MaxB147
10-01-15, 00:18
Dear anxiety & panic sufferers,
I hope you will take the time out to read my story (I will make it as brief as possible) the intention being to give you the motivation and belief that your fears can be overcome no matter how harrowing. There are a few tips too ☺
I was born with congenital heart disease and have a pacemaker fitted; I am now 24 and have battled with health for most of my life. Six years ago I began having furious panic attacks this in turn lead to General anxiety disorder (GAD) and I became agoraphobic. I left university and took to staying at home. It made no difference, I still had several panic attacks everyday and eventually sort myself bed bound. After a year or so I discovered alcohol would rid me of my panic attacks over time I became hooked, I was drinking 10-12 cans of beer everyday, a friend then gave me some Zopiclone (sleep aid) I began taking 7.5 mg a night which greatly increased to 40mg a night after four weeks. I was an alcoholic drug addict but no matter, because it was better than feeling anxious. This went on until early 2014 when everything changed.
I was walking back from the shops with my usual bag of booze when I collapsed on the street, I managed to call an ambulance but I thought id had it. Five years of drugs, booze and constant anxiety had finally got the better of me. The paramedics took my blood pressure and did an ECG; they said I was lucky to be alive. It took a wake up call of that extent to encourage change. From that day I decided to change my life or die trying. I didn’t listen to doctors advice “Wien off zopiclone slowly and cut the drinking by half and slowly taper down ” I went complete cold turkey (I am not suggesting for one minute you ignore you doctors!) My body was writhing with anxiety it was the same as it was before the drink and drugs but ten fold. I felt every heartbeat, my muscles were sore, my head was spinning constantly, I vomited and had suicidal thoughts… but
I accepted I was going to suffer. I began to drink 8 pints of water everyday, doing very basic exercises 2-3 minutes at most, forcing myself to eat fruits and vegetables and consumed anything natural. After four days I felt a little better and began functioning very slowly but functioning all the same.
The withdrawal passed within about 10 days of going cold turkey and I was back to where I had begun all those years ago. GAD still fuelled my body, I still had traitorous thoughts, and terrible physical pains but they were old friends. I reminded myself the promise I had made in the ambulance “Change or die trying”.
I carried on my routine:
Drink water and green tea throughout the day
Wake up (even after very little sleep)
Go for a walk around the flat- 15 mins (often in circles like a true mental case)
Eat fruits and veg
Call my mates and family
Relax
Do more exercises (I introduced Yoga to my routine)
Relax
Go to sleep
After 1 week something amazing happened: I woke up and felt energized. My anxiety was still there I think but I could hardly notice it. I weighed myself; I had lost 1 stone of weight. I went outside waiting for the panic attack to drive me back inside, it didn’t come. I called my GP and lied about having an emergency so I could get an appointment that day. The GP checked my blood pressure “It’s perfect” she said. I then called my cardiologist at Guys and St Thomas’s she gave me an appointment for the following week.
I carried on my routine except my exercises were now taking place outside. Either a 30-40 minute walk around Camden Town/Primrose Hill (very busy places) In the past I would have freaked out in these environments and retreated home.
I went to my appointment at Guys and ST T’s, my cardiologist informed me my heart had never looked in better condition and whatever I was doing “keep it up”
I have now overcome my anxiety disorder. I am a few pounds away from reaching my goal weight and have been accepted into a prestigious university. I still drink alcohol socially with my friends and indulge in junk food from time to time but Water is my booze and exercise is my zopiclone. All of those years of pure madness were resolved in 4 weeks. What is 4 weeks out of your life when you have suffered for six years?
You don’t have to go to the extremes I went to. But the following list is fundamental to recovery.
Water- Lots of it
Green Tea- Lots of it
Fruit
Vegetables in every meal
Don’t eat junk food (The body was not designed intake artificial mixtures, you don’t put chip fat oil in your car to make it run do you?)
Exercise- Yoga is amazing (again just slowly build it up 2-3 mins a day, add one minute on everyday until you reach decent level)
Carry on socialising- Do not stop seeing friends and family, they are crucial to keeping the mind occupied.
Do this for… Well do it for 1 day and see. Then try 2 days, if you can get to 4 weeks you will never turn back.
The point is. Everyone talks about mind over matter, CBT, meditation, deep breathing, challenging your focus elsewhere to overcome anxiety and panic but its completely missing the point. The reason why anxious folk fail to do this time and time again is because the matter in hand is far more powerful. Racing heartbeats, sweaty palms, chest pain, muscle ache or whatever your symptoms are so powerful that your mind reacts instinctively. Give one of those symptoms to someone who has never suffered prolonged anxiety and they will think they are about to have a stroke or a heart attack. Remember your first time?
So looking after the body in a way you have perhaps not done before gives you a new focus. A new motive, and when you wake up feeling slightly better than the day before your mind reacts and slowly your fears become non-existent, until.. Hey presto you’re cured.
CBT and all other techniques yeah there great! But **** me aren’t they hard to perform? Look after your body and your mind will react accordingly. Please, trust me. It seems so simple, because. It is.
I hope this finds you well,
Kindest regards and best of luck!
Max x
I hope you will take the time out to read my story (I will make it as brief as possible) the intention being to give you the motivation and belief that your fears can be overcome no matter how harrowing. There are a few tips too ☺
I was born with congenital heart disease and have a pacemaker fitted; I am now 24 and have battled with health for most of my life. Six years ago I began having furious panic attacks this in turn lead to General anxiety disorder (GAD) and I became agoraphobic. I left university and took to staying at home. It made no difference, I still had several panic attacks everyday and eventually sort myself bed bound. After a year or so I discovered alcohol would rid me of my panic attacks over time I became hooked, I was drinking 10-12 cans of beer everyday, a friend then gave me some Zopiclone (sleep aid) I began taking 7.5 mg a night which greatly increased to 40mg a night after four weeks. I was an alcoholic drug addict but no matter, because it was better than feeling anxious. This went on until early 2014 when everything changed.
I was walking back from the shops with my usual bag of booze when I collapsed on the street, I managed to call an ambulance but I thought id had it. Five years of drugs, booze and constant anxiety had finally got the better of me. The paramedics took my blood pressure and did an ECG; they said I was lucky to be alive. It took a wake up call of that extent to encourage change. From that day I decided to change my life or die trying. I didn’t listen to doctors advice “Wien off zopiclone slowly and cut the drinking by half and slowly taper down ” I went complete cold turkey (I am not suggesting for one minute you ignore you doctors!) My body was writhing with anxiety it was the same as it was before the drink and drugs but ten fold. I felt every heartbeat, my muscles were sore, my head was spinning constantly, I vomited and had suicidal thoughts… but
I accepted I was going to suffer. I began to drink 8 pints of water everyday, doing very basic exercises 2-3 minutes at most, forcing myself to eat fruits and vegetables and consumed anything natural. After four days I felt a little better and began functioning very slowly but functioning all the same.
The withdrawal passed within about 10 days of going cold turkey and I was back to where I had begun all those years ago. GAD still fuelled my body, I still had traitorous thoughts, and terrible physical pains but they were old friends. I reminded myself the promise I had made in the ambulance “Change or die trying”.
I carried on my routine:
Drink water and green tea throughout the day
Wake up (even after very little sleep)
Go for a walk around the flat- 15 mins (often in circles like a true mental case)
Eat fruits and veg
Call my mates and family
Relax
Do more exercises (I introduced Yoga to my routine)
Relax
Go to sleep
After 1 week something amazing happened: I woke up and felt energized. My anxiety was still there I think but I could hardly notice it. I weighed myself; I had lost 1 stone of weight. I went outside waiting for the panic attack to drive me back inside, it didn’t come. I called my GP and lied about having an emergency so I could get an appointment that day. The GP checked my blood pressure “It’s perfect” she said. I then called my cardiologist at Guys and St Thomas’s she gave me an appointment for the following week.
I carried on my routine except my exercises were now taking place outside. Either a 30-40 minute walk around Camden Town/Primrose Hill (very busy places) In the past I would have freaked out in these environments and retreated home.
I went to my appointment at Guys and ST T’s, my cardiologist informed me my heart had never looked in better condition and whatever I was doing “keep it up”
I have now overcome my anxiety disorder. I am a few pounds away from reaching my goal weight and have been accepted into a prestigious university. I still drink alcohol socially with my friends and indulge in junk food from time to time but Water is my booze and exercise is my zopiclone. All of those years of pure madness were resolved in 4 weeks. What is 4 weeks out of your life when you have suffered for six years?
You don’t have to go to the extremes I went to. But the following list is fundamental to recovery.
Water- Lots of it
Green Tea- Lots of it
Fruit
Vegetables in every meal
Don’t eat junk food (The body was not designed intake artificial mixtures, you don’t put chip fat oil in your car to make it run do you?)
Exercise- Yoga is amazing (again just slowly build it up 2-3 mins a day, add one minute on everyday until you reach decent level)
Carry on socialising- Do not stop seeing friends and family, they are crucial to keeping the mind occupied.
Do this for… Well do it for 1 day and see. Then try 2 days, if you can get to 4 weeks you will never turn back.
The point is. Everyone talks about mind over matter, CBT, meditation, deep breathing, challenging your focus elsewhere to overcome anxiety and panic but its completely missing the point. The reason why anxious folk fail to do this time and time again is because the matter in hand is far more powerful. Racing heartbeats, sweaty palms, chest pain, muscle ache or whatever your symptoms are so powerful that your mind reacts instinctively. Give one of those symptoms to someone who has never suffered prolonged anxiety and they will think they are about to have a stroke or a heart attack. Remember your first time?
So looking after the body in a way you have perhaps not done before gives you a new focus. A new motive, and when you wake up feeling slightly better than the day before your mind reacts and slowly your fears become non-existent, until.. Hey presto you’re cured.
CBT and all other techniques yeah there great! But **** me aren’t they hard to perform? Look after your body and your mind will react accordingly. Please, trust me. It seems so simple, because. It is.
I hope this finds you well,
Kindest regards and best of luck!
Max x