Asthma anxiety

Anyone have any advice for managing Asthma attack anxiety? My Asthma is brought on by allergies, and until January I never took my asthma diagnosis seriously because it barely ever effected me, but in January I had a very traumatic time where I caught a bad sick bug and started having some pretty bad allergy attacks (dust, I presume) which then triggered an asthma attack. So I started hyperventilating on top of puking from the sick bug I had at the same time. It was very traumatic...I thought I was going to die, but somehow didn't. Anyways since then, I take allergy tablets every day since I wake up, and since January when I had that attack I haven't had any asthma symptoms.. but I have some pretty bad daily anxiety now because of it.. whenever I take a breath that feels uncomfortable I start feeling anxious that it may progress into an attack....but it never does, nor does it require an inhaler.. it simply requires me to calm down and stop thinking about it which makes me convinced it's mostly anxiety causing similar symptoms..sometimes it is hard to stop thinking about it though which progresses into panic attacks.. any advice with dealing with it?

[Junglechicken]

I struggle with anxiety. I’ve tried various techniques to combat the issue. Eventually I discovered that fighting the feeling actually made it worse for me. So things like deep slow breathing and saying “calm down, relax” was counter productive as I was trying to “get rid” of the sensation of anxiety. I now just let the anxiety run its course. I allow my body to do whatever it needs to do to get through it. When a full attack happens I use a keyword (which in my case is “hognose” in honour of the hognose snake that when threatened it stays perfectly still) which triggers my brain to relax into the attack. So if I’m shaking I say, “it’s ok, hognose” or “hognose if you need to” I don’t react, just accept that it is happening and wait for it to stop. It’s something I discovered when I was quite ill and was just too tired to do the usual techniques (deep breathing etc). It’s a bit unconventional but for me works better than anything else I’ve tried.

[Poobah]

I always think anxiety is like a bird accidentally flying into a room. If you've ever tried to get the bird to fly back out the window you know how futile it is without a plan.

There are coping strategies for anxiety that can be practised in order to bring some control back. The Mind website is very helpful and suggests several approaches and techniques which will give you back control.

Wishing you well. 🤗

[Ts777]

Hi,

I suffer from severe anxiety and I agree it’s not pleasant when mixed with asthma.

I use mindfulness which does work for me. It’s something you need to practice when you’re not in a panic... then it works when you are.

If you want to give it a go, try some everyday. The app “Headspace” is a good start, the free stuff is fine I’ve never paid.

Also, Anxiety UK might have some other suggestions.

I hope you find something that works for you 😁😁

[GFloss]

Oh, I really do feel for you and so relate! I found CBT fantastic for a really similar anxiety issue that was sneaking into my life each day for quite a time. I had it for free via the NHS and was lucky to have a really good practitioner. I think that bit makes all the difference, so now always recommend trying again with someone else if anyone's had it before and didn't get on with their practitioner. Also, making sure to do the homework/exercises set as that helps the outcome! If you don't want to wait for the NHS & have the budget, you can always book online CBT (make sure it's with a qualified psychotherapist though, e.g. via: harleytherapy.com/therapists). Otherwise, I agree Mind is a great website. Where my anxiety has increased recently I've started doing two short daily meditations (thank you, YouTube!) and find that gives my mind back some control. Appreciate it's not for everyone, but any general relaxation techniques you can build right now would be a great addition.

[mjrminor]

I second Poobah. I've dealt with anxiety disorder most of my adult life, but have mostly learned to recognise its triggers and techniques to keep it under control.

You need to find what works for you. CBT and talk therapy have helped me in the past, but obviously that's difficult to get right now in the middle of a pandemic.

Guided meditation works for me, but I avoid any that require breathing techniques as that can trigger my asthma. Instead I use ones that are more about visualisation or relaxation. A free app I have on my phone which is very good is called Let's Meditate.

Like Poobah has already said the Mind website has a ton of tips and resources for anxiety. There are other useful sites out there too if you Google.

I think right now most people are feeling anxious, so those of us with existing health conditions need to take extra care of ourselves, and that includes our mental and emotional health as much as our physical.