Who calms you down? What if you're alone?

[SammyG]

Hiya everyone! :)
I'm 19 and have been suffering from panic attacks since I was 8 years old. Ever since my first attack, my mum has always been there to calm me down & get me back on track! I always feel comforted by knowing no matter how bad the attack, I've got my mum to lean on.
I've reccently found out that she's moving into her own place at the end of March. It's a strange thought seeing as I have lived with her my entire life! I'm happy for her of course but what if I have an attack after she leaves? I've never really learnt how to deal with an attack on my own, seeing as she's always helped me through.
Does anyone have any tips on how to get yourself through a panic attack? I am on medication for my attacks but that doesn't mean they're gone completely!
Thank you very much for reading, would love to hear everyones experiences and/or advice! You're NOT alone in this, WE can beat this!! :)

[bignik]

This was actually discussed with my Pyshcologist today at my CBT meeting and she tells me its a thing one must master and be able to control themselves. I sympathise totally Im 45 yers old and whilst being ill these last 8 months , anxiety being the driving force of everything , depression , constant thoughts etc etc when in panic mode a thing I too am very uncomfortable with and heavily rely on my wife to re assure me , or to break my thoughts down when Im in turbo mode of irrational thinking whilst having an attack.

So anyway today she left me alone to pick up the kids I was fine before she left but her leaving , brings on an attack, so usual pace up and down thinking what am I going to do .... oh no .... but thought came into my head go upstairs lie down on bed stick relaxation cd on and concentrate on that ( even though at the time I didnt want to do this I was fighting it , that full of fear etc ) but did it bit hard and listened , I did calm down and my breathing under control and it filled 30 mins which otherwise I would have been in a state , this allowed time for her to return and of course my being more settled.

Now its not the solution your looking for , but for me it was a start , I had actually addressed the problem in hand and came up with a temporary solution to the problem in hand , that itself was a first and new so I guess perhaps for me anyway the start of trying to overcome my own fears. Still of course early days , perhaps a one off , but Im trying to remain optimistic anyway.

I think a lot of the time breathing most important to keep it under control so at least your head comes up with a solution, perhaps try some self help anti anxiety CD's see if they help most are guided and talk you through them.

I would have mocked them a few weeks ago , but everyday working with them they do help if nothing more than help you understand whats happening to you when anxiety peaks and develops into a panic attack

[SammyG]

Thank you very much for your comment! It's lovely to know your wife is giving you her full support, it certainly does give you piece of mind :)
The CD's sound like a wonderful idea, can't believe I didn't think of those before! I tend to go to my room when I start to feel anxiety so it would be nice to put on a CD when I got in.
I've been practicing my breathing reccently so hopefully it'll come to good use when my next attack arrives!

[Eva May]

I'm not sure I'd say I calm myself down because the thing with me is I need to be alone when I'm panicky...hmm maybe I do calm myself down then seeing as how there's no one else around to do it :D I'd say definitely try build on doing it for yourself as obviously at the end of the day you're the only one who's going to be around you all the time. Have to say you sound very positive though so should be no problem to you :)

[lustyglaze]

Amazon do a load of downloadable Mp3s from relaxing music to guided meditation etc from around 79p. Good value (some last over 1 hour). Dr Claire Weekes CD Pass through panicis great,& lets you understand & explains in detail how to conquer the Fear of Fear, and once that is done you will quickly recover.

Happy meditation.

JD

Face your fears live your dreams

[Carys]

Me ! I do it myself :D

[Lottie19]

Have a list of fall-backs - mine is:

good book
comedy DVD
meditation
jumping up and down (seriously!)
relaxation CD
the panic attack information on this site
a paper bag

One or all of these things usually works,

Good luck xx

[bignik]

the paper bag is really something I have to try , Ive heard it so many times but still not gave it a go ... I like they way you say all of these things Lottie , I feel that way myself sometimes ... constant distraction , can be tiring at times cant it

[mabel]

I too relied on my mum for years! I first suffered at 19. I am 37 now and every time I was having a rough time of it anxiety and depression wise and panic was high I would just go home to her (see lives 100 miles away!)

2 years ago I didn't. I phoned her a lot! Especially when I was panicking she calmed me down.

And now I suppose I have learnt a lot and calm myself down. Breathing is so important! 7 seconds in 11 out. Or what ever you decide as long as you breathe out for longer than you breathe in! Paper bag works too for this! Its all about the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

And distraction! I've taken up knitting! Don't laugh!!! I'm rubbish at it but am getting better! But its very calming and has got me through some tough times! I'm not suggesting you take up knitting but find something you can distract yourself with.

Take care

Mabel xxx

[sjp]

Hello I am also 19 and live by myself but go to counselling. I talk about this in my daily diary on my blog http://confessionsofpanicdisorder.blogspot.com. It may be useful to have a read :) xxx

[Anxious_gal]

I was alone for 4 weeks, I did ok, it was hard some of the time but not all the time.
It does help you deal with panic though alone because you have no other choice.
I guess what helped me feel less alone was that if I got very bad I could ring someone, be it a family member, friend, helpline or even an ambulance for you know if I really thought I was dying lol.
I had NMP open most of the time, as well as msn, skype.
I guess I rely a lot on distraction to calm me down.
Writing what I was feeling, thinking etc while I was panicking helped calmed me down or at least to think more logical :)