Panic Attacks especially Outside and around Big Cities

[Stunning Cactus]

Hello everyone,

I am new here and would really like some fresh advice. I have been suffering from Panic Attack Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder since February of 2012. The very worst is when I go outside. Doesn't matter where - class, work, to eat, I get the general anxiety, it hits me almost right away. Usually the longer I know I have to be outside, the worse it is. And, if it's too long, or if I'm in or near a downtown area with huge, tall buildings and wide open spaces, I get VERY anxious and am prone to panic attacks.

I also have that escape anxiety dealio, where being in a car and stuck in traffic or on the highway, or being stuck in a conversation and having to stand still outside while talking to someone is very anxiety provoking for me.

An interesting tidbit is that nighttime treats me better than daytime. When it's nice and dark outside, I find it much easier to go and be out there. Same with weather - the cold makes my anxiety worse. Warm weather is better.

Here's a little bit about me: I am a 21 year old male finishing up my third year at my university. A lot of what I do for classes and with people involves venturing off to the downtown area, and it can be VERY stressful and anxiety-provoking for me.

Any and all help would be much appreciated!

Sincerely,

Stunning Cactus

[HalfJack]

Love the name! I have had a few similar problems.

I let myself have an R+R day to recoup now and then. I generally just pay attention to what makes me feel better/safer and inc it into my day somehow. Have you got an mp3 player or something like that you could listen to? That helps me a lot.

I know it sounds dumb but deep breaths and positive thoughts help big time. I often tell myself (in my head) that it's OK, and try to see how someone without my anxieties would see the situation. I basically reason with myself. So if I want to jump out a taxi cab in traffic I tell myself that it's safe, that my friends would be bored in this situation not anxious, they are rational people so I know I can trust that their reaction would be rational etc

A good trick to stop a panic attack that's already started is to focus on something (anything) you can see and describe it in basic detail till you calm down enough to compose yourself and get home or carry on. It usually only takes me 6 questions till I calm down. What color is it? What shape is it? Where is it? Why is it there? How many colours are there on it? What does it do? etc
By asking and answering the questions you force yourself to calm down and think slowly essentially.

When I first had problems going outside I'd make sure I coupled trips out to places like college or town with going to one of the few nearby places I felt safe like the librarary, a coffee shop or a friends house.

Sorry if it's all stuff you've tried or not helpful!

---------- Post added at 08:00 ---------- Previous post was at 07:58 ----------

Oh and congrats on your soon to be graduation! :D

[MyNameIsTerry]

You won't be alone on this. I have GAD and I can relate to some of this. GAD seems to overlap into other anxiety disorders & phobias, for instance social anxiety disorder or agoraphobia.

One way to deal with it is Exposure Therapy because anxiety dips & peaks over time. So, they try to habituate you this way by staying in these situations until you start to get more confident and the anxiety fades. This can peak again during exposure so having techniques that help you will help your habituation.

Mindfulness meditation is very good for anxiety. It can also be done in various forms whether inside or out, alone or not, waiting, walking, etc. So, it might be worth learning so that you can employ it in the situations where you feel anxious or the rising panic.

Panic attacks follow a cycle. You have to break that cycle by cutting them off for they reach a very specific stage. I think Claire Weekes referred to it as "second wave" as this is where the panic takes over. Prior to this, you have the power to stop it developing further but you need to find the tools that work for you.