the usual set back

[paul]

well i had a panic attack earlier,i dont know exactly what caused it,i was walking along when it hit me,i felt a bit anxious before it.i considered it to be a bad one ,i felt like falling into the grass.and ive been feeling out of sync all day.

i just felt i had to write it down somewhere,to acknowledged it happened.sometimes it doesnt feel quite real.i would have thought id get use to it by now,its the whole physical sensation thing that throws me.

bye for now

paul

[meesey]

Hi Paul, Sorry to hear you had a pa, i know exactly how your feeling, my attacks have returned and i woke up this morning having a panic attack at 1.30am, it came completely out the blue.. horrible how they come unnanounced..hope your feeling better, paul

[seh1980]

hello there,

Sorry to hear you had a PA earlier. No matter how many you have, they're still scary aren't they? I guess you just have to learn from each one to prepare yourself for the next one!! Hope you're feeling better!!

Sarah (seh1980):D

[Caz Fab Pants]

Paul - sorry to hear about your pa, hope it hasn't put you on too much of a downer.

Meesey - That must be horrible!! I've never had a pa in the middle of the night, mine are always brought on by my thoughts. Kind of self induced, not out of the blue. You poor thing.

Caroline
x

[sal]

Hi Paul

Sorry to hear you had a bad panic attack earlier. It horrible when they creep up on us and we cant reason why they have as nothing specific has happened.

Hope you are feeling a bit better now.

Love Sal xxxxx

[Laurie28]

Hiya Paul,

My panics often happened when I have been particularly stressed and it can happen days after an event - it seems to be when the stressful event is over my brain said 'okay then she can cope with a PA now!!!!'

PA's can knock you for six but the most important thing is to try and not dwell on it, put it down to experience and keep thinking positively
Lucky

[nomorepanic]

Hiya Paul

How are things today - did you get over the one yesterday ok and do you feel any better today?

Nicola

[paul]

thanks for the replies everyone.i did have a slightly restless night after,but generally it was ok ,just sat up for a little while to try and feel tired again.

its true that even if you know its a pa its still a horrible experience ,even when i try and reassure myself,i suppose sometimes i handle it better than other times.today im feeling jittery still,but thats only natural i suppose....what a strange world eh?

im aware there are techniques to try and help but sometimes my concentration goes out the window and i must focus a bit more.

if anyone has any methods that help them or tips then it would be appreciated.different things work for different people but its worth a go i guess.

hope everyones ok ,take care....paulx

[Laurie28]

Hiya Paul,

I find the worst thing about PA's is the 'what if's' Even though you know it is a PA there is still this voice that says 'what if this time it's not and there is something really wrong' I try and block out this 'gremlin' by saying positive things (to myself) ie if you were really dying and couldn't breathe you wouldn't be walking etc etc. i find it helps them pass more quickly - even if you don't believe what you are saying to yourself keep on saying the positive things

Love
Lucky

[Caz Fab Pants]

Hi Paul,

Been trying to think of what I can say to help you but its hard to put into words.

I find that when I'm either building up to a panic or having a panic the best thing I can do is try to carry on what I'm doing or what I set out to do. This way even if your mind is racing with 'what if's' and negative stuff it shows that you aren't giving in to the fight or flight feeling.

For example I might be in a shop and start panicking at the check out. My mind will be thinking about how long the queue is, whether anyone has noticed me looking nervous, where the nearest toilet is, what excuse I can use to leave if the cashier has started to scan my goods etc. However even if I'm struggling to think of positive affirmations, as long as I stay put and carry on with what I set out to do I see this as progress.

Not sure if this is the kind of 'tip' you meant. If you meant more practical stuff then I would say take a cold drink out with you, wear layers so you can strip if you get hot flush, take book or mag to read as distraction and maybe try some rescue remedy.

Caroline :)
x

[paul]

hello lucky and caz,thanks for the posts.

in a way i would say it affects me the same ,ill try and get on with things even if i feel bad ,its very hard for me to see it sometimes as a success,i suppose staying with it is just that,sometimes i do and sometimes i dont.

in terms of tips i probably meant more of a situation rather than techniques like relaxing,ive read quite a bit on that ,im not sure if it helps me,im more like what you said caz,just go with it,even though its really hard.

i think the whatifs part of it is the key part,i try to think positive and say its just the anxiety,sometimes i can get angry with myself for letting me get into the situation in the first place,and its true ive made an excuse sometimes to try and escape the situation.

i wouldnt say i am depressed but sometimes it does get me down in the sense that i thought id make some progress with it by now,maybe i do dwell too much on the negative aspects of it.

ive heard of rescue remedy but have never tried it ,maybe its an option.

take care

paulx

[jo-jo]

Hiya Paul

Hope your feeling a little better now - having a PA can feel like a big set-back but you can get back to where you were, it just takes a little time and the ability not to be too hard on yourself about it. I had a mini PA a week or so back after weeks of feeling pretty good and felt really down in the dumps about it and quite jittery for a few days, but am pretty well back to normal now. Its true, no matter how many you have had before, they're still absolutely b*****y awful.

Take care hon, love Jo xx

[Meg]

i think the whatifs part of it is the key part
Bingo - Paul . You're absolutely right.

Not just positive but keep realistic. A continuous positive affirmation helped me through my worst situations .





Meg

Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind.
If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.
Robert Albert Bloch