Any tips for a newbie?

[Chlorate]

Hi all,
I found this amazing site tonight, after a post attack googling session.
Have been living with frequent panic attacks for the last couple of months now, and have started to figure out how to control them (I really don't want to go down the medication route, unless there's no other option) ...kinda...sort of....Doesn't always work.

Anyway, so far I've learned to recognise when one is probably gonna kick off. So I try to distract myself, like watch tv or play videogames, or something else relatively mindless and repetitave.
I also try to keep telling myself what my GP told me with regards to my heart, i.e. there's nothing wrong physically, what I'm feeling is in my head.
And when all else fails, I lie on the sofa under a blanket (preferably with someone else in the room) and wait for it to pass.
I've had a go at some breathing and meditation exercises, but it's difficult to get right when I'm feeling very worried about something.
I also crammed as much martial arts as I could into the last few weeks of my holiday, I figured the exercise would do me good if nothing else, and it's a good release, and also it's more reassurance that I'm ok (I figure, if my heart was gonna give out, that would do it).
I pretty much cut caffeine out of my life, going from junkie to a cup of coffee once every blue moon.

My fiancee helps a lot, although since we're in an extremely long distance relationship (me UK, she USA) a good cuddle is out of the question :(

Also picked up a bad habit, I found having a few drinks made me feel normal and less anxious. Although today was my grandma's birthday lunch, so there was a few beers during the day and coming down off the alcohol seemed to kick one off. So I'm thinking of drastically reducing my intake of alcohol too -which won't be hard, I'm a student and that crap is expensive :D.


Does anyone else have some tips that they'd like to share?

Thanks

-Alex

[lajjj]

acceptence is the key! easier said than done i know the more you TRY to get rid of panic attacks and anxiety the more problematic it becomes. try and ride them out dont try to force them away and dont let them stop you doing what you normally do, just take the panic attack with you and remind your self it is just a panic attack no harm can come from it. eventually when you start to show them no fear they dissolve as they cant live with out fear, and you will start thinking about them less , where there is no thought there i no ground for them! this takes ALOT of practice and there will be alot of set backs but dont let a bad day put you of its all part of the process. i have beat them before this way but i am having a small blip just now and i KNOW this logic works i learned it in cbt. so just try to relax in to it, go with it whats the worst that can happen? no one has EVER died from a panic attack. good luck xxx

[Chlorate]

Yeah; I've noticed that since the doctor told me that there's nothing physically wrong, the attacks have generally been less intense. I've just got to learn to shake the thoughts of "maybe he was wrong". But it's kinda difficult.

[lajjj]

thats the hard part eh since anxiety causes so much physical discomfort and sometimes pain its hard to trust that anxiety can be the cause! too many 'what ifs' we dont like things which cause us discomfort so if we feel uncomfortable then we panic because we dont like it.... try to relax into it and notice all the feelings without deciding whether they are good or bad feelings just let them pass over no matter how intense they become just stay with them eventually they will peak and diminish. it sounds stupid but trust in your self you know deep down its anxiety otherwise you would not have come to this site xxxx

[cymraig_chris]

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