Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
Disclaimer: this is my first post and first time in this group, so please let me know if I need to do something differently. And if so, I just ask that you do it in a kind way, I am really sensitive and I just tried to reach out in another chat group and did something against the chat rules without knowing it and was chewed out for it. So, please, just be kind if I need to post this elsewhere or in a different way. Thank you!
Anyway, I have had minor to moderate anxiety since I can remember, but in December, I suffered from the worst panic attack of my life. I had heard about people feeling like they were going to die during an attack, but until this one I had never experienced it. And now, I am terrified.
It's possible that this particular attack was health related...after two days of not getting off the couch or out of bed because every time I moved I felt like I was going to have another attack, I finally went to urgent care and the doctor diagnosed me with vertigo. Now, a month later, I am questioning whether the vertigo caused the anxiety or if my anxiety caused the vertigo.
I have started seeing a psychologist, but I only see her once a week, and I'm just kind of at a loss what to do all of the other days. Today is Monday, and I have noticed it's my hardest day of the week - my panic attack was on a Monday, I don't know if that's just a coincidence or if the transition between weekend and workweek is just hard for me mentally and/or physically.
Bottom-line: it's been a month since my bad attack and now I just constantly feel on edge and like I am just waiting for the next one to hit. I have never felt this way before and I honestly just want it to be over. I know I'm not alone, but it really feels like it sometimes. I don't want to be a burden on my family and friends, but it has affected my work and home life. I have not gone into a store since the attack (it started in the store) or driven a car for more than 10 minutes (when I thought I had gotten over the anxiety in the store, I started to drive home, that's when the vertigo, etc. happened and my husband had to come pick me up) and I still feel motion sick in the car...
Anyway, could you all just let me know if I'm in the right place? What's worked for you? Etc. I'm kind of at a loss right now.
Thanks so much.
Anyway, I have had minor to moderate anxiety since I can remember, but in December, I suffered from the worst panic attack of my life. I had heard about people feeling like they were going to die during an attack, but until this one I had never experienced it. And now, I am terrified.
It's possible that this particular attack was health related...after two days of not getting off the couch or out of bed because every time I moved I felt like I was going to have another attack, I finally went to urgent care and the doctor diagnosed me with vertigo. Now, a month later, I am questioning whether the vertigo caused the anxiety or if my anxiety caused the vertigo.
I have started seeing a psychologist, but I only see her once a week, and I'm just kind of at a loss what to do all of the other days. Today is Monday, and I have noticed it's my hardest day of the week - my panic attack was on a Monday, I don't know if that's just a coincidence or if the transition between weekend and workweek is just hard for me mentally and/or physically.
Bottom-line: it's been a month since my bad attack and now I just constantly feel on edge and like I am just waiting for the next one to hit. I have never felt this way before and I honestly just want it to be over. I know I'm not alone, but it really feels like it sometimes. I don't want to be a burden on my family and friends, but it has affected my work and home life. I have not gone into a store since the attack (it started in the store) or driven a car for more than 10 minutes (when I thought I had gotten over the anxiety in the store, I started to drive home, that's when the vertigo, etc. happened and my husband had to come pick me up) and I still feel motion sick in the car...
Anyway, could you all just let me know if I'm in the right place? What's worked for you? Etc. I'm kind of at a loss right now.
Thanks so much.
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88FWhat I do like is early morning clouds and then they disappear and the sun comes out. That was it's cooler in the morning. I'm sitting here looking out the window at the hummingbird with the river and dike as a back drop. It's hard to invision ever leaving but I'm also a realist with aging, especially when the luncheon we had with thirty former classmates on Monday. Sandra, we get news of...
I went through a period in my life where I suffered from panic attacks and I can empathize with you. Panic attacks are absolutely horrible and it is hard for people who have never experienced one to understand the severity of them. The anticipation of having a panic attack will just make your anxiety even worse. It is a cycle that feels like it will not end. I definitely understand where you are coming from.
I managed my panic attacks by seeing a psychiatrist and a psychologist. I would definitely continue seeing your psychologist but maybe consider seeing a psychiatrist as well. I went onto the anti-depressant Lexapro and I used the anti-anxiety medication Ativan. I felt major relief from the Ativan. I would let them dissolve under my tongue and within a few minutes I felt calmer. Another thing I tried to do was to identify my triggers. I attempted to figure out what kinds of stressors would trigger my panic attacks. I would try to avoid those triggers or be extra prepared if the triggers were unavoidable.
Another thing that would help me is talking it out with a friend. I would verbalize all of my anxious thoughts to a close friend during a panic attack, no matter how "crazy" I thought they were. If your friends and family know you struggle from panic attacks you can give them some education and ask them to be someone you can go to for support. Also a very tight hug helps as well. Ask someone to hug you really tight, squeezing across the middle of your back for a few minutes while you breath deep. This helped me a lot. Sometimes I could fight off a panic attack I felt coming by doing this. Also remember to keep control of your breathing. Practice some breathing exercises. Is it amazing how deep controlled breathing for a minute can calm you down.
Just remember that how you are feeling is normal! Many people go through anxiety and panic attacks. It is the body's normal reaction to stress. A panic attack is the body's reaction to a fight or flight response but the problem is we usually are not fighting or fleeing from a deadly situation. Your heart pounds out of your chest, you get cold sweats, feel clammy, have racing thoughts, feelings of impending doom, extreme nausea, dizziness, feel like crawling out of your skin, and a number of other symptoms. Try to educate yourself on what a panic attack actually is so you can understand what is happening to your body physiologically when you get a panic attack. Work with your psychologist on coping mechanisms and figure out which one works best. I am confident in time you will figure out what works best for you and you will be able to successfully talk yourself down from a panic attack as well as possibly eliminate them altogether! Best of luck to you!
P.S. I am not sure of the relation between vertigo and panic attacks/anxiety. I would say from my personal experience a panic attack would make me feel dizzy.
Do you happen to know what was going on that could have possibly set off the panic attack in the store? If you can identify the triggers it can be helpful in avoiding future incidents. I'm glad you're working with a psychologist. Hopefully the two of you can come up with a treatment plan to help you anticipate and prevent them, whether that be medication, relaxation techniques, medication, or a combination.
Regarding the vertigo, you might want to go have that checked out by your regular doctor if you're still having motion sickness. Please don't worry about others thinking that you are a burden. They are there to support you.
((HUGS!))
Nekopajama, I'd never heard of ASMR until you posted this. I'm going to look into it some more and see if I can find something that works for me. I've been trying meditation, but it's hard to get my brain to shut off, I know it just takes practice though.
Psychmajor91 & cloverset14, I've been getting better over the past couple of weeks at identifying my triggers and accepting them. I know that shopping (which I mentioned I haven't tried yet) and driving are generally triggers for me anyway, but I'm working on a plan to be able to get back to normal activities. I'm also noticing that mornings and Mondays are hard...
I've been opposed to medication for a long time (prescription drug addiction runs in my family), but this is the first time in my life I have been considering it. There are some people in my life that have had positive changes because of them. I've started working with a naturopath and learned that my vitamin B12 and D levels are very low, which can be a contributor to anxiety. So, I've been taking supplements for about a week now to try to get these levels back up to a healthy range, but this takes time.
I'm learning, in general, that recovery from this sort of thing takes time. Patience, acceptance, and grace are the words that keep coming up, but it's easier said than done, I guess...
Thank you all again for your words of support and advice. It's very encouraging and I am glad I found this group.
Terrible thing to experience. . .....
15 yr ago I had a set of 'em and went to the psych ward. Since then I've had a decent psychiatrist watching over me and had no attacks. Tho one year ago I was coming close (to an attack) for awhile.
You will find, after being around awhile, numerous items of advice : breathing exercizes, exercize (per se) (& for my part, NOT extending exercize but mild and as fun as possible).... And for my part again : making sure U don't get into a low blood sugar condition. 'Cept the first 1/2 minute after waking LOL
Keep posting . :)
It is disappointing when I can't drive without a pill. And it is disappointing and panic when I can't swallow without a pill.....just being at home. Yes, things have really taken a turn for the worse.
I so pray that you will get great advice from this group.