Fight or flight

Yes I'm feeling crap again and very low. It's the end of Xmas again. My fight or flight system seems to be on permamently all day at the moment + no sleep. I've had a number of problems this christmas (dying relatives, friends in need) and I felt the same last christmas. My problem is that they are just episodes but when I'm having and episode of anxiety it seems very very bad indeed. Much worse than it probably really is but it just feels that something terrible is going to happen. It makes you feel inadequate to fight it or cope but anxiety can be a mask for the truth. If anxiety wasn't so deceptive it wouldn't be so bad, after all, down to brass tacs, all it is, is adrenalin at worst. I think it is time to think of my own needs once more.

Tulip

Hi Tulip,
I think it is very important that you take care of yourself. I hope you feel better soon and can get some rest.
Michelle

A panic attack can only physically last 50 minutes, so just tell yourself that and try to rationalise your anxieties. Remember you control your body and not the other way round :]

Hi Tulip.
As soon as you get a break in your anxiety and are thinking clearly you should write down a course of action that will help you regain the balance again.
It sounds like you've been puttting other people first which is very admirable but you can't help others if you don't allow some time time for yourself.
Sometime's it's hard to say no, especially if your feeling anxious. I know from experience that, when anxious, I just get swept along with the tide of requests and demands.

Good luck petal!! and Happy new year.

"As soon as you get a break in your anxiety and are thinking clearly you should write down a course of action that will help you regain the balance again. "

I have been meaning to do that for a long time but everytime I feel better I get caught up in my job, family extra which seems to be ok while I'm feeling well. I really do not know how to put myself first and obsess constantly about what people think of me. Medication is no good, especially during the times when I'm not anxious.

Anyway I have a stinking cold today which may have something to do with it. I go back to work tomorrow which may help. I hate unstructured time.

Tulip

Hi Tulip

I do empathise wtih you around the 'fight or flight' PAs you are experiencing.

For the last 3 months I've had little if any real sleep - around 2 -3 hours a night, and I've had the most awful jittery panic attacks - real adrenaline busters, constantly making me feel dreadful. I was dreading christmas and the new year - really terrified, couldn't bring myself to shop, write christmas cards, prepare anything. A week before christmas, my father in law died; mum lives over 5 hours drive from us, so my husband had to go and collect her, and between us we had to organise the funeral etc. We had to drive mum back for the funeral on the 29th. So as you can imagine, christmas was difficult - although we got through it.

HOWEVER, intrestingly, focussing on having my son at home, sorting out Dad's funeral, looking after mum, trying to make christmas a good time, kept the jitteryness at bay. I slept better over christmas and new year than I have done in a long time; last night was the worse night for a little while, because the adrenaline started pumping yesterday afternoon and kept going thru the night. At 4 am this morning, I was challenging the pain/discomfort and kept telling it to go away - strangely enough, it does help and I did get back to some sort of half-sleep.

I think sub-consciously I've been dreading getting back to 'reality' - that bit after christmas when things get back to routine, because I know that routine is going to bring more unertainty and changes and feed the anxiety.

I think it is important to put one's own mental and emotional health high up the list of priorities, but sometimes focussing elsewhere in a POSITIVE way can actually prove to be the distraction we need to move away from our own issues, which in turn can lessen our anxiety.

Hope you start to feel bettr soon.

Hi Tulip,

I think we all put other peolpe first, thats why we end up with anxiety problems. I have been told that I can only be as good as how I look after myself! A doctor is no good if he is too ill to be a doctor! A teacher cant teach if they are tto ill to get into school. So you do have to be 'selfish' and put yourself first before you can help others. I say 'selfish' cos I think thats how we think putting ourselves first is, but its practical advice!
Hope you feel better soon,
Here's to being 'selfish' in 2007!
TC xxxxxxxxxx