scared of fainting

[SammiB]

Hello guys


I'm not having a very good time at the moment feeling really low - i think this is the worst year ever.

anyways as some of you know its my bro's wedding on sat and i needed a dress.

so on saturday i braved and went out shopping, managed 2 hours before i felt really bad i wanted to go home. but a small success none the less.

sunday morning arrives and i wake up fine and me and my b/f decide to go back to my house, we stopped off at a town nearby to get some shopping and a baguette and i felt fine for 10 mins or so then i had the huge sensation that i was going to faint, really badly like if i closed my eyes i would. it was so scary and i had to just manage to keep concious till i got to the car i never actually lost conciousness but felt as if i came pretty close the whole day i felt spaced out and headachey, stiff neck, sniffles.


so now i'm hardly going out because i think thats what is going to happen, i just really want some reassurance or advice on what might of happened to me.

thanks for reading

xxxx

[Believe]

Hello Sammi,

First I want to say good job on the shopping. You are going great.

Next I want to tell you the fainting feeling is your anxiety hun. I have felt that way too. It will get easier the more you are out and about. When you shop try to keep your mind on the task at hand. Tell yourself that you are fine and that nothing is going to happen. I know that it's not easy and that it can be scarey, but Sammi you can do this hun.

Last weekend I went to three different stores and I didn't have any problems. That was the first for me in a long time. But before I went into the
shops, I told myself I am no different then anybody else. So what if I have a problems, they won't know it. Guess what Sammi, I didn't have problems. I went all the way through the stores. Bert and Josh were so proud of me, as I was myself. The only problem I had was this little old lady keep trying to run me over with her cart. (Ha Ha)

I hope this helps hun and keep a positive attitude that makes a big difference.Also next time try not to go for as long. I worked my way up to the three stores.

Take Care
Believe

I Believe That We All Will Get Better.

[Dying_Swan]

Hey Sammi :)

Fear of fainting has always been my biggest problem with anxiety. There are times when you feel so faint you cannot believe you stay conscious. But you do.

It does sound to me like it's plain old Panic, and the best thing you can do is try to knock it on the head ASAP (of course, this is always easier said than done :winks:).

Ok - one really important thing to keep in mind: You faint when your blood pressure drops. Fainting is your body's way of making you lie down, to restore the blood supply to your brain.

When we panic, our blood pressure rises. Hence, it's almost impossible to faint during a panic attack. You are less likely to faint when anxious than at any other time.

My advice would be to get back out to the shops as soon as you can. Don't push it too much. Just buy one or two things, and increase this each time (you can get small things so it doesn't get too expensive :winks:).

You may well feel faint again - this is 'anticipatory anxiety', meaning that because you expect to panic, you probably will. Try to keep a postive mind, and be determined to stick it out. It feels ghastly but you won't faint. The more times you stay with it and ride the feelings out, the sooner it will go away.

Good luck I really hope you are feeling happier soon xxx :flowers:

[helenclaire]

Hi.
my greatest fear is also fainting, i convince myself i am going to pass out and that is what has caused my agorophobia. i really wish i knew how to change my thought pattern, it is constantly on my mind so every time i feel a bit uneasy i start to panic and really feel faint. The slightest thing triggers it and although i have never actually passed out i cannot stop feeling this way.
I think if i could over come this i would be on the road to getting back to
some sort of normality.

I just wish i knew how to do it.
Take care
Helen:shrug: