Sat at my desk at work Panicking

[vickykelly]

Help, I am writing this at work, I am sat here panicking and I know its anxiety due to this place as I felt ok yesterday at home? anyone got any tips?

Vicky

[jbond1978]

How about this: 1) Don't run away (don't let it control you), 2) Notice the sensations, 3) Rate your panic at a scale 1-10 every few seconds (to disassociate), 4) Nosebreath - in-1-2-3-4-hold-1-2-3-out-1-2-3-4-5-6-7, 5) Be assured that the feelings are going to stop soon.

You are not your anxiety and what your panic does to your body is not harmful.

you are not alone - I too have frequent bouts of anxiety due to my workplace. For me, the anxious part of me has the positive intention of getting me away from the workplace, and I accept/respect it and I'm currently finding a solution to that. Actually I needed the kick in the a** from my anxiety to understand that my workplace is not good for me.

All the best

[vickykelly]

Hi, thanks I am using your advice now! the problem I have is that I am now associating the feelings I am having with work and everytime I wake up in the morning the sheer dread hits me, my fingers go numb, I cant concentrate and i have to tak myself into calming down. Its not really easy and I am struggling dealing with this. Thank you for responding means a lot.

[jbond1978]

I know those mornings very well... Like I said: a kick in the a** :blush: something needs to change.

Follow the same road as usual, and it will lead you to the same destination as it usually does

[jbond1978]

btw: Calming down is a certain state... Remember sometime, where you were really relaxed and safe (something like listening to the wind, or sitting by a lake...). Close your eyes and notice the sensations associated with that. Enhance those sensations. Make the image of the lake, the relaxing scene, or whatever image you have larger and brighter - make it fill out your mental movietheater and surround you. This is YOUR personal room and safe haven for relaxation. Turn up the volume of the wind/the waves at the lake/whatever sounds you may hear. Associate into it while breathing correctly.

When you are associating into the feeling, give your wrist a squeeze... This anchors your relaxed state to a physical signal that you can give yourself. The next time you need to relax just give your wrist the squeeze and it will trigger the relaxed state. It may need a bit of practice, but it WILL work!

[vickykelly]

ah bless you honey, thank you so much for your advice, I get myself in such a state and my job is one where I have to present to people and stuff and I am feeling it today was like this Friday a little bit of Saturday and then yesterday i was better but today I feel worse, I feel really heavy like someon is pressing my head into my body its awful and I am trying to get over that feeling but cant, i want to speak to people but have only the focus on trying to control this feeling its awful I have not been like this for years but now its like the beast has been let out again and I cant control it.. talking to people that understand like yourself helps. I just want it to go away.. i keep thinkin there are allsorts of things wrong with me and that also makes it worse. Plus its the stigma that goes with the embarrasement of this awful mental health issue,.....

[jbond1978]

Your welcome... just some basic but effective NLP-work :)

I can hear that alot of things feel like they are pressing you... other people, the things you feel that are wrong, the embarrasment. You are not those thoughts, and really maybe (I'm guessing here) you need to remember what you did different during the days of not having the beast out... what was the difference that made the difference.

all the best,
Jens

[lesleya]

Hi vicky
Just want to send you hugs because i suffer the same as you in getting anxious and dread the thought of work so i know exactly how you feel, but bonds given some good advice and hope its helping you hun.
Take care
xxx
:bighug1: :bighug1: :bighug1: :bighug1: :bighug1:

[vickykelly]

ohhhh y god it feels like IO have been panicking the whole day!! i Feel completely drained however dont sleep so in a bit of a catch 22, its this place i ffel like someone sat on my chest and back!

[NoPoet]

Hi Vicky, for a start your sleeping problems are going to distort your perspective and make your anxiety seem ten times worse.

If you are associating work with being anxious, you need to change it so that you associate it with being calm and professional. This is hard to do at first but well worth it.

Try to identify what exactly makes you feel upset about being at work. Chances are it will seem insignificant and a bit surprising. Anxiety is much less threatening when you boil it down from a giant, heaving mass of dread to half a dozen specific points.

I'm going through a similar phase where I have started associating being at home, being in certain rooms of the house and being alone with anxiety. I get pretty severe anxiety when I think about those situations. Knowing that they are triggers for stress means I can actively do something about them. It's not nice and it isn't easy but tally ho, it's got to be done :D

[vickykelly]

thanks for all your replies its nice to know im not alone, sometimes you feel so lonely out there and the fear of making a prat of yourself is ten fold... this heavy feeling wont go away and i can seem to shift it, its such a struggle never had this before, it in my head my arms everything and i find it a struggle to put one foot in front of the other and concentrate does anyone know what this can be?

[vickykelly]

guess what im sat here panicking again, when will this go away.