Aneiety,Depression and head feels awful all the time.

[Lotus4]

I take Xanax and Prozac it does help some I've had a lot going on since January had a major set back with panic attacks and depression feel like I'm going to faint and did once went to hospital everything checked out fine afraid l will faint again anyone felt this way before? Like to hear from you.

[Jeff1943]

Lotus4, you did right to get the hospital to check you out, the fact they say everything was fine (and you having panic attacks) does point to anxiety disorder. The depression sounds like secondary depression, you're depressed about having anxiety. Anxiety disorder means that your nerves have been under intense stress and strain for quite awhile and eventually your whole nervous system becomes super sensitised - and all the symptoms like panic attacks and feeling faint stem from this over sensitisation of the nervous system.

But first you have to ask yourself 'Why me?', what was causing all the stress and strain in the first place? You need to solve that pressure first, maybe with the help and advice of someone you can trust, maybe a member of your family, maybe not. Either way you need to resolve the problem that started all this off, easier said than done I know.

Next you need a recovery plan that will take the pressure off your already over sensitised nerves. Sensitisation feeds on the fear you give it every time you get a bad feeling or panic attack or start to feel faint. It's these bad feelings scaring you half to death that are keeping your nerves super sensitive.

So instead of nourishing your nerves with constant fear you need to starve your nerves of fear giving them a chance to recover. Because once your nerves return to normal so will you. And there's only one way to do that that I've discovered in 50 years that really works and that's through accepting all the bad feelings with the minimum amount of fear you can muster. So when you feel a panic attack coming just let your whole body and mind go limp and relax AND ACCEPT THE PANIC ATTACK. After all, you know that the panic attack isn't going to kill you or send you crazy, it's just a blip in your nervous system caused by all the over sensitisation you've caused in the past. If you feel faint then accept that feeling too because it's only a feeling, the hospital has told you that it's nothing serious because they've examined you.

So whever the bad feelings come accept them utterly, don't just 'put up' with them, you must truly accept them. And carry on with your daily routine as normal even though you feel bad - the important thing is not to keep frightening yourself half to death over something that doesn't really exist in the physical or organic sense and therefore can't do harm to your mind and body. What I'm saying is, don't let yourself be bullied and frightened by a fraud and imposter that doesn't really exist.

You've probably guessed why I've been banging on about accepting without fear - yes that's right, by not bombarding your nerves constantly with fear the over sensitivity fades away to nothing and you recover. Not tomorrow or even by the middle of next week, it takes time for your frazzled nerves to recover but recover they will and the effect on you will be life changing.

As I say, Acceptance is the best road to recovery I've discovered in 50 years, if ever you do find a more effective technique let me know but that ain't going to happen. Be brave, do the hard thing - and take your first steps to recovery!