I wanted to ask a question about suffering from panic/anxiety attacks due to excitement/something good happening. Does anybody else get this? I'm incredibly frustrated.
I may have mentioned to a few members that I have been wanting to open my own business, I started the ball rolling and it's gathered pace and I have been getting great news from contacts I have been making. Yesterday was great in particular as a company showed a huge interest. The adrenaline started pumping around my body, I got excited, I felt like my mind and body was going 100 miles an hour, but in a good way. And that was it...the rest of my day was ruined. My chest was so tight I kept having to inhale heavily, my heart couldn't decide whether it wanted to beat normally or too fast. I got into bed and at around 11-12 o clock I flung up, unable to breathe properly, my heart all over the place and on came the intense shaking. Previously my attacks have effected me for half an hour or more, but this only lasted about 10 minutes or so and I went back to sleep exhausted from it. I was so tired this morning. I've had furtgher contact with the companies again and am still working full time and having normal work handed to me and I'm feeling a bit hectic and stressed with it all. I just want to be able to enjoy this time and really start concentrating on it, but I keep having to take steps back to calm down.
Does anybody else find that they get this when something intense yet positive is happening?
xxx
Written by
Mandy26
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I can sometimes get very anxious when I'm excited about something good going on.
Hi mandy,
Yes, excitment has the same feelings, and what you have done is remembered those feeling and associated them with the anxiety, reacted, tensed up, and acted on those feeling by thinking something bad will happen, and thats what has caused the panic.
Anxious feeling are not dangerous, they are just unpleasant.
One point you said you had to inhale deeply, which is ok as long as you EXHALE DEEPLY too and slowly, if you dont you will continue the panic as your bodies oxygen balance will mess up.
In what you have written I dont see your coping strategy kicking in, do you have one?
Your business venture sounds a very positive step, and will bring on some stress and worry, of course it will, its here where this coping strategy is used, to keep you steady calm, and allow you to actually enjoy whats going on.
I used to have to have a lay down at christmas if I had a present I didnt know what was in it. I got so excited I would panic, and I'm talking about being 40 yrs old
When we understand our coping strategy, we see the anxiety arise earlier and earlier.
If you imagine a train going full speed (anxiety) and we try to stop it, its really difficult it takes ages. So what we do is by practice catch the train (anxiety) as it comes out the station and put the brakes on immediately.
To do this we must learn to become soft, malleable, inside in body and mind.
Its like a ball hitting a glass, because the glass is brittle it will shatter, if we throw a ball at a sponge, nothing happens, the sponge accepts it and reforms its shape.
And the most powerfullist thing we have inside ourselves is kindness, the loving kindness to ourselves and all things especially for us our anxiety.
Next time you start panicing, allow it in and flood it with loving kindness, like you would love a new born baby, and see what happens.
I couldn't stop giggling at your present opening experience. That did make me laugh.
I do have a coping strategy, to loosen every bit of my body and inhale and exhale slowly and it works so well. After the large attacks I used to suffer, I could stop the smaller effects of anxiety instantly. I think the recent attacks have been on a slightly stronger scale which is why I think the symptoms have been quite strong but luckily my coping strategy has helped enormously. I think without using this the attacks would have lasted a lot longer and taken a tighter hold. I think it's important not to be scared of anxiety which I no longer am, sometimes I just have days where I get a bit sick, especially when you think you deserve a bit of joy. It's more frustration than anything but I think I am lucky to have come out of the worst.
Yes, it seems to hit me when I am going on holidays. We are going to Florida for two weeks, next week, and I have been getting panicky and jittery for about last 5 weeks or so. Happens every time we go away abroad somewhere, and it even happened up in the Lake District 3 weeks ago. Crazy or what? No, just the subconscious mind getting things out of perspective. Can't understand it as we have done this trip 11 years in succession!
As you can see, I just let the anxiety run its course, don't fight it, accept it, and just let time pass and it will subside.
I get this too! We often go to the Lake District or Scotland and I get so excited like a child but then there's the absolute dread and panicky feeling kicks in. I've defintely learned to accept anxiety like you mentioned. and It is really important to do that. sometimes you just want to give your mental self a kick to say 'just enjoy the bloody break will you' Lol.
I hope you are enjoying your time in Forida. thank you for the good luck on the business.
xxx
Yeah I have this too...... but feelings of anxiety and excitement are exactly the same,,, the only difference is how your perceive them............
Good luck with the venture..... bare with it.... theyll go.........
Hi Anne, Thank you. I hadn't thought about how similar they were. It makes me feel better to think like this and that others go through the same thing.
Sorry for the late reply. thank you so much for replying. I never thought about the similarities between the panic feeling and the adrenaline of happiness like so many of you have mentioned. That makes a lot of sense. I found myself getting more frustrated because I thought 'why can't I just enjoy this happy feeling'. It's very strange when you've lived so many years of your life being able to feel the adrenaline and joy of things without feeling like you're going to pass out, then all of a sudden even a good thing can knock you off course.
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