How do you cope?

[Aisling84]

I've suffered from a variety of anxiety disorders and depression since I was a child but I've always tried to get by with as little medical interference as possible.
After things becoming increasingly worse, about 4 weeks ago I went to work, ended up in such a state I was taken for medical attention and put on a heart monitor. Doctor says I've had a nervous breakdown. I'm barely able to leave my bed at the minute. I'm taking 160mg of propranolol 20mg of citalopram & waiting for CBT. But things seem to be getting worse. I'm struggling to be out of the house or around people but had to get to doctors today. The waiting room was rammed and I just couldn't cope. I had the worst panic attack I've had so far, embarrassingly it was so severe that I actually wet myself.

I'm now completely terrified of going anywhere in case that happens again. I don't know how I'm going to take the children to school when they start back. How do you manage daily things like the school run when you're having bad days?

[trish1955]

Omg I could feel your pain so much I to have suffered since I was 12years old I am now 58 and finally gave into medication as always been afraid to take it I look back at raising my six kids with not just anxiety I had panic and agoraphobia the agoraphobia was not as bad as it now I could go out with safety people. But now I go no were I zm worse I to feel like I ave suffered a break down I rember sat in my kitchen back in january sobbing and rocking I said to my son he 23 I think I am either I'll or having a break down I final took my meds three weeks ago wen I was not getting better just worse I to tried to go to docs a few weeks ago I did go straight in but got in her room and was pacing the floor I could not sit down I bet she thought I was crazy my kids all grown ups now just got 23yr old at home he works I feel very redundant I think I suffer empty nest syndrome I have no hobbies as can't think of anything I want to do I use to love looking after my home but seem to have lost heart in that to leaving me with nothing. You will get through because you have the kids like me for years the were my purpose in life and you will get better for them maybe not perfect but you will find coping methods I did for years xxxxxlet me no how you go

[Katy0118]

I went months with not leaving the house. I just stared at the bottle of pills the doctor gave me and said I was at my breaking point and needed help. I have been on clonazepam for 10 years and I am able to live a somewhat normal life but the anxiety still comes at times, but I have been able to work and do things I wasn't able to do without it.

[Mchealing]

I've suffered from a variety of anxiety disorders and depression since I was a child but I've always tried to get by with as little medical interference as possible.
After things becoming increasingly worse, about 4 weeks ago I went to work, ended up in such a state I was taken for medical attention and put on a heart monitor. Doctor says I've had a nervous breakdown. I'm barely able to leave my bed at the minute. I'm taking 160mg of propranolol 20mg of citalopram & waiting for CBT. But things seem to be getting worse. I'm struggling to be out of the house or around people but had to get to doctors today. The waiting room was rammed and I just couldn't cope. I had the worst panic attack I've had so far, embarrassingly it was so severe that I actually wet myself.

I'm now completely terrified of going anywhere in case that happens again. I don't know how I'm going to take the children to school when they start back. How do you manage daily things like the school run when you're having bad days?

The term nervous breakdown is the term used by a person who has no idea; the term nervous breakdown is meaningless, it can not happen, your nerves can not breakdown. What is happening is you have trained your brain to see danger everywhere, by accident. You have been tricked by your feelings into believing you are in danger when you are not in danger. In you reptile brain is the amygdala, it is the part of your brain that stores patterns of past danger or fear. The amygdala is like a scanning alarm system that checks every experience you have, if it detects a pattern, it triggers the flight/flight/freeze response. Over the course of the years every time you have become fearful and avoided it, you have confirmed to the amygdala that the pattern is dangerous, when none of the patterns are dangerous but because you have avoided the fear the pattern has been reinforced. To return the amygdala to its normal state, you have to go through the panic, not avoid it and gradually the old fearful patterns will be replaced by new memories in the amygdala, this is the only way to recover, one has to learn/reprogram the part of the brain that reacts to patterns that are not dangerous but our avoidance has convinced the amygdala that they are.

Please check out these websites for more info
anxietycoach (it won't let me post url)

and itsjustafeeling dot co dot uk


You will probably need to cease or reduce your medications, it is doing you no good, really, you don't need it.