Ironic timing on the posed question. I had some thoughts swirling around and decided to sort things out on paper. I spent some time on the Goals Worksheet and identified specifically what they were. I came to The Panic Center after having a really bad panic attack and could not live the rest of my life this way. Here are my goals: Not to fear panic attacks and cure the panic disorder. To get rid of agoraphobia; specifically not having a freak out in the shower, when driving and being a passenger in cars, and to be able to control waking up from sleep in a panic. Also, to go to the doctor and dentist. Since I began the program this Aug. 25th, I have not had one panic attack. I've been able to use coping skills to talk myself down and prevent the attacks altogether. Before the sessions, my anxious thoughts were 97% of the time and now they are 3% of the time. I didn't realize how negative I was until I put in all the time into replacing those thoughts with positive ones. I am also able to use the coping skills in my head instead of having to read notes on how to do it all the time (I still write things down and do the homework). It's a lot of hard work, but the results are worth it and are amazing. I am going to continue through the entire program and keep practicing what I learn and it should, in time, become an automatic response. I understand life isn't perfect and instead of calling anything a set back, I would like to call it a push through. A set back makes it sound like you have to start from square one and you didn't get anywhere or you lost ground and went backwards. A push through means you worked through it and are continuing to grow from the process. The above mentioned goals are what I am dealing with in my daily life. Although I don't like elevators and airplanes, I can do them and since they are not a part of my daily life like if I were a flight attendant or was living in a sky scraper building, I am working on what I specifically need to do on a daily occurance basis. I'm also thinking that I just need to do the dentist and doctor thing, since you normally have to go once or twice a year. I think it's normal fear and I don't know how much exposure you can have, unless you went on a daily basis for an hour each day to completely get rid of it. I think it's just something that I have to do, just like everyone else. I am not an expert on anything, I am just learning about it like everyone else. I'm not being cocky, I just know I have a game plan for anxiety and panic and I don't worry about the next attack anymore, because I'm prepared and know what to do about it. I've learned a lot and I know I still have a lot to learn. I'll still be learning things when I'm 100 years old :)
