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Exposure work?


13 years ago 0 6252 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
teddysmum

Only an assesment will tell you if you need professional help but if you do, the right therapist can do wonders for you. Getting help does not mean you are crazy any more than getting help for a flat tire means you are hopeless. It is just the thing to do.

Davit.
13 years ago 0 1665 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi teddysmum:  Best approach is this CBT program.  Ask yourself the 10 questions when you get anxious about symptoms.  Then learn what works best for you on how to manage/cope with your anxiety level - for me it is the relaxation and visualization techniques.  Box breathing is very helpful and I use this the most.  Find yourself a time of day when you can practice these techniques.  Don't wait 'til you need them because it won't work as well, you'll be battling how-to do it.  If practiced every day your body responds that much more quickly when needed plus the fact that it helps you stay relaxed during the day.  Great way to start and end your day is with a relaxation exercise, you'll be prepared for the daily grind and when done at night, prepared for a good night's sleep.  People use meditation and yoga every day to help them whether they have this disorder or not.
 
Keep the faith,
Sunny
13 years ago 0 3 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0

Thanks for your replies.I feel the same in hot weather,i just avoid going out in it because i feel so unwell.Luckily as i live in the Uk we dont have that much hot weather.We are just not conditioned for it.One minute its cold the next warm,back to cold,no wonder our bodies are all over the place.I am terrified of being ill,i realise that now and its worse since seeing my mum have an awful death :( There i've admitted it.When i was young i had terrible stomache upsets and i used to get into a terrible state,i dont think i've ever really face it head on.I even get panicky when my kids get ill.Now i feel all the time with the fibro there is a constant anxiety and if i get an additional illness like an upset stomache off the panic goes.I seem to spend my life managing my illness.I'm wondering if i need proffessional help with this and if so what would be best for me?

13 years ago 0 1665 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi:  This reminds me of the hot muggy weather which bothers me.  I can't work out in it for very long because of the beta blocker which I take and on the occasions that I did stay out too long, I felt so sick, high bp and nausea and quite weak.  At one time I was in ICU for almost a wk. when they couldn't control my bp and it was very high.  They told my husband to prepare my youngest because they didn't think I would make it.  So when I think of hot weather my first thoughts can be scary and negative.  Then I use positive thought to bury that negative - such as, I can sit in the shade, I can work for shorter periods of time, take lots of breaks, drink lots of water, I can avoid the hottest times of the day.  I can be smart about it and take care of myself.
 
Sunny
13 years ago 0 6252 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Teddysmum

I forgot to mention that you do not actually have to be sick to do exposure if that is what triggers the panic. Since the situation triggers a thought which triggers the panic you can do exposure by thinking about the situation. By doing exposure to the thought. Unfortunately a person can remember having pain but can not replay the pain with thought. This is a survival thing. Imagine if you could make Fibro happen just by thinking about it. It would be horrible. If IBS is triggered by anxiety like some ulcers then doing exposure, even thought exposure should help relieve it. Not the physical but the mental that makes it worse. I know I have been able to reduce My RA symptoms by reducing the anxiety that comes from having it. 
This sounds confusing even to me.


Davit.
13 years ago 0 6252 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Teddysmum

Panic attacks come from association. Something triggers a thought. It can be a situation or a thought but mostly it is a thought from the situation bringing up the association. EG. in my case. Some random claustrophobic dream would wake me and the thought would be that I am going to panic. The association would be, last time this happened I panicked so I'm going to panic again. And of course I would make it worse because that is just how panic normally works. Panic is there to check if it is necessary so of course we check to see if it is. During a panic attack there is so much confusion because a person is usually dealing with something exaggerated or not real due often from too little information. During REM sleep we replay things but random and not always in order and often mixed up. So dreams can be pleasant or night mares. We are supposed to sleep through them, not take them as real. During a panic attack they are real. The thing to do is check to see if they are real and this is done by journaling. This is the exposure part of it. Write it down so you can see if it is real and often you will see there is no reason for it. Do this often enough and you will be conditioned to ignore it. 

Davit.
13 years ago 0 11226 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Teddysmum,
 
IBS in most cases can be managed by managing anxiety and in most cases is actually a result of anxiety. Use anxiety management tools to alleviate anxiety throughout the day and you will probably notice a difference in your IBS symptoms.
 
Continue to use the tracking sheets and you will likely find triggers that you can work with.  You might also want to consider that you use certain places, people, items and activities as self soothing techniques.  For instance, you may stay at home when not feeling well, or be around a particular person or lay down, etc.  Removing some of these securities in a planned manner could be some exposure work you could do. 
 
Members, what are your suggestions?
 


Ashley, Health Educator
13 years ago 0 3 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I'm feeling a bit confused about the exposure work as my panic attacks come when my irritable bowel syndrome plays up or when i feel sick.They come almost immediately,for instance i awoke at 3 am the other morning having a panic attack straight away didnt even have time to think.I know i also get panic attacks when i've been overdoing things as i have fibromyalgia so i try and pace myself as much as i can.No matter how much i try and out think my panics i just can't do it.They can go on for 5-8 hours.Its not like i can deliberately make myself ill to do the exposure work?

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