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Panic just started

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2101

Hey Marrissa,

Sorry for the late reply. Welcome to the forums!

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 23

oops, I forgot to mention, you said you had upset stomach's etc. I hope this helps - try plain yogart. I did find it helped when I felt that way, I still eat yogart everyday now!

Someone sent me an email a month ago saying bananas were good for all these things, depression was one of them. So I have also started eating bananas. It has a vit. that helps.

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 955

canscrapbook, Thank you for sharing those wonderful suggestions! By making small accommodations such as these in your everyday life, you are truly able to challenge yourself to make that progress within your own life. Challenging family members' thoughts will be difficult but you are a strong person and you have the support from members here to help them understand. Stay strong! Sarah, Health Educator

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 23

I'm glad you are doing something about it right away, I have waited 16 months to start dealing with it!

One person wrote that they have not experienced the intence attacks just mini or mild ones, I am the same way. I found starting a vegetable garden helped and it got me "outside" in my backyard and inside wasn't far. That was the first step for me. I also got myself the wii fit because it got me doing something other then just sitting on the computer playing games and trying to forget about the world. I also got myself an ipod for when I do have to go out. I use it in the store to distract me or when I walk the hole big 2 blocks to meet my kids from school -they walk 5 blocks but I can't seem to go farther then that right now unless I have my car.

I found I did make progress when I lost my lic. last month. Here in Ontario if you forget to renew your lic. you have to go back and get your begginers (YIKES). I had to let my hubby drive and I had to give up that control. It was hard but I learned to make light of the situation and tease it. Then I worked hard to let myself be brave and go to the next town so I could go write my test. And I did it!

I guess Iam no person for great advice, however I thought I would share the few things that have helped me at least get out of my house even if it is just for short times.

You sound like you have a great husband who will be great support for you. I have hid mine all these months and have been made fun of from my family etc. I am trying to learn that I can prove them wrong! That I am a strong person!

Good luck :)

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 778

Hello Marisa , just wanted to welcome you here . I can see the 'guys' have done all the helping already lol .

Between us the world feels a better place i think . Before i found this site i felt so on my own now day by day im getting stronger , you will too . You sound such a positive person

Nice to 'meet' you .

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 477

Hello again, I just posted on another thread related to this.. but I think I will emphasize more here since it is a relatable subject for me.

Most of the things you wrote about, Marisa, I felt that too. I was so angry when I went to Disneyland during the time I was really obsessed with these thoughts... I wondered how any place can be "the happiest place" in the world. Everything I loved would make me even more sad because I knew that one day I will not see them anymore and it wouldn't matter. But little by little, I realized that yes, I can be sad about things but weird things can make me laugh too.. for no reason. And so I decided to live for the things that would make me laugh or smile. I think we all need the one and the other, just like how you said, since we have anxiety, we can see the positives clearly. It's all there to balance things out. And there probably isn't any reason for us to be here.. it may have all been an "accident" but I think since we have the ability to leave a purpose behind we should. We should do everything we have the ability to do.

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1693

Marisa,

You are extremely insightful, what a wonderful quality

It is great that you are able to value the happiness and contentment that you experience. Hang onto that feeling, and continue to appreciate both the good, and the not so good.

Breanne, Bilingual Health Educator

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 466

I used to wonder the same thing, about the ability to harness the anxiety. Came to realize that it's kinda hard to harness something that is by definition, a loss of control of oneself...

It's at the point now, and I'm still playing with this ability/idea, but I'm using the feelings towards whatever I'm doing (changing my perception of the fear into an excitement, maybe motivation?). In order to do this however, I have to let go of my cares...and for someone who loves control, particularly with myself...this means I have to let myself make mistakes and let others judge or whatever as they please. It's still a work in progress, but thats my world at the moment. I guess it's a matter of harnessing the right thing, and letting the other cares drift away...easier said then done, no?

I do love that statement on "value the happiness and contentment I experience". Put emphasis on the right thing, and the wrong thing means less.

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 9

I must say, there is such wisdom here that I feel grateful to have found this community when I did. You all have a way of putting things into perspective, not the least of which is the knowledge that "it's not just me." In learning that the panic itself cannot harm me physically, I have been thinking a lot about the old adage "whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger." How can I turn this to my advantage? Aside from getting through the attacks themselves, what positive things can I find in these experiences?

Our lives may be finite, which only means that we should enjoy life to its fullest. I must be fully present for my children. I must find the joy in each day and cultivate joy for others. Enjoy the companionship I have with friends and family, experiencing the journey of our lives together. Experience the magic of small things the way my children do, and encourage them (and myself at the same time!) to live with a sense of wonder and gratitude. Pursue a feeling of contentment and fulfillment within myself. Recognize the things I can change and those I cannot; don't waste energy worrying about the latter.

A lot of the time, this all sounds like platitudinous psychobabble to me, yet when I feel the panic coming on these thoughts have helped it wash over me quickly. I think, if my brain is creating and perpetuating the anxiety (that is, these thoughts come from within me, rather than from some external source), I should somehow be able to harness it. I don't know that I can/should strive to control it, just not allow it to control me. I, like all humans, desire to be happy... yet I remember reading some time ago that theoretically speaking we can't truly experience the positive unless we have a little of the negative to balance it against. So some of us have anxiety, and yeah it really sucks. But perhaps without it we might not fully appreciate what's positive in our lives. I may never get back to the carefree, worry-free life I had (although I'm sure there are some that can do this), but I feel empowered knowing that I can truly value the happiness and contentment I experience.

Perhaps I should have posted this in Challenging Your Anxious Thoughts...

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 12

hey marisa,

your anxiety sounds really similar to my own. one thing i have found out that is really helpful is that that dissociative state is actually a part of anxiety - it's one of the ways our bodies try to cope with the situation, as if our minds are stepping back to evaluate and decide what to do. it's caused by the different things like adrenalin/cortisol that are coursing through our bodies once the anxiety comes up. therefore, the more we are worried about this feeling and checking to see if it's still around, the more we produce these chemicals and the further the cycle continues. the longer it goes on or the more we notice not being "normal," the more it increases. it's a vicious cycle. as genejockey said, it's the fear of panic that creates panic...that's why it's so difficult to get out of.

one of the most helpful things i have come across is the work of claire weekes, a doctor who talks about how all this is happening in your body. you can find her books and some audio of her speaking online. the important thing too is that it takes TIME to get out of these states. even once we accept and are ok with dealing with being anxious, our body still needs some time to relax and let down its guard. so just when you think all is well again, the slightest sensation or thought can make you question this and start the whole thing all over again. what you need to do i think is give yourself some time to go through this and not get into a state of alarm over the way you've been feeling or worrying about what to do or if it's going to get worse. you need to find small ways of calming your body down, like teas and rescue remedy and keeping yourself distracted with your kids, and slowly get back to "normal."

the existential stuff is my trigger too. i guess one thing is to realize you're not going to figure it out all at once and that that doesn't really affect your survival. maybe take it in smaller thoughts that focus on one angle of your questions instead of trying to get a point of view on everything. easier said than done, i know. another thing that has helped me is to take the opposite tact with myself: thinking that i'm trying to solve something unsolvable because there's something similar that i'm not letting myself face.

best of luck to you. take it easy on yourself and let time pass.

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