Any way to stop the crescendo? PLEASE HELP FRIENDS

[dave316]

Hi

I, as most probably most people out there with panic, get panic in waves. The first panic attack will come with some slight hints of what anaxiety is all about (the feeling od impending doom, a heartbeat gathering pace etc) and then it may pass. Then 10 mins later or less if you are in the same situation still the 2nd wave will come and the symptoms mentioned earlier are there but more exaggerated this time. Then usually by the 3rd or 4th time you get what i dub the panic crescendo which is the time when you are so scared and you feel you just need to escape.

Does anyone else get this???

I get this and am sure to get it today as i am facing a panicky situation in afew hours. The full throttle panic attack scares me so much and i don't want to die.

My thinking pattern works like this. Before i even get into the actual panicky situation, my heart is racing, skipping beats, having ectopic beats etc and i find it hard to breathe. Then when i am in the sitiuation i constantly think what if i stop breathing or forget to breathe through all this panic and preoccupation with my symptoms? This will make me panic more and it terrifies me so much. Then i think, if i am not breathing properly, i might pass out (one of my biggest fears with panic by the way) so that aggravates the anxiety and panic even more so.

Then i think what if my heart has enough this time and gives out on me.

Negative thought after negative thought after negative thought. I just want to know, if there is a way, how to limit the affects of feeling THIS bad. Are there any?

Are there any known things one can do that make the body go back to a normal thinking pattern. You know, things one can do with their mind or bodies to stop this in its tracks??

I have no doubt if there was something so good, we would all be doing it but guys i really need your advice here.

Anything you have tried and tested thats worked, or even helped, please help me!!

I would so very much appreciate it :o)

God Bless You All

Dave
UK

[pooh]

Hi DAve

Know exactly what you are talking about. Here's a number of things I try:

Telling someone how i feel (usually relieves the anx)
Distraction distraction distraction, talk, tap your fingers, doodle on a bit of paper
Go to the toilet sit down and dont fight it let it happen and itll go much quicker
Take deep breaths and start up a mental dialogue with yourself. You might not want to swear but mine is usually. ' Oh F off Panic" that can become my manatra for a short period lol
Look up with your eyes ( roll them up) not your full head. I read that on one of the threads once and it really does work.

Don't know if this helps?
Can only try

Pooh x

[thevoicewithinme]

Hi Dave,

I agree with Pooh that telling someone does kind of help...if I keep how I am feeling to myself its 100 times worse..at least then the other person is aware of how you are feeling.

I also always have some sweets on me (sounds stupid I know) i.e. a pack of mints or something, as I find that one of my first symptoms is a dry mouth, so I pop in a sweet and straight away that cures the dryness, but I also find myself concentrating on the sweet (told you it sounds stupid) but it does help me.

I have also been known to wear a rubber band around my wrist (someone suggested this to me once) as when I feel the panic building, twang the rubber band, and you find youself then focusing on where it hurt!!

I have also been known in the past to suddenly pick up my youngest child (he is 5 now so no lightweight) as when I am holding him, I find I focus in on him.

Sorry if these aren't much help, they are just a few things that I personally find helpful. I like you have a massive fear of passing out (never have done).

Kaz x

[dianes]

Hi Dave:)

Like you I had a fear about stopping breathing, my support worker explained that this would not happen that the body takes over and automatically breathes. She told me to test out the theory for myself:

See how long you can hold your breath before you have to breathe in. I tried this a couple of times and each time I automatically had to take a breath in. I know this sounds daft but it really worked for me and I stopped being scared.

To stop the feeling of not being able to get a breath, when your chest feels tight. She told me to remember when I felt the panic hitting:

Breathe all the way OUT first, then take a slow deep breath IN. Most people tend to try to breath in first and as there is already air in the lungs and your chest becomes tight with panic this causes the sensation that you cannot breathe. Again after practise this worked for me.

Hope these help.

:hugs: :hugs:

Diane

'Remember, your imagination is always much worse than the reality'

[Tom_M]

Hi Dave

In the early stages of panic you can sometimes avert it by thought switching. But if it gets to the stage where chemicals are released into the blood stream, then you have to try and counteract it with breathing and relaxation exercises. Breathing is very important as it as an effect on the heart as well as the muscles. Unfortunately though, a lot of people can't get the hang of controlled breathing. If you take a deep breath, hold it in, and then let it out at very slowly, while at the same time slumping your body in a relaxed position, you should feel the effect. The heart sort of stops momentary and goes back into a normal sinus rhythm, and the muscles should begin to relax.
After you accomplish this, you then have to keep focusing on something to stop the panic coming back.

Tom