slowly getting there. need that extra push.

[Kmccluskey]

hey guys . just an update on my situation currently. I feel as though I'm am coping better with my anxiety , a lot of this thanks to the anti depressant to be honest. I have been forcing myself to go out and stuff and would say this had probably been the best week in a long time. but I can't see myself conquering it yet. I was wondering if anybody had any advice for how they deal with anxiety when they are outdoors, because I will get a little heart squeezing pain and thn the heart attack thoughts instantly come back and ruin my progress. I'm in a period now where I have sort of half accepted it's all anxiety, I'm
finding hard to fully let go because when I do I will get some weird heart pains and all of my anxiety is focused on my heart, it's an obsession. the pains are so scary and I just need to learn to control my response

[mgw]

Hey, well done on making progress! You should be proud! What medication are you on? I feel I really need to start, been prescribed Lustral since August but am yet to take!

When I have symptoms like that, my health anxiety goes into overdrive. My counsellor suggested to me to record myself, replaying it at a different time makes you realise how unrealistic your mind has been! Maybe write it down or something. My counsellor also told me to say in my head 'Why the f**ck would that happen' and keep questioning my thoughts till I eventually realise that I'm being unrealistic- wierdly this helps as well!

When outside the house I also get adrenaline rushes which cause all symptoms to heighten etc. It feels horrible, but walk slowly, slower than usual. This for me makes the panic subside. I was completely agraphobic for a while and this has helped me immensley.

Wishing you all the best x

[Kmccluskey]

thanks a lot MGw. I'm on citalopram and propanolol, just recently gone to citalopram 40mg a day and it's helped a fair bit. makes me eat like a machine though or maybe that's just my greed lol. did you get the heart squeezes aswell? . sometimes though, the symtpoms are so severe that u can't help react like that. I think anyone would shit themselves in they felt the symptoms that can come, lol

[mgw]

I've been prescribed propranol, again yet to take! I get the heart squeezes yes, the palpiation/fluttery feeling that sometimes literally makes my whole body jolt and makes me let out a 'AGH' sound! I agree with what your saying about the symptoms, I've said many times to people close to me that if they experienced any of the number of things that I do they'd shit themselves regardless of not having anxiety issues!

I guess its important to remember that when your anxiety eases, your physical symptoms will to. I know they both feed each other! But thinking like this has helped me x