hi all

[gingerone]

I have hit rock bottom and its doing my head in :( i can not deal with this stress and the panic wont leave i have had numb fingers and a pain in my wrist all day and it is scareing the hell out of me. :( i am trying and everyone is saying forget it but they dont know how it feels and i am getting to the point where i feel so alone and traped:( please someone i hate this and i feel as if i am going to just die and i am so scared [xx(]. thanks for reading this christina xxx

c j giff

[nomorepanic]

Christina

I have moved the post cos people cannot reply to posts made by anyone other than the moderators in the announcements topic.

Nicola

[jo-jo]

Hi there Christina

Sorry you're not feeling too good but don't worry, you're in the right place as most of us here know just how bad it can be and have been where you are now at some point.

Panic is really scary but trust me, not everyday will feel as bad as this one does.

How long have you been having panic attacks and has anything triggered off how bad you feel at the moment? Are you having any kind of treatment or therapy at the moment? Whatever, you are doing the right thing to talk about how you're feeling.

Have you tried a nice relaxing bath? I had a great tip today from Grace which you might try too - lavendar oil which is really calming when you feel like this. I have just bought a lotion which you put on your pulse points and it helps you to feel a lot calmer. Personally, I find that exercise helps too when I'm feeling really bad. The hardest thing motivating yourself to do it but even a short brisk walk can help.

Good luck, hope you feel better soon. Let us know how you're doing hey?

Love Jo xx

[sarah]

Hi Christina

You say everyone says forget it as they dont know how it feels?
Well WE DO!!! We are here to help you all we can!

Its very common to be scared and think you are going to die. I did too but 2 years on im still here and so much better!

You cant forget it I know, but you have to realise these things for what they are. Nasty thoughts and feelings that get worse the more you think and worry about them. Our mind is a brilliant thing but for panickers it is our worst enemy isnt it?

In order to get better you have to do it yourself. I spent months felling sorry for myself and over analysing every little felling/thought until I made myself think that the best place for me was locked away somewhere. How wrong could I be??? My life is getting right back on track now and im so glad I didnt give up!

You need to take it slowly, small steps at a time. I dont know your situation but say for instance if you are agoraphobic, then you start off by opening the front door each day until you are comfortable with that and then progress to walking a few houses away etc.

With regards to the thoughts and symptoms/feelings. You need to keep reassuring/telling yourself that its just a panic symptom/wont hurt you. Practice breathing correctly, take time to relax, find things to distract yourself etc.

Have you read the 'first steps' post? There is great info on there which would be really beneficial to you.

Please take comfort in the fact that you definately arent alone. Im sure that as well as myself there are more than half of us on here that have felt as low as you are now. It WILL get better!!!

take care
love Sarah
xx


we arent mad, just the next stage of evolution :)

[gingerone]

hi ya girls
Thank you for your advice i am seeing a councellor she is very good. i am on medacation called cipralex i have been on it for one week and i have been suffering with panic attacks for four weeks now and i am finding it hard at 18 and my family not around me. i am having big trouble sleeping at night and i find my self awake most of it thinking. has anyone got any tips that may help me thanks love cgristina


c j giff

[grace]

hi christina,
i hope your feeling a bit better today.
if you browse around the site i'm sure you will pick up lots of good tips and advice.
i like to have a bath with lavender oil in to relax me and it helps with sleep aswell especially if you put some chamomile oil in also, about ten drops of each is ok.lavender oil is good for lots of things i always have some around and i grow it in the garden just in case i run out of the oil. also you could get a carrier oil like almond oil say, add some drops of lavender or chamomile oil and get your partner to give you a massage before you go to bed, that is very relaxing. if he cant do it try rubbing it yourself into your feet, you have lots of pressure points and nerve endings there and it is very effective. (i did a reflexology course many years ago)
if you've been having pa's for four weeks and you are dealing with it already that is really good. some people let it go on for years without getting help, me included.
being away from your family is hard, but can you still talk on the phone with them? and dont forget you have this family aswell now, there will always be someone here for you

xxx grace

[andrew]

hi christina, hope your feeling a bit better now. in general i think it takes 2-4 weeks for the medication to kick in, so you might not be benefitting from that fully yet. its good that your seeing a counsellor but again the benefits may take a while to show.
i would advise you to try and teach yourself how to relax, im sure you'll get plenty of suggestions if you post the question or check back thru the forum. and also talk about the things you are thinking about at night, if only to empty them from your mind. alternatively keep yourself busy doing things and your mind occupied, rather than laying there thinking about stuff.
your not mad, your not gonna die, you are just very anxious at the moment but you will recover. oh yeah, you are not on your own. you take care and keep on posting andrew

[jo-jo]

Hi Christina

Don't worry about the meds, it'll take a little while. I've been on mine for just under 3 weeks now and I would say I might just be starting to feel the benefit but I was told it might take up to a month. Just stick with it and you'll be fine.

I think the counselling is a great thing too as it will help you to cope with being away from your family. Relaxation CDs might be worth a go but you have to allow yourself some time every day to practice relaxing. I know it sounds silly but it can be a little hard a first if you're not used to it.

Hope today is a better one for you

Love Jo xx

[Meg]

Christina,

Its true that whilst you are settling on the meds your anxiety may be a little more pronounced and feel even more dreadful.

When and how did this anxiety start with you ?

I know your family are not here so have you got company around you ?




Meg

'There can only be true courage when first there is genuine fear'

Dr.David Livingstone

[gingerone]

hi all
it all started after a night on the drink and i am a big worrier love to worry. i was making a cup of tea and i shoot went though my body and i felt really wierd and i started to panic and they was loads of strangers around me and and all of a sudden i got this wierd taste in my mouth and i felt like i was going to die these feeling have never left me since please help xxx thanks

c j giff

[lainey]

Hi Christina
I had the same sort of experience whilst i was sitting at my desk in work and the thought of that feeling took a few weeks to leave me. I have since had a couple more and when it happens i try and leave what i am doing go outside, stamp my feet and swear like fury and they seem to stop !! If anyone saw me doing this they would think i was crackers, but i think if it helps i don't care. When it first happened i thought i was having a stroke or something but after being on this website amongst friends it makes you realise you are not alone. If it happens again try and remember it's not life threatening and the feeling will pass and gradually become less severe.
Take care

Elaine

[stimpy]

I find everyones experience of panic is different, and yet similar.

My feelings of panic started one night when I awoke with a funny feeling. The only way I could describe it would be a draining.

It started at my head, and moved slowly down my body by the time it reached my stomach my sanity had gone and I was screaming, gasping for breath and I had made a dreadful mess of my underwear. I remember telling the doctor that I know just how it feels to die. Afterwards I was left shaking and exhaused. So far I remember having that same feeling 9 times in the last 6 years.

Another instance was a very fast heartbeat and a feeling that something was taking my air. Once the feelings passed I was exhaused.

Most of the time now I just have a feeling of extreme antisipation and butterflies in the stomach and palpitations.

My best advice is to try not to let it bother you, (easier said than done) and to learn to relax.

I'm feeling these feelings -> Panic -> I'm feeling these feelings. So it continues.
But if you can put a pause in somewhere then slowly you start to break the circle.

I'm feeling these feelings -> Panic -> Breathe Slowly, try to stay calm.
Eventually the gaps between feeling ill will be come wider as you learn to cope with them and see them as nothing more than an inconvience.

Good luck and try to stay calm.
Remember you are not alone, we've all been there.



Love, light and Best wishes
Liz xxx
With hard work and determination and all the things you know.
The world is there for you to take. There's nowhere you can't go.


[:p]Scatty Eccentric & 'Poet Laureate to panic and anxiety'

[Meg]

The way I trained myself to stop the panic cycle over body symptoms was to learn to underreact to everything. If I got the draining feeling, I counted to a slow 10 before deciding how to react to the horrid thoughts that then followed.

I immediately asked myself a few questions

Is this new to me ?

If not did I cope last time and survive ?

Anything changed since then ?

How rational are these thoughts I'm having about this sensation ?

Is it a true thought or have I brought it on myself by thinking too hard ?

Show me the evidence that its as bad as I think it might be?

What might the simple real expalnation be ?


Keep your breathing going deep and slow.


It is really hard to do but teaching yourself to take the time to think things through rationally really makes all the difference.

Incidentally, apart from pure trauma victims - very few people die panic stricken - usually a unique type of serene calm comes over them first.



Meg

'There can only be true courage when first there is genuine fear'

Dr.David Livingstone