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Depression Panic Attacks

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Naa

If you try to write down what you are thinking during a panic attack, if it is bad enough it will be very hard and what you do write is often illogical. So how can you hope to straighten it out in one go. So what you do is replace what you can see that is negative with a positive thought. Do this a few times and you will have one less negative to deal with. But it is such a small step in the overall picture till you get a few of them connected and you get a hole in the negative thoughts. Like putting a puzzle together. At this point there is some relief making it easier to do even though the negative thoughts still seem to have the upper hand. Well they do but not for long as long as you keep saying I'm winning. And believing it too. This is important, you have to believe and that is why I'm here. You can believe it works because for me and a lot of others CBT works and this is part of how. Changing negative thoughts.

Davit

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 85

Thanks Davit

Gosh this seems so simple when you say it. I get it, I know the truth in what you say but when the panic hits - poof! It's all gone

As I am typing right now, I am feeling quite lightheaded and feel some kind of head and chest pressure which I am trying hard to ignore. I have to try to believe that these are anxiety symptoms but its so hard sometimes.

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Naa

Before you can stop the panic attacks you need to understand why they happen. I found that mine were all associated memories not what was actually happening. I'm not claustrophobic but the thought of claustrophobic situations makes me panic because I exaggerate them. A form of what if. I found a few things triggered this associated memory and still does.

One of the triggers is tight blankets. Instead of my mind saying the blankets are tight and me fixing them in my sleep it goes looking for things other than that that it could be. And it finds some pretty scary things. Things I've seen, things from movies, all kinds of imagined things to scare me. So I wake up thinking I'm in one of these situations instead of what is really happening. And all because these memories are available, but not only available but at the top of the stack since I am in survival mode. Why is complicated in a way. Fear is a survival mode and sets you up for this. Once you have a few panic attack it conditions you to go into survival mode and your mind will pick out all the possible things it could be instead of what it actually is. In a person without panic attacks these possible things combine to make a night mare. So if you have watched a scary movie and ate something heavy or had a coffee you are setting yourself up. The fact that these things will keep you half awake sets you up for this survival mode. So first you want to avoid things that will make it hard to sleep. A few nights of sleep with out going into this survival mode will help you to not go there in future. This is why Docs give people Ativan, but one step is missing. And that step is reloading memory with the right positive thought for next time. And this you can do without the Ativan. A cup of Chamomile tea will do even if all it is is a distraction.

So for me when I woke the last thing I wanted to do was think about the imagined possibilities, I did not want to reload them into memory. Instead I wanted to reload two things. One was what the actual trigger was (tight blankets) and that it was harmless, there was nothing to hide from. Each time you do this the panic becomes less till the trigger actually wakes you to what is actually happening instead of something you imagined and you either fix it or ignore it by telling it to go away. Try real hard not to focus on the imagined that is scaring you. Don't give it a chance to go back into memory where it can sit just waiting for the right situation. You have to nibble away at this and have patience, it can't be done in one big step, that only focuses on the negative. Always, always go back to sleep or try to with positive thoughts, and if it is time to get up, get up with positive thoughts. Accept you had a panic attack and drop the thought, never focus on it and don't count how many times it has happened. These things go into memory and are unwanted.

Davit.

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 85

I am trying hard and working on desensitizing - I have to keep telling myself that feeling lightheaded doesnt mean a stroke or that my palpitations dont mean a heart attack. It is really difficult though.
My therapist says an explanation for my waking in panic could be that my body interpretes my relaxed state as some sort of anomaly and that causes panic. My question is this - What can I do to reduce the "waking up in panic"? When I am awake, I can usually calm myself down but when panic wakes me up it is almost impossible to do.

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 11226

Hi Naa,

Jumping in a bit late here - looks like you already some great advice from Davit.

I have not heard that panic attacks in the morning mean there is underlying depression. I do know that night panic and panic when waking up is common for people with anxiety disorders. Focusing on relaxation techniques in the morning and before bed can help. Also, managing your overall stress and anxiety level with stress management techniques and CBT techniques can make a big difference.

Other then that are there any thoughts in the morning that could be triggering the attacks? Do you have any bodily sensations that possibly could trigger it? Examining your thoughts, feelings and behaviours upon waking could be a big help.

Ashley, Health Educator

Here to help :)

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Naa

More conditioning it sounds like. You know, better the devil you know than the one you don't. It is just your mind saying wait a minute, I don't know how to do this, lets do something I do know how to do. It is called associated memory. When your mind doesn't know the answer it looks for the closest thing. So it says here is a symptom that is close, lets use it. It needs more positive choices so it won't pick these negative ones that are still too available. It is like a leaky dam, you can hold the water back with your hands but you have to stay there or you can pile on sand bags so you can do something else. It will have to get through all those sand bags first. And if it leaks some where else pile on more sand bags, don't try to hold it back with just your hands. Positive thoughts, lots of positive thoughts, they are your sand bags. Soon you will not notice the leaks or the sand bags stopping them. Guaranteed. This is often referred to as set backs but as you can see this is a natural condition and part of getting better. There is nothing wrong with you or how you are doing it. There is also nothing wrong with redoing the program, it is better than doing meds if you don't have to and if it is any consolation, I did it without them. I had to, I can not take SSRIs.

Davit

Ps. Pick out something that helps and make a mantra out of it, that is a close to bottled wisdom as you can get and it may help a lot.

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 85

Davit

Thank you very much for taking the time to help me out. Very much appreciated. Wish I could bottle that wisdom and whip it out every time I feel the panic coming. You have been through so much yet you pick yourself up and keep going - in a positive direction. that's admirable. And you are right - I absolutely need to be determined and be courageous and believe that this will pass and that what I feel are really panic symptoms. I do struggle with that. I also struggle with knowing how to make it work - I think I am going back to start the course at the beginning. I know i can do this without medication.

There was a time I thought I had the panic beat - I understood what it was, I recognised it when I felt panicky and I could talk my self down but I got hit recently with a slew of new sensations that have made me panic again. I know there are many many panic symptoms but I guess I dont understand how it can change shape so much.

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Naa

Well you are right about one thing, my therapist would kick your butt, so would I and if you stuck it out you would thank her for it. I know how hard life can be especially with a child to care for which I was lucky enough to not have to go through with, instead I had arthritis, operations and no help. I had some really bad ups and down, but was never diagnosed with depression, even when the pain was so bad I wanted to die. So I got loaded up with my wheelchair and sent to the psych ward for a change of scene and a rest. And my ass kicked. I had to do my own laundry and change my bed all the time limping around in pain from an infected leg. Celexa didn't stop the panic attacks, I did. It was simple, If I wanted to go home I had to look normal and act normal. So I had to use my skills every day. And it worked, three shrinks looked me over and when they asked if I thought I was fine to go home I said, this is a fine hotel but the bed is lumpy and the food isn't all that great. I got sent home with the determination to make this work and as you can see it did. One thing I learned was that there were people worse than me and if I didn't want to be like them I better work at it.

Tough hey, and not the answer most want to hear. Everyone thinks I have some secret that works but really my secret is believing I have what it takes to make it work. But that isn't enough, you need to know how to make it work and you need to know when you are doing something wrong and you need patience.

Personally I don't think you need pills, I think you need determination. I don't hear you saying I can't take this, my life is killing me, this kid is driving me nuts, give me the pills please give me the pills. I hear your pain but I don't think you have hit bottom yet, I think you can handle a lot more. But you don't have too.

Every time the panic comes ask who is in charge and what can I do to get it back in my control. Skills like temporary avoidance, visualization, (close to the same thing) relaxation. Coping skills like getting mad and telling it to get lost. Accepting it is there but won't be for ever. And of course changing the thought. Like you do with a song you don't want in your head, sing a different tune to get rid of it. There is no difference really, just with panic you have to do it more often to get rid of the conditioning.

I'm not in a wheel chair any more. I'm at home still hobbling around but determined to make the best of it and I never compare myself to others, I am me, I like me and I'm being the best I can be. No sabotaging myself, no leaving cracks the panic can wedge open. It wasn't easy but now bad days are just a nuisance, never the terror they were. Life is good again.

Keep posting, I look forward to hearing you say one day that you beat it and it was worth it.

Davit

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 85

Davit
So I assume it's Theodore I see?? I used to have a cat called Katzan when I was younger. He was such a snob and very fiesty - We also had 4 bull matiff type dogs and a labrador but he ruled them all.

How do you win a battle with bears? Arent you afraid?

I so admire your ability to work through stuff - I wish I could do the same and not catastrophise so much. I imagine it's a result of years of work.

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 85

I think you may have something there - regarding conditioning. I dont get morning panic attacks when I am away from home. I was in Dallas last weekend and did not have any anxiety - well it was manageable. My chest felt tight a couple of times during the flight but that was it.

I dont feel depressed. I attend to my duties ie work, family, each day even through the anxiety. I dont sleep well but I never lie in bed - cant with a 7 year old. :-)

When I say it's been up and down I mean I have days of manageable anxiety and some really horrendous days. I am not doing the relaxation exercises as I should.

My doctor is a GP. My therapist is a little passive. I think she lets me get away with stuff - she doesnt get tough with me if I dont fill out my forms etc - I kind of need a kick in the rear sometimes

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Depression Panic Attacks