Anticipatory anxiety

[icantbestill81]

Does anyone struggle with this? I have daily panic attacks, varying in severity but the worst has to be that anxiety that creeps up in waiting for an attack to happen. It's definitely not conscious and I'm working on it in therapy but it's horrible. Anyone else heavily struggle with that?

[ankietyjoe]

Everybody with anxiety suffers with this.

This is precisely why the best (and in some ways only) way to beat anxiety is to change your relationship with a panic attack.

Instead of fearing it (essentially building up a habit of the fear of fear), keep telling yourself that nothing bad happens and they always pass.

You're gonna have a panic attack, so what? Let it happen, let it pass.

Takes practice, so best start now, right?

[WiredIncorrectly]

Instead of fearing it (essentially building up a habit of the fear of fear), keep telling yourself that nothing bad happens and they always pass.

As I'm in the hole right now, I want to ask about this. Because right now my brain will not accept that. My brain is saying "the more your body goes through the stress of panic, the more damage you are doing to your heart. You are going to die soon".

I know I would usually laugh at such things and I hope I can laugh at this in the future, but not when I'm in this hole. This is how anxiety creeps back up again. And it's compounded stress the longer this goes on. I've had this constant up and downs forever.

[icantbestill81]

Yes, I definitely struggle with this. And I think the thing for me is once I'm having the attack, I can let it pass but it's just training my mind not to have that foreboding feeling that one will come.

[Andy_99]

Hello.
Yes, I used to have the same thing myself. It really is the worst possible sensation, but I managed to beat it and it never happens anymore. A few perspectives that helped me were:
It's only panic, it can't do you any harm. There is nothing wrong with you. Lots of people suffer with this sort of thing. It's nothing to worry about (difficult to think this way initially I know).
Various techniques to control the symptoms if they get too much are breath into a paper bag or breath into your hand close to your face. Diaphragmatic breathing or distraction techniques like, counting things in the surrounding area or noting the colours of things in your head.

[NoraB]

Everybody with anxiety suffers with this.

This is precisely why the best (and in some ways only) way to beat anxiety is to change your relationship with a panic attack.

Instead of fearing it (essentially building up a habit of the fear of fear), keep telling yourself that nothing bad happens and they always pass.

You're gonna have a panic attack, so what? Let it happen, let it pass.

Takes practice, so best start now, right?

Excellent advice Joe.