Panic Attacks Are Ruining My Life

[mark_e]

Hi

I'm so glad i found this forum and i really hope someone on here can help me out.My panic attacks first started about 11 years ago and gradually went away and over time i forgot about them.
About 6 months ago they have returned and now they are worse than ever..i have been getting them ever since i started my new job and i am now on my fourth absence because of them.I work in a large building where there are a lot of people and its very busy all the time there..i enjoy the job very much and get paid well but it seems that everytime i go there now the panic attacks start.The symptoms are lightheadedness,a fear of passing out and an overwhelming desire to get the hell out of there...the most recent atttack being last Tuesday when i had to spend half of my working shift sitting outside getting fresh air and couldn't bring myself to go back inside for fear of panicking again.The managers are getting sick of this "regular" thing with me now and i cannot tell them about it because HR Dept will most likely think me unfit to do my job and terminate my contract.I am at risk of getting a written warning about my sickness record and cannot afford to lose my job because i have a wife and 3 children to provide for.My wife doesn't believe me anyway,she just thinks i don't want to work.My parents don't want to know either they just say that everyone has their problems and they tell me to stop whinging on.
When i went to visit my doctor on Wednesday he confirmed i had a panic disorder along with claustrophobia and suggested i take anti depressants which i declined,i am however taking a natural herb called St Johns Wort which he recommended as an alternative to medicine.He also said that i need to find a job working outdoors but there are not any in my area and i don't drive

I am still in great fear of going back to work on Monday cos of these damned panic attacks and don't know what else to do now

[seh1980]

hello Mark,

Welcome aboard!! :)

St. John's Wort works for some people and doesn't seem to for others. It's used moreso for the treatment of depression but is also known to help with anxiety/panic. Give it a while and see how it goes. How long have you been taking it?

Maybe you could inquire about counselling/CBT. This might help you learn how to deal with a working environment.

Sarah :D

"Life is too important to take seriously" Corky Siegal

[Meg]

**The symptoms are lightheadedness,a fear of passing out and an overwhelming desire to get the hell out of there...the most recent atttack being last Tuesday when i had to spend half of my working shift sitting outside getting fresh air and couldn't bring myself to go back inside for fear of panicking again**

Hi Mark

All these symptoms are extremely normal for panic and will not lead to passing out or lack of breath.

The best thing you can do is to carry on through one of these attacks. Challenge it to get worse and stay with it and doing your job even when lightheaded.

It is likely that you are overbreathing and need to try to slow your breathing down somewhat.

You now have a built in association between work and feeling like this and you need to break it

Try these

First Steps to overcoming Panic and Anxiety (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=942)

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/symptoms.htm
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/healthanxiety.htm

Spaciness (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2696)
Light Headed (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2951)
dizzyness (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3062)
Jules31 (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=310)
Light Headed (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2951)
Very dizzy (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3743)
help :( (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3742)
vertigo, diziness (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4877)



Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?

[trac67]

Hi Mark,
Welcome to the forum, you will find a lot of useful information here. It is hard for people who have never experienced anxiety and panic attacks to understand how they can affect you, maybe you should get them to have a look around the forum, it might help them to understand a bit better.
Take care
Trac xx

its "just a thought"

[Piglet]

Hi Mark,

This is the bit I have such a lot of bother with too. I'm so embarassed at the thought of having a panic attack in public that this is what I focus on.

Nigel is quite right, by focusing on it you sorta bring it on yourself, so I guess distraction is the key here and the realisation that its not the end of the world even if you do (she says, while feeling just the same as you).

NO PANIC run a cbt course by phone that you may want to look into (you can link to them off this site).

Either way realising that I'm not on my own in this has made me feel much happier.

Love Piglet :D

"Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?" said Piglet.
"Supposing it didn't," said Pooh after careful thought.

[pinkscrumpy]

Hi Mark

Welcome aboard [^]

MANDIE XX

Will I ever escape this?
Will I ever be free?
Wake me up from this nightmare.
Please just give me the key!

[mirry]

Hi,

Your panic attacks are just like mine..... HORRIBLE!
I have been getting less attacks lately and I presume its because I am doing paul mckennas cd ? But i have had 2 in the past week still (VERY GOOD FOR ME) but its always like i start to improve and then BANG mr panic trips me up again:(
But after having one today I have decided its how i treat it , I am saying to it "sorry I am too busy to notise you today" I am sure this ignoring treatment will help rather than feeding it .

I have purchased a food processor today and i am going to concentrate on making lots of recipes, this keeps me busy thinking of our next lovely meal ect.

mirryx

[sal]

Hi Mark

Welcome to the site and i do understand how you feel.

Hope work went okay today. Let us know how it went?

Love Sal xx


Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.


"Life is a distance and to travel that distance you were given the strength and guidance to do so".