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serious discussion (Panic attacks)
does anyone else here have panic attacks?
i've been getting them really bad the last few weeks and i wonder if anyone has an experience in how to make them more manageable. in the past i would just hide in my room and over eat, which was slowly killing me i can only imagine. i want to find a way to be a functional person, so if anyone has any personal experiences that may help, please share.
i've been getting them really bad the last few weeks and i wonder if anyone has an experience in how to make them more manageable. in the past i would just hide in my room and over eat, which was slowly killing me i can only imagine. i want to find a way to be a functional person, so if anyone has any personal experiences that may help, please share.
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Fixed
I have tried many different medications for my anxiety, and I do get attacks (although not as frequent any more). Sure, you can take Xanax every day for it as Lovsan said -- but your tolerance is going to get out of control and eventually you will be in deep shit. Think it's bad now, just imagine once you are switching medications and have to withdraw from a benzo that you've been prescribed multiple times daily for a year.
One thing I learned is that you can't just sit there and try to fight your panic attack. You're going to go batshit crazy, freaking out over whatever triggered it, and then you're going to pass out or do whatever you do anyways (Yeah, a bad one for me sends my eyes to the back of my head and me to the floor if I try to tough it out).
What I like to do is as soon as I feel my anxiety come on (you know the feeling, kinda just that dread in your chest that you can't really explain), I go outside and lay in the grass somewhere to try to catch some air. Honestly. I find that if you accept that you have these attacks (whether sometimes or all the time), they blow over easier. That doesn't make them stop from occuring, but it does help when they happen.
If you have teachers, let them know ahead of time that you get these attacks and that sometimes you just have to go for a bit. Or anyone really. For me, having my blood drawn is a 100% chance of panic. So I tell them right away that they're going to have to draw my blood with me laying on the ground with my feet up, because I'm probably going to peace out. (I remember one time I called my nurse a cunt because I was freaking out so badly, and then I passed out anyways. Not my finest moment. So yeah. Lay down and just try to just chill...)
I know this is some hippie shit, but I meditate 20-30 minutes every morning, and it really does calm my mind. It's not going to prevent everything, the triggers for my attacks are still my triggers, but it definitely cut down on the random anxiety that I feel throughout the day.
Hope this helps.
gl0
tho ive learned to live with them, learn a right way to breathe, sometimes sugar helps.
thanks for the advice, especially glo, i think you are right about the meditation and i'm going to start trying that. i ended up mowing right after i posted this and that helped me get through the class i had to go to afterwards, so now i'm starting to normalize again.
do whatever you can to minimize the damage while you seek for professional help, but this help is important even if you feel the techniques are working...
I still get them, but I've learned to control it, to recognize the oncoming signs, and how to manage the inevitable ones. For me it had to do with mounds of stress, running stores, kids, bills, money, everything that life has to throw at you. If you fail to delegate those stresses, to "I don't give a fuck" the stresses that dont really matter, then it will always come back to you. As for physical things to take which calm you down, I don't do those, not anymore. Weed, booze, pills, etc. Are exactly like going to a doctor to get medicine, its a quick fix to symptoms but not the problem. For each person is different in finding a happy medium in managing your trigger, the trick is finding what the triggers usually are and how to eliminate them/downscale them.
I find the thing I do the most when I feel an attack coming is to whistle (usually the wizard of oz: if I only had a brain). Something not to complex, but drowns all else out and gives you clarity amidst chaos.
Hope that helps mate, Its a shitty thing to go thru, especially if its an every day event. Anything else I can volunteer, feel free to ask.
Edit: Further Help
As glo said, which is absolutely right, when you're having an attack, don't fight it, that makes it worse. I had one at work one time, I locked myself in my office and told everyone that if they knocked on my door they were fired. It took me a while to realize that I needed to breathe, deep breaths, find a happy thought, one that brought sincere happiness or love, like a song that reminds you of a better time in life. Mine is Matchbox 20 Push, or any of their songs really. It reminds me of when I used to ride shotgun with my mom with the windows down, her big loop ear rings, an Dr. Pepper in cup holders.
Those things are what I use, to find detail in the memory which takes you away from the trigger. All that you are trying to do is trick your mind, to distract it from what ever you're embaressed, sad, mad, or generally upset about. By now you should already know what your trigger is, now you need to find how to trick you mind into bypassing it. One good way is to concentrate the thought of your trigger, bring it clear into your mind near the point of an attack, then laugh. Laugh forever long and hard that you need to until the thought loses its stance. I can tell you that the majority of Panic attacks that happen to people are because of personal regrets that overwhelm you. Unless you're PTSD, that's a whole different ball game.
Meditation does wonders to reduce stress (I know from experience), so I would recommend starting. Meditation won't just help with your Panic Attacks but improve your overall health, both physically and mentally. However, you have to remain consistent and continue meditating without fail for a few weeks to start seeing the benefits. This is hard considering most people have the attention span of a 2 year old even though they're fully grown adults, lol.
Edit: I was responding to Unreliable.
anyway, i suppose they are caused by drugs cuz thats the most usual case, if not then i suppose its just anxiety or similar
Sounds like meditating would work, in which case yoga would be a good place to start. If you think you're too cool for yoga, got nothing for you.