking control by accepting . Surrender is for other people. lol
i meant the letting go of resisitance which brought surrender to mind but maybe letting go is more appropriate
Hello,I’m new to the group. I read ur post and that is EXACTLY how I feel when I have my panic attacks. I wanna rush to the ER cause I think I’m having a heart attack and going to die. It is the worst feeling ever and I’m tired of it. I w read that breathing helps a lot. Please tell me this is true. Please also tell me that mind distraction works. I would like to m ow your tricks. I am seeing a psychiatrist but they just like to throw pills at me, that clearly don’t work. My recent attack was today. Full blown panic attack. Whoever reads this, please HELP ME!!!! I would like to hear some samples of putting an end to the attack before it becomes full blown. Nobody understands better than someone else who has this. Thank you in advance. Much luck to everyone.
Okay Jmac, Here we go...I would repeat to myself as the panic started, you're ok . you're ok. Just keep on going. Sometimes I would time the attack on my watch. Count it out in my head, No cell phone in those days but now I would find a way to use it. I might record an attack to listen to later. I would say how I'm feeling and reassure myself to listen to later. I would use it as a tool to see what I'm like during an attack. Doing these things distances the panic. It distracts you and gives you control. Other little helpers.....I might record a pep talk on my phone to listen to during an attack . I would say something that I find funny 'listen bitch, you got this, own it.' You may speak to yourself differently, but this would work for me. I also had iced water on hand always and every where. Smelling salts really work and give you a jolt which clears your head. I carried small charms which I held in my hands, reminders of my safe place, home. This will take time and practice. You will have plenty of opportunities. Panic doesn't give up easily. Actually you are fighting yourself , so how cunning are you. I hope this is helpful. Pam
I will try anything at this point. They are taking over my life. I Don’t go anywhere. I don’t enjoy what I use to. I don’t have sex. I don’t excerise. All because I’m afraid to get my heart rate up and have a panic attack. Sometimes I feel dead inside.