Facts about relief, healing, and dealing with all aspects of panic/ anxiety disorders please?
I am looking for any/all input about dealing with panic and anxiety disorders and other disorders they lead to such as agoriphobia and depression.
I need this information not only for myself, but I want to help others as well.
I began having sporadic panic attacks about 10 years ago. After about 3 years of wondering what was going on (since I was getting worse) I started to do research and assumed a self diagnosis, which was later confirmed by various doctors. My worse period (daily 24/7, was between the time I was diagnosed up to abot 3 years ago. I have been doing meditaion practice for about 8 years and Tai Chi and Yoga for about 3 years. I have had some major progress, but the sensations still come and go. I don’t really get depressed, but I certainly don’t live my life as fully as most people. I am an agoraphobic and I have been taking alprazolam for situation relief or when I feel like I’m going to lose it during a relapse. Want to write more, but out of space. Thanks
Hi. I was practically crippled as a result of my panic attacks, anxiety and agoraphobia back before it was a common diagnosis. I went through the medical community for years and was told that it was ‘all in my head.’ I had everything from depression to arrythmias develop as a result of not being able to understand what was physically going on with my body and lost years of my life staring out the window, waiting to improve.
But then it happened…I found a book, ‘Hope and Help for your Nerves’ by Doctor Claire Weekes and it changed my life in a period of weeks. That book did what many, many doctors couldn’t even begin to do: Gave me my life back.
10 years later, I’m as normal and happy as the next guy and consider my life very fulfilling. From a guy who could barely leave my house for class, I eventually went on to travel the world, being on a plane for 12 hours at a time…something I wouldn’t even dream of doing all those years ago.
I’m not trying to sell the book. It’s very cheap if you get it used and it should be easy to find. I’m just saying that I KNOW it was the only thing that gave me hope and the one thing that allowed me to make improvements to eventually acheive a ‘normal’ life.
I also practiced meditation and deep breathing exercises with varying degrees of success and I think it’s a positve thing to focus on.
But the main thing with panic attacks and generalized anxiety is that one trigger can cause an entire ‘storm’ in your mind. If you can remove the triggers, you can break the adrenaline cycle that follows that causes the faster heartbeat and other reactions/symptoms of a classic panic attack.
Check it out. I’ve heard many people say, ‘I can’t sit in front of a book for 2 minutes with my anxiety,’ but if you read the intro, you’ll recognize yourself and you’ll have a tough time putting it down.
Again, of everything I tried (and there were endless attempts) nothing helped me like this book. These days, people would rather take a drug than read a book (!) but those have shortcomings and pitfalls of their own. Nothing beats a good understanding of the nervous system and adrenaline system when you’re trying to overcome anxiety and panic. When you understand what happens in your body to produce symptoms, you can eventually eliminate the symptoms altogether. Honestly. It was a long road for me so I always sympathize with those who are on it. And I know what works for one may not work for all. But it’s worth a shot, and that’s coming from someone who was ready to give up completely many times over the years of my suffering.
Comments
Comment from draymond31
Time September 18, 2009 at 4:07 am
I have th seme problem, which i take zoloft and xanax, I think I have post traumatic stress syndrome
References :
Comment from Moonface
Time September 18, 2009 at 4:39 am
Hi, sorry to hear you’re getting panic attacks. I’ve got some really great tips on getting rid of them (and the associated disorders):
1.Breathe properly. (You probably know this already, but …) if you control your breathing, you control panic. As soon as you notice the signs of anxiety, check your breathing: breathe in slowly through your nose pushing your tummy out (to the count of 5 or so). Breathe out slowly and for a bit longer (to the count of 7 or so) through your mouth. Do not breathe rapidly or shallowly (in the chest area). This will soon restore the balance of oxygen and you will feel a lot better.
2. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy! CBT is proven to be the most effective thing for panic attacks, anxiety, depression, agoraphobia etc. It takes a bit of work, but it is super effective. (After 15 years of panic attacks, mine stopped completely). You can take a course for free online at: http://www.livinglifetothefull.com/elear... It has been funded by NHS Scotland and has had great results thus far.
3. Try relaxation exercise tapes (progressive muscular relaxation). They really help if you practise often enough. This site has instructions on how to do it without the tapes (and other useful info): http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resource...
I would really, really recommend CBT. It completely changed my life. Hope you feel better soon. Best of luck.
References :
Comment from GetDark
Time September 18, 2009 at 4:55 am
Hi. I was practically crippled as a result of my panic attacks, anxiety and agoraphobia back before it was a common diagnosis. I went through the medical community for years and was told that it was ‘all in my head.’ I had everything from depression to arrythmias develop as a result of not being able to understand what was physically going on with my body and lost years of my life staring out the window, waiting to improve.
But then it happened…I found a book, ‘Hope and Help for your Nerves’ by Doctor Claire Weekes and it changed my life in a period of weeks. That book did what many, many doctors couldn’t even begin to do: Gave me my life back.
10 years later, I’m as normal and happy as the next guy and consider my life very fulfilling. From a guy who could barely leave my house for class, I eventually went on to travel the world, being on a plane for 12 hours at a time…something I wouldn’t even dream of doing all those years ago.
I’m not trying to sell the book. It’s very cheap if you get it used and it should be easy to find. I’m just saying that I KNOW it was the only thing that gave me hope and the one thing that allowed me to make improvements to eventually acheive a ‘normal’ life.
I also practiced meditation and deep breathing exercises with varying degrees of success and I think it’s a positve thing to focus on.
But the main thing with panic attacks and generalized anxiety is that one trigger can cause an entire ‘storm’ in your mind. If you can remove the triggers, you can break the adrenaline cycle that follows that causes the faster heartbeat and other reactions/symptoms of a classic panic attack.
Check it out. I’ve heard many people say, ‘I can’t sit in front of a book for 2 minutes with my anxiety,’ but if you read the intro, you’ll recognize yourself and you’ll have a tough time putting it down.
Again, of everything I tried (and there were endless attempts) nothing helped me like this book. These days, people would rather take a drug than read a book (!) but those have shortcomings and pitfalls of their own. Nothing beats a good understanding of the nervous system and adrenaline system when you’re trying to overcome anxiety and panic. When you understand what happens in your body to produce symptoms, you can eventually eliminate the symptoms altogether. Honestly. It was a long road for me so I always sympathize with those who are on it. And I know what works for one may not work for all. But it’s worth a shot, and that’s coming from someone who was ready to give up completely many times over the years of my suffering.
References :
Comment from I.C.
Time September 18, 2009 at 3:40 am
If your not living life to the fullest you haven’t kicked depression-which goes hand in hand with anxiety. You may need a mild anti-depressant since you are doing excellent mind/body exercises to minimize/eliminate the effects of depression, you may need just a little more help.
Sometimes your body has a chemical imbalance that needs to be dealt with medication which is no big deal, but when it comes to medication only deal with Psychiatrists they are the experts in this area.
References :