Bad couple of weeks

[Meltdown]

After battling panic/palpitations since 2004, I decided to seek help at the beginning of the year. I went to see my doctor, who prescribed proprananol (beta blockers) which actually helped quite a lot.

I also had CBT at work, and this worked really well, to the point where I went 5 months without a panic attack.

In September, I was feeling so good that I cut my dose of the tablets right down, and started to feel much more confident and positive about life.



Unfortunately, the past few weeks, it has all kicked off again. I cannot pinpoint when it all started again, but I think it was after having a really bad, and highly embarasing panic attack whilst having my hair cut (!!!). It started as a vague thought "it would be really embarassing to have a panic attack here, there would be nowhere to go" this then made me feel anxious, and I felt my heart rate begin to rise, and my breathing become faster, and more shallow, and so it escallates. Eventually, I left the shop without paying (they wouldn't let me pay) and with half a hair-cut!

I think another trigger has been my workload at work. I have gone from working fairly efficiently, adn dealing with tasks as they arrise, to being completely snowed under, with a stack of important tasks I stand no chance of finishing, and deadlines I cannot meet....

I feel like taking a few days off sick to give myseld a break from the stress, but I don't want to go down the route of avoidance, and anyway, the problems will only build up whilst I am away.

My boss has agreed to look at my work-load, to see whether anyone else can take some off me.

I seem to have beaten my recently acquired fear of traffic jams (!) - again it's that feeling of being trapped.....

So I have been back to the doctor, and requested some more CBT sessions at work. I hope I can get it all back under control again. I just keep telling myself that I've beaten it once, and can do it again!

[Bill]

Hi meltdown,

So often anxiety makes people think like this – I cannot pinpoint when it all started again, but I think it was after having a really bad, and highly embarasing panic attack whilst having my hair cut (!!!).

Firstly we say we cannot pinpoint when it started and then we start to think it was the panic that caused it when really it’s just a symptom of a deeper cause.

Then we merge the symptom (the panic) with what we think is another trigger when in fact this other trigger that we can’t pinpoint is in fact The cause!- The workload that’s pushed us to breaking point!

Then we heap on more pressure on ourselves by making it Our responsibility to keep going because 1) we start thinking we’re avoiding if we give ourselves a break and 2) we convince ourselves that we’re the only ones who Must meet the deadlines which both lead back to feelings of being trapped and so experience panics in situations we feel we can’t escape such as in the hairdressers or in traffic jams!

Then we start looking for medication and/or therapy to help us continue under the pressures put upon us and have compounded by ourselves.

Meltdown, you know you can beat this as you have done before but take some pressure off yourself first and also give yourself a break!

Let your boss take some load off you by giving it to someone else. Your boss must realize it’s too much for Anyone to deal with alone. Don’t make it Your responsibility and if you feel you need it, take some time off to re-charge. While you’ve been off the workload will probably have been eased and in any case, you probably need a short break so you feel more up to it when you go back. We All need a break at some point!

Your panics are telling you you’ve reached your limit and that if you Don’t ease your pressures, you will “meltdown”! I do know this because I too have been in your situation and it Will get worse if you don’t ease your stress.

If you sort your pressures, you probably won’t need CBT because in doing so you’ll be coping again as before.:winks:

[Meltdown]

Thanks for your comments Bill.

I think you're right, I need to reduce the amount of stress in my life as well as to work on ways to cope with it better.

I am seeing my boss next week about my work load. I know it's a cliche, but in my job, I am now having to do what 3 people were doing 2 years ago

[Frankie23]

Sorry your having such a bad few weeks hun ive been like that for the past few days and im unsure whats causing them

Ive felt lost this week but hopefully for both of us things will look up x

[Bill]

Hi meltdown and frankie,

No one can be expected to do 3 peoples work. It's not humanly possible so I'm sure your boss will understand. If not, then he's not a good boss to expect it of his staff!

Stress in our lives is a big factor that causes increased anxiety so if we can find ways to lessen our loads then it can be of huge benefit.

I'm sure you'll feel better once things are eased.

Take care.:winks: