anxiety/panic attacks.

[RebekahsBeauty]

Awww amy darling, Have u spoken to him about this? do u think maybe u could change ur wedding plans? xx

 

[danielleclark]

Hi to everyone, I'm new to the forum although I have been doing my NVQ Level 2 beauty Therapy since September.

I've been having panic attacks since I was seventeen (I'm thirty-one now) and would like to share what's helped me.

Seeing as it's a fairly new thing for you I would really recommend you try and face the places where you have experienced an attack, the more you avoid places the more you 'feed' the panic. Obviously in order for you to do that you will have to have some help - try looking up on the web the actual physical reactions you are having, how the adrenal system works etc. For lots of people this demystifies what's happening and means they feel more in control of the panic, not the other way round.

Because a panic attack is a mixture of both the physical and the mental it's worth addressing both. Try breathing techniques for the physical. I've found that being nice to myself when it happens helps massively, for years I'd get so angry with myself for being pathetic and useless. Try to reassure yourself instead of berating. 'It's okay, I can do this. I can just leave if I want to. No one will mind' etc. I even hold my own hand sometimes!

I for one would recommend seeing a counsellor. I was very lucky with mine because we clicked instantly, if you don't like your counsellor it's unlikely you're going to want to be truly honest with her. Find someone you like and it can make a world of difference, an hour a week of 'you time' where you can just offload everything and leave it there is lovely even if you don't have loads of problems!

Finally I would also say that anti-depressants have helped me enormously. Obviously they're not for everyone, but because I used mine in conjunction with counselling they helped lessen the symptoms whilst I tackled the root cause. You don't have to be depressed to take them, mine have been prescribed specifically to lessen my panics. I see my doctor every six months to talk about how everything is going (again, my doctor is utterly lovely and that makes it easier) and whether the prescription is okay. She's also prescribed me a low dosage of valium to take if I really need it. I've never taken one, and I doubt I ever will, but it's very reassuring to have the little bottle with me as a safety net.

After years of wishing I was 'normal' I've come to the conclusion that my life is pretty great even if I am limited slightly in the things I do. It's taken me fourteen years to sort myself out, and maybe that's the way it's supposed to have happened, but if I had tackled it properly at the start I wouldn't have missed out on a lot.

Hope that helps x.

 

[kittenclaws]

hun i have suffered from anxiety since august, i'll pm you:hug:

 

[littlegrohl]

i know i'm just taking a tiny bit of what you said but i have to make a point about this.

i can't speak for everyone but certainly for me - rescue remedy doesn't cure me when i take it, but it's one method i use to help me calm down when i am feeling panicky. i don't know if it really works or whether it's psychological but once i've taken it i nearly always start to calm down a bit. doesn't always work but i make sure i have it with me everywhere i go, almost like a security blanket. some people won't leave the house without water, mine's rescue rem!

i'm not as bad as a lot of people here are/have been but i still have my problems. i'm lucky my mum helps me with it........just after the tube bombings a few yrs ago i was due to work the next day in town (this was at the height of my axiety/panic) and i was terrified to go and scared of being stuck in tunnels, but my mum said if u don't go today it will just get harder and she was right, i'm so glad i did it. i'm less panicky if the tube gets stuck in a tunnel now, spesh as the drivers usually tell u why these days. for some reason i feel safer on the tube than on a bus! strange i know!

rescue remedy is a crutch hun.. and that isnt a bad thing. myself i have my own crutch (s) but i was saying that taking it wont cure you.. you may feel you can cope better, but eventually end up relying on more crutchs to make you feel better.. behavioural therapy is proven to work.. as little as an 8 week session can give you such insight.. and its drug free!

I have low seratonin in my brain which is a factor that contributes to my anxiety, so i take anti-depressants.. buti am certainly not an advocate of them, thew way i see though, if i had a blood clot and had to take something people would advise me to take the tablets, as soon as it becomes a mental health issue.. people try to make you feel bad or crazy for needing tablets.. not the case.. i take tablets for low seratonin to make me feel better.. and will have to for the rest of my life.

each to their own, i would never suggest thatbecause it worked for me it would for others... we each have our own path.

 

[littlegrohl]

Hi to everyone, I'm new to the forum although I have been doing my NVQ Level 2 beauty Therapy since September.

I've been having panic attacks since I was seventeen (I'm thirty-one now) and would like to share what's helped me.

Seeing as it's a fairly new thing for you I would really recommend you try and face the places where you have experienced an attack, the more you avoid places the more you 'feed' the panic. Obviously in order for you to do that you will have to have some help - try looking up on the web the actual physical reactions you are having, how the adrenal system works etc. For lots of people this demystifies what's happening and means they feel more in control of the panic, not the other way round.

Because a panic attack is a mixture of both the physical and the mental it's worth addressing both. Try breathing techniques for the physical. I've found that being nice to myself when it happens helps massively, for years I'd get so angry with myself for being pathetic and useless. Try to reassure yourself instead of berating. 'It's okay, I can do this. I can just leave if I want to. No one will mind' etc. I even hold my own hand sometimes!

I for one would recommend seeing a counsellor. I was very lucky with mine because we clicked instantly, if you don't like your counsellor it's unlikely you're going to want to be truly honest with her. Find someone you like and it can make a world of difference, an hour a week of 'you time' where you can just offload everything and leave it there is lovely even if you don't have loads of problems!

Finally I would also say that anti-depressants have helped me enormously. Obviously they're not for everyone, but because I used mine in conjunction with counselling they helped lessen the symptoms whilst I tackled the root cause. You don't have to be depressed to take them, mine have been prescribed specifically to lessen my panics. I see my doctor every six months to talk about how everything is going (again, my doctor is utterly lovely and that makes it easier) and whether the prescription is okay. She's also prescribed me a low dosage of valium to take if I really need it. I've never taken one, and I doubt I ever will, but it's very reassuring to have the little bottle with me as a safety net.

After years of wishing I was 'normal' I've come to the conclusion that my life is pretty great even if I am limited slightly in the things I do. It's taken me fourteen years to sort myself out, and maybe that's the way it's supposed to have happened, but if I had tackled it properly at the start I wouldn't have missed out on a lot.

Hope that helps x.

great advice.. I like you have a botte of valium that was prescribed to me early on.. never had to take one.. but i spode you could call it my rescue remedy as i am comfortable in the knowledge thatif i need them they are there!
good on you for getting and continuing to get through it!

 

[miss amy]

Awww amy darling, Have u spoken to him about this? do u think maybe u could change ur wedding plans? xx

yeah i have spoken to mark about it, he says if i cant do it then we can cancel, I don't want to spend my life running away from it and never having a holiday or going for nights away etc.
I am so undecided, there is a part of me that is desperate to go as I know I will be fine and nothing is going to happen to me. But on the other hand there is a part of me that wants to run away and hide, knowing I am going to be 10 hours away on a plane and am not in control of the situation fully scares the hell out of me. I am bad if I go to concerts, football matches and it seems to be heightened at night, if we go for a meal for example i will be really looking forward to it but the time comes to go and I start feeling sick and by the time we get to the restaurant I have no appetite at all. I have often had to leave meals/the table and have some time out in the toilets. xx

 

[user 17597]

I have had panic attacks for 14 yrs. I had them really bad, i slept sitting up for a year! I used to get nose bleeds with them too if they were quite bad. Imo, I dont think its so much they get better its more likely we get better with dealing with them.
My doctor told me to find out what triggered them then we could work on that, after keeping a log of them for a while there was no one thing that triggered them, even to this day i still don't know why i have them. It is most probally to do with the fact that my dad suffered from anxiety when he was younger, not sure, just a thought.
I do know that trying to control my breathing as one starts helps me, i do this by breathing in from my nose and out from my mouth. I was amazed how it gradually slowed my breathing down, dont know if its to do with concentrating on breathing or that you can't breathe as quick through your nose. When i do this i hardly ever get a full blown panic attack.
The dizziness associated with panic attacks is because you are taking in too much oxygen, through breathing quickly (hyperventilating). Which i found weird when i learnt that, as i always thought that when i was hyperventilating i was not getting enough oxygen.
I also was told to take kalms, so i bought some and took one and had a panic attack :irked:.
Then someone suggested that i should try elocution lessons ( thinking back it might have been a polite way of telling me "Sort the common twang out, lol.")Their reasoning behind this, is because it teaches you how to breathe properly, I went once and had a panic attack, .
So basically i dont take or do anything for them, sometimes i dont have one for months and months, then i go through a phase of having them alot.
The only advice i can offer is the breathing technique, failing that a couple of glasses of j.d. because that also works for me :wink2:.

 

[tracey louise]

yeah i have spoken to mark about it, he says if i cant do it then we can cancel, I don't want to spend my life running away from it and never having a holiday or going for nights away etc.
I am so undecided, there is a part of me that is desperate to go as I know I will be fine and nothing is going to happen to me. But on the other hand there is a part of me that wants to run away and hide, knowing I am going to be 10 hours away on a plane and am not in control of the situation fully scares the hell out of me. I am bad if I go to concerts, football matches and it seems to be heightened at night, if we go for a meal for example i will be really looking forward to it but the time comes to go and I start feeling sick and by the time we get to the restaurant I have no appetite at all. I have often had to leave meals/the table and have some time out in the toilets. xx

omg you have just described me!

 

[dee]

i always thought people that had panic attacks were total hypocondriacs ! until i started with them myself my god its awful !! i got to the point i wouldnt go out unless i had to
i told the doc who gave mt tablets that were horrid !! made me like i had a lobotomy, just couldnt think or anything it was awful , threw the tablets away and decided to overcome it myself
anyway got some rescue remedy (which also helped me pass my driving test:lol: ) and it really does help
xxx

 

[HappyHands]

This may sound daft.. but my doctor sent me to anxity classes.. and they really worked, best thing that I could have done... It was only for a few weeks.. there was a few of us in the class (6) and we all had roughly the same probs, I found it really comforting to know that I was not the only one and found that we all helped each other..

The best advice I can give is.... small steps.. don,t over do it or it could make you worse..

I Didn,t find the quick fix tablets any good if anything they made me worse..

I got to the stage when I would not leave the house, and I would walk around it with mobile and landline phone in my pocket "just in case".. I could not go out without someone with me..

I still find it hard sometimes but I can happliey go shopping, all on my own, If I feel attack coming on, I stop and breath.. sounds stupid but it really works..

Breathing..... Sitting down put on hand on you chest and one on your stomach... breath in (deep) then out... which hand moves.. You will prob find its the one on your chest.. if so concentrate on breathin in and makeing you lower hand move not the top one (I find this easier to do lying down) Do this for at least 15mins before bed.. trust me it really works


HTH hun:hug::hug:

 

[RebekahsBeauty]

Do you know what this may sound really silly. But it works trust me.

As i am over my panic attacks and i can go places now i still do sometimes get panicy when im out shopping or something, so what i got taught is to put on my sunglasses (i dont care what the weather is like lol) As this gives u the feeling that ur blocking everyone away from u its like ur in ur own place and ur own comfort zone, it really does work, it calms me down and makes me feel better.

As most people panic when there is allot of people around u crowding you as it does tend to make people feel nervous xx:hug:

 

[dee]

i wonder why it gets us when we are on our own ? i can never figure it out :lol:, i felt like i was going de-ranged at one point
i will go most places if someone is with me but hate doing it on my own but can go to clients houses fine !!
how wierd is that ?

 

[RebekahsBeauty]

i wonder why it gets us when we are on our own ? i can never figure it out :lol:, i felt like i was going de-ranged at one point
i will go most places if someone is with me but hate doing it on my own but can go to clients houses fine !!
how wierd is that ?

Because in your mind a Home is a comfort zone for you , you feel secure and safe, but when ur out its like uh oh out of comfort zone and panic, its all about feeling safe and secure hun...

Im scared to go to clients houses if im honest incase i panic xx

 

[HappyHands]

i wonder why it gets us when we are on our own ? i can never figure it out :lol:, i felt like i was going de-ranged at one point
i will go most places if someone is with me but hate doing it on my own but can go to clients houses fine !!
how wierd is that ?

See I am the oppersite... this is the one time i can,t do it.. This is one reason I have never really concentrated on doing nails.. I just can,t take that step.. I tried but the panic took over so I had to stop.. Yet I can quite happily work in a really big supermarket.

Isn,t it silly how it affects us all in different ways..

How many of you are sitting there with your hand on your chest and stomach.. come on try it.. breath !!!!!

 

[RebekahsBeauty]

Happyhands- I think u suffer from clostaphobia
Dee- This is agrophobia

I was the same as dee xxx

 

[Teri]

hey. Does anyone else on here suffer from panic attacks/anxiety. Its starting to take over my life and I dont know what to do. Its dictating where I go, what i do etc.
I have been referred to see someone about them in feb, but I was just wondering whether anyone else suffers and how they deal with it?
:hug: Cheers xx

I have had one panic attack and I had this very recently, it was very scary and I feel for you.

I take anti anxiety pills anyway and I take these daily but they also deal with the depression that I am suffereing with at the moment.

I have been put forward to a well being clinic and they teach you how to deal with your panic attacks and other things and my doctor referred me. Maybe you could ask your GP about this.

I couldn't tell you what set me off that day so I can't give you any answers there, i think every situation is different but please seek some professional advise and don't feel alone.

Big :hug:

Teri x:hug:

 

[wyliekit88]

last april at my daughters 1st birthday party my friend found me outside. I felt i couldnt breathe properly and i was terrified. She explained it was a panic attack. I saw my doc who was bril. I was referred for counselling and things are improving now.

My counsellor taught me how to try and lower my anxiety levels to prevent attacks and taught me how to cope with a panic attack by finding a quiet spot, breathing into a paper bag or cupped hands. When you are gasping in deeply you are taking in oxygen and you dont want that which is why you use a bag or your hands cupped. She told me i wouldnt die from a panic attack and even though i am conscious of my attack only i know it is happenin and it isnt apparent to onlookers so try and be calm.

Not wanting to go out she told me is avoidance and that isnt good either as you will not want to go anywhere eventually which makes your problem worse in the long run. Ive been there too. I remember not wanting to go out for a meal with my hubby and rowing bout it. Anyway we went and as soon as the meal was over i wanted to leave hence another row with hubby.

I declined the antedepressants but went for the counselling which helps get to the route of the attacks which in my case stem from a bereavement and bad time giving birth.

Sorry for going on (and on) but i hth and good luck x

 

[miss amy]

I have had one panic attack and I had this very recently, it was very scary and I feel for you.

I take anti anxiety pills anyway and I take these daily but they also deal with the depression that I am suffereing with at the moment.

I have been put forward to a well being clinic and they teach you how to deal with your panic attacks and other things and my doctor referred me. Maybe you could ask your GP about this.

I couldn't tell you what set me off that day so I can't give you any answers there, i think every situation is different but please seek some professional advise and don't feel alone.

Big :hug:

Teri x:hug:

Hey Teri.

I am going to see a counsellor on 27th feb so hopefully that will help.
What are the ani anxiety tablets that you are taking ?xx:hug:

 

[miss amy]

thankyou everone for your advice, I am really gratefull and am going to try and beat this thing!:hug::hug:

 

[RebekahsBeauty]

thankyou everone for your advice, I am really gratefull and am going to try and beat this thing!:hug::hug:

Well done :hug: beat it before it beats you i say :green:
I know how it feels and i really do hope you do recover from this and hope you have a wonderful wedding day and feel on top on the world xxx