It is all in yoru head.....

[june]

I have just come from an appointment with psychiatrist who tells me ALL my problems are in my head
“You must stop worrying “ he said
My only answer is “HOW”?????
“Think of something else……” he said
Soooooooo anxiety and panic are cured by thinking of something different??
"But I believe I suffer from health anxiety, as I woory about my health all the time"????
He said "If you have a pain and the doctor says it is nothing to worry about - don't worry about it - it is a total waste of your energy..."
"you must find something to occupy your mind classes of some sort / voluntary work - something useful."
But it takes me ages to work up to just leaving the house, amd then there is waiting for the bus. I panic and go back home.
BASICALLY get over your fears and you will be OK.
Seriously I have NO ANSWER to that remark that I can print on here.
june
PS This Pychiatrist was really a nice person the content of this conversation is a fact of life, apparently - just get over your fears.

[Erinath]

How frustrating that must be for you no matter how nice the psychiatrist was, as though it had never dawned on you simply not to worry about such things. :hugs:

[Nicola_lou]

we all no that distraction works ive tried and failed. my doc said
the same i said how do i do it and stop thinking this way.
he said thats the hard thing and sent me bk to work to take my mind
off things. lasted a few days in wrk i was so stressed going bk it was like
taking meds with really bad side effects.
going bk to see him tomoro. good luck

[pinkpiglet]

I am not one to sit and preach, I am a seasonal anxiety sufferer!
At the minute i am fairly bad!!!
But i suppose theres not much else people can say to us! the doctors and phyciatrists are hardly going to sit there and tell us to continue worrying are they????

They have to tell us to stop worrying and get on with it at some point and boy do we try!
I am lucky, i have a two year old boy (a typical boy at that) and he keeps me on my feet. I have to get on with it because i have no choice. As much as i want to, i cannot hide behind my front door and fester away. I guess what your phyciatrist means is find something, anything to focus your attention towards that may just decrease your anxiety. Take yesterday for example, i was dizzy, anxious and feeling down right low. My little boy was on his best behaviour and i hardly knew he was there. I knew that the only thing to do was get on my feet and do something, so i got the baking stuff out and me and my little boy baked a pudding and buns. I honestly havent a clue how i did it but once i got into it i felt alot better, i was so busy concentrating on the task in hand and making sure my little boy wasnt cracking every egg in the tray into the bowl.
Don't get me wrong, i know all too well how hard it is to assert yourself when anxiety strikes and i am not saying that it is ever going to be possible but there does come a time where we have to try to help ourselves and get over it, even if only for a few hours. Anxiety is very draining and we owe to ourselves to fight it. :)

[samc100]

I know it's in my head. I just want it to stop controlling my life.

[jill]

Hi Hun :D:hugs:


YES it must be soo frustrating when someone tells you what you already know, **just stop worrying** Must admit, I could think of a few choose words that I would feel like saying but on this great site, the filter would stop me, the sentence would be bull of *******

You say your seeing a psychiatrist, this tells me, its talking thearpy, this is good, but I do feel, now this is only MY oppion, I do feel, this needs to be combined with CBT, as you said hun **BUT HOW**

Talking therapy, is good because it can help you find out where its coming from or the root cause of your anxiety, panic, CBT can show you THE HOW, to change those negative worrying thoughts.

Distraction works, when you distract your mind from how you are feeling, but I do feel, this is a short term coping skill and you need to learn more LONG term coping skills, which CBT can give you.

I do have a link in the therapy forum, which can show you how to challenge those negative thoughts, BUT I DO know, that it is NOT EASY to learn. It takes alot of dame hard work, time and the right support.



I know you said your psychiatrist it nice, thats great, can you talk to him and tell him what you have written here, hun, YOU take control of the sititation, tell him YOU DON'T know how to change this type of negative thinking, ask him if he/she can refare you to cbt, AS WELL as seeing him/her.

I really feel for you hun :hugs: and know how DAME hard this is AND understanding things IS NOT easy, NOT AT ALL, but, with alot of hard work, time and the right support, YOU CAN, learn how to get better.

YOU TAKE CARE

LOVE JILL XXX

[Yvonne]

Hallo June

Lol, typical thing for psychiatrists to say. However, he has to help you to change the thoughts and you have to be helped to learn to distract etc. Have you not been offered cbt?

Also, it's all very well these professionals telling us to get hobbies, join clubs etc. but like you said, you can't get on a bus. It's ridiculous because you wonder why they can't understand.

Thing is June, it is in our minds and the thoughts do cause our anxiety (I didn't believe it for years) - but it is the way we think that causes the symptoms.

You have to try to keep yourself busy and immerse the mind in something which you're interested in, gardening helps me a lot.

Take care June.

[Qetta]

It might be all in one's head but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with, does it?

[june]

:hugs: Thank you all for your replies:hugs:
I did have CBT 2 years ago - I did find it sort of helpful because i felt 'someone was listening to my fears - BUT then she came out with "why should one PA be any worse than the one before??"
I do have issues from my childhood " the restrictions on behaviour (being a girl!!) Fears felt when seeing buildings that had been bombed - the adults don't realise the child is listening to all the gory details and other fearfull stuff which which the therapist said i should "Just forget!!"
The trouble is that unless they have experienced a panic attack they have no idea of the depth of that fear or how debilitating it is.
I suffer badly from hyperventilation - "You must learn to reax" or "breathe into a paper bag".
I KNOW THIS - IF I COULD DO THIS I WOULD NOT HAVE PAs:ohmy:
If you read books on PAs they are usually written by americans who say
" you can go to therapist for retraining of your breathing" :yesyes: BUT apparently there is nothing like that in this country.
I also tend to be accused of making excuses as to why i don't get on with life - Example Doc suggested exercise class = nearest we could find was 3/4 hour on 2 busses. When i got there the class was quite large and i tried to chat but thet were very cliky not too bad THEN the music ??????? started well it nearly blew my head off and then the teacher on her head mike shouted over that:ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: I stuck it out for 3 months and that was it.
My stress levels trying to force myself to do this was bad.
As i am over 60 and not very fit - they were relutant to suggest that i try tread mills or cycles ( my breathing is quite bad which worried them)
I do attend a sewing / embroidery class - I knit for prem babies / i do crosswords / i read / i shop / i spend time on NMP:blush:
Enough :ohmy: I said people get sick of my moaning :ohmy:
Best wishes
june
:hugs:

[PoppyC]

Hi June
I can fully understand what you are saying. Its frustrating isnt it!
I find it isnt easy to join clubs, groups and classes. I need to attend a class I joined but I really go into panic mode as its gets close to the time. I am hoping my citroplam will help with this.
It is so easy for people who have never suffered with anxiety and all the other disorders to not understand and to come out with stupid things. If it were that simple to overcome then we would all be recovered by now! Its a very complex situation and what works for one person may not work for another. I find CBT good but at times I think I am not so stupid that I dont know all of this! Its putting it into practice what I find difficult because surely if I knew those things to begin with, the obvious things, then I would have, but I have anxiety and so I find it difficult. If I had thought along the CBT way of thinking in the first place then I wouldnt have anxiety, however anxiety prevents me from putting them into practice sometimes as that is what anxiety does...sorry if this sounds confusing.
I find there are a lot of well meaning but useless therapists out there. I changed mine and now have quite a good one - however the things she tells me are nothing that I dont already know.

[finny12000]

Hi june
well done on all your hobbies you do,what about a anxiety class?
I found them brilliant and was very skeptical at time
My doctor forwarded details to hospital and they got in touch with
me going for 8 weeks one hour per week
I sat in room with about 10 to 12 people and though jesus what ami doing here but after half a hour i was engrossed
I learnt about anxiety adrenaline thoughts control distraction relaxation
and how my thoughts triggered it all off it was a godsend to me and everything the Pychiatrist couldnt answer for you gets addressed there
all the best finn

[freakedout]

June,

I made a huge exasperating sigh when I read your post. I know exactly how you feel with the panic attacks, the fear of having them and the total anxiety of putting yourself into situations when you know full well that you will panic, hyperventilate etc.... There is some benefit in knowing that you will not die of a panic attack but that doesn't actually stop the absolutely awful feelings.

You cannot forget your childhood, your past is extremely important to how and who you are in the present and the future. I have also been told that it is unhelpful to dwell on the past despite the fact there are lots of major events that have a massive impact on me now. CBT is the way to go apparently. However, it is not a panacea for all our problems and it has been recognised that it is not suitable for everyone. I think that individual holistic therapy is more beneficial, ok so there aren't the resources perhaps to provide this but CBT to address panic attacks is reductionist when there are a whole other host of problems that cannot be ignored. I am not suggesting that you have a whole host of other problems but I have and I feel that CBT is superficial, glossing over rotten wood. I do try though to take it on board although I feel false telling myself postive stuff when inside a voice in my head undermines it all.

Some days I wish I was Worzel Gummidge. Give me another head, a happy confidant one with few worries.

I am glad you had a moan. I am with you on this. You obviously do try to keep yourself busy and get out there despite your panic and anxiety. I totally admire you for that. I still don't have any suitable answers though despite reading loads of self help books, self help sites, and one to one therapy. I try to implement CBT, I really try despite not having much faith in it, but for me it doesn't make my dreaded situations any easier. I try to be mindful of the here and now, let the panic pass without putting up a fight but the fear is so intense sometimes that I fear I will choke to death, soil my pants etc. Now that is enough to make anyone avoid. That is fear and jeez man I can not talk myself out of that.

Sorry for hijacking your thread, I hope you work it out one day soon, you deserve to be rid of PA's and the anxiety that goes with it. If you find a way please let me know, until then just "stop worrying, get over your fears and learn to relax" pffff - if only

Take care,

Freaky

[freakedout]

Sorry June, and everyone else,

I shouldn't be so negative.

Freaky

[ronski]

Hi June

If only a cure was so easy and simplistic. Another example of textbook learning with absolutely no real personal experience to back all that learning up. A problem with most doctors when it comes to anxiety disorders.

Ron

[june]

Sorry June, and everyone else,

I shouldn't be so negative.

Freaky
Why not? it is really how we all feel .
It is knowing that other people go through this and come out the other side that helps.
Just recently one or two people felt so bad they wanted to leave and were over whelmed at the support they got.
YOU / WE are not alone on this site.
Thank you all :hugs:
June
:hugs:

[freakedout]

Thanks June :yesyes:

Yes you're right.

One day we might come through this on the rose coloured side, I hope so.

Freaky:)

[Yvonne]

Hi June

I think you were brilliant to go to the gym for that long especially as you weren't able to do too much and you couldn't bear the loud music. I think it was very brave of you to go and face it and actually "try". This is the thing, we do try don't we? In fact we do all we are told by our therapists and sometimes just don't seem to get any further forward.

You have some good hobbies June and you keep occupied so that's a real positive as well.

The hyperventilating is horrible. Get yourself a breathing exercise cd - look it up on the net. I can't think of any for the moment. The Alexander Technique is meant to be very good so you could have a look. I am sure you will definitely find some good breathing exercise cd's online and shouldn't be too expensive. You see I think you have to have something like a cd to prompt you with the breathing because if you just lie on the sofa and try to do it yourself the mind wanders.

June, good for hyperventilation; buy a tin whistle or a cheap recorder. No kidding - when I was having very bad hyperventilation problems the shrink told me this. Also the key is to keep blowing out - the out breath is the relaxing one. Hold your breath as long as you can and then your breathing will automatically return to normal.

Take care xx

Freaky we do get negative so you don't have to apologise. xx

[june]

:ohmy: :ohmy: Freaky i loved your idea """"Some days I wish I was Worzel Gummidge. Give me another head, a happy confidant one with few worries. """"
It is so good to hear your replies as I begin to doubt that i will ever get better and then i read on here that i am not alone and hear the praise for what i have achieved (we never give our selves any praise for what we do ) BUT we are very quick to criticise ourselves for - "what we" believe to be failure.
""""""If only a cure was so easy and simplistic. Another example of textbook learning with absolutely no real personal experience to back all that learning up. A problem with most doctors when it comes to anxiety disorders.
Ron """"""
Ron
I totall agree with your comment - i have read many books on anxiety / panic etc that i can hear the psychs and councillors recite paragraphs from these books:blush: :blush: Ha ha hA if only i had a good memory i could tell them which book they got it from:blush:
good for hyperventilation; buy a tin whistle or a cheap recorder. No kidding - when I was having very bad hyperventilation problems the shrink told me this. Also the key is to keep blowing out - the out breath is the relaxing one. Hold your breath as long as you can and then your breathing will automatically return to normal.
I am still thinking about this one - thank you yvonne xx
Best wishes
june
:hugs: :hugs: