RE: There’s Something Wired Wrong In Me: Living with Depression, Anxiety, and Panic Disorder.
It is so difficult dealing with panic attacks, the first time it happened to me was as i waited in a queue of traffic at traffic lights and i got the surge of adrenaline (didnt know what that was at the time and it is very frightening) it is something that has been with me for nearly a quarter of a century now and i have learned to live with it although i can still get anxious to this day, my heart goes out to you and you are so right that no one can really understand what is going on in our bodies or our minds unless they have experienced it from a personal standpoint the trigger for my own personal anxiety was the loss of my mother , that manifested itself some months later while i had just bought a house on my own and at the same time was having work issues and had to change jobs, over the years i have had to learn various coping strategies that have ranged from avoidance to an attitude that i need to feel the fear and do it anyway, my lowest ebb was when i had a panic attack at a cash machine, and every time i went near a cash machine i had the same reaction and i found myself at home with no money and in absolute fear of the prospect of going and withdrawing cash, i managed to go to one i had never been to before and the panic wasnt as bad, i found mainly, my attacks were situational and that i would bring them on myself with overthinking and the what if i have a panic attack thought constantly going through my head, the best thing i did was to get a bike as it kind of matched my adrenaline consumption to its production and the biggest benefit for me comes from excercise as it lowers my adrenaline levels, your situation sounds much worse and i really do feel for you, but you need to know you are not alone and that the condition is manageable, It will take much determination to affect change in your life but using tiny steps and a will to develop your own "feel the fear and do it anyway attitude" you will make progress and those small successes are where you will find the strength Think of it as gaining steem power, i for one believe you will become a Whale \o/ big hugs.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and for sharing your experience. I can completely relate and I'm sorry you've had to experience this as well. You are right about "feel the fear and do it anyway attitude". It's great advice. I was reading a book recently on dealing with panic attacks and it talked about just basically accepting it when it happens with a rather "so what, it is what it is" attitude. The reasoning is that the fear of the symptoms caused by the stress hormones is what causes the full on panic attack. I've tried it a few times and it has helped, but it is very hard to change thought patterns that I've had for decades. You are right about exercise as well. I'm glad to hear that you are managing this condition, it gives me hope.
Thank you so much for your support and advice. Following.
sometimes our mind is our own worst enemy, and there is irony in the fact that for us, it is also our biggest asset, i wish you much calm my friend :)
So true, thank you and I wish you much calm as well <3
i have learned also that the people that show no regard for others and propel themselves through life mainly at the expense of others never seem to suffer from stress, it is usually the people that have empathy and understanding for others that suffer the most (i call them the delicate flowers) and i know which type i would want in my garden .
Well said. I am definitely an Empath and a delicate flower.
A blessing and a curse I suppose.
Maybe 2 blessings?