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...
I have been doing so well. Have been trying to share my positive experiences and little successes. Tonight....wow - BAD ONE! Almost hit a level 10 on the anxiety scale - fast and hard. I am still shaking. Time for me to admit...while I am doing better in wide-open spaces and with walking....being in crowds indoors has become an increasingly worse problem. I attended an Off-Broadway show tonight. Small theater. I suddenly got the feeling that I was going to lose control and yell. Very odd...unrealistic - but my mind ran away with the thought...and there was no turning back. Has anyone else ever experienced this? It was almost like I had Turrets Syndromebut only in my brain. I was 3 seats in and next to my assistant - so there was no getting up and leaving. (again...small theater so I would have disturbed the entire production). My mind was racing...as was my heart. I was quietly hyperventilating, shaking and in serious hell. I keep my left hand to my mouth and when my arm started to ache from holding it up so long. I tried all of the tools I have recently learned - now it was time to put them to use. Breathing, counting and visualization. I couldn't get to a calm place. I think it was the longest 1st Act in the history of 1st Acts! I was like..."Come on!". Finally...the lights went up and I turned to my assistant and said "I have serious cramps - I need to head home" no one questions cramps. So here I am. No Klonopin in the house - so I took my Restoril early. Worst part...I HAVE ANOTHER SHOW TOMORROW NIGHT! ALONE! ALL KIDS, SO I CAN'T WALK OUT! Ugh! For now...I am going to bed and gonna breathe. Sigh. Exhale. Thanks for letting me share.
Zazzers you have to remember this is not a linear graph. It is not always improving. From my path on the healing train it was 2 steps forward 1 back for a while.
Take credit and celebrate your improvement and the tools of resilence that you have built. I always had to work on my demons when i was calmer and i pick the easiest triggers to deal with first. Next time the panic hits, try this , just watch it and feel it. You are a detective and you are accumulating all the facts you can ascertain. Why not, it could not be worse than reacting to the anxious.
anyone with a natural talent for empathy can easily absorb and feel overrun by other people's vibes. it is quite common. simply learn to ground yourself well and you will be able to be very poised in even the most difficult of situations without any drugs.