will i ever overcome this?

[breanna]

im so scared i had a major panic attack two months ago while driving, ever since then i will not drive alone or.go anywhere alone! i have kids and have help getting them to school every single day!i wont even stay in my house alone, i was left alone for.and hour and freaked! ive been on zoloft for.8 weeks now, no help, but there is not much i an take being preggo! i also have ativan, but cant function on it! im just hoping after this baby is.born i will be able to get back on my reg meds and quick recovery! ive never had it this bad before so im worried it wont go away:(

[Anxious_gal]

agoraphobia, well for me It's fear of being alone, going any where alone in case I panic. , um try CBT honestly for me it's the only thing that seems to help.
I have done the meds, talk therapy but CBT is like step by step, you start off small and once your ok with doing little tasks you move on to the next.

you should look up the Agoraphobia workbook on Amazon. and maybe see a therpist.
oh you can get better , it does take a time and effort and some days will be better than others.

You do have the power to get better, you just need the right help, information and a plan!

set your self a small goal every day, break things into steps, like go as far as the door, then down the path then stand outside the gate etc.......

[Anxious_gal]

I have never been this bad either, but I did to go alone to my doctor and to town today, did ring for a lift home though.

That was the first time in 4 months I had gone to town alone without meeting anyone.

just trying to say no matter how bad it gets you still have the ability to over come it x once you get your thinking straight you body will follow, don't give up and staying postive and being kind to yourself works wonders.

[jothenurse]

I am on Ativan. I have tapered down now though and just take a very small amount .25mg in the morning. The tablet comes in a .5mg, which can be broken in half. I'm not sure how much you are taking, but if it feels like it is too much and it is a tablet you can split, just take half the dose.

[breanna]

thank u yeah, the. 5 is way to much for me! i have been seeing a congnitive therapist and a clinical nurse specialist, they help a little! i think the hormones.ofnthe pregnancy arnt helping either! im hoping that everything will eventually work out! after a couple hours.of.therapy im high strung again! thats why i also came to this site:)

[racdun]

How far along are you with your pregnancy and CONGRATS!
I found learning the correct way of breathing to be very beneficial. Its easy, portable.... you can practice anywhere and its free and best of all it really works. If you haven't already done it start learning diaphragmatic breathing. Basically nice slow breathing into your belly through your nose and the same for exhaling. Imagine a balloon in your belly and your nose is the opening of it, so as you breath in nice and slow through your nose, your belly (not chest) is inflating and as you are exhaling again through your nose your belly is deflating (just like a balloon). Once you learn that you can add in visualising the number 1 for the first breath in and out and 2 for the next and so on. This changes your thinking to something else and you forget what was making you panic.
Also listening to relaxation cds really helped refocus me and calm me down.
Hope things work out for you
rachael

[NervousNellie]

Hi Breanna!

I just went through a pregnancy with anxiety as well. And I'm proud to say that I have a handsome baby boy who just turned 7 months old. I just wanted to let you know that I had a very hard time during my pregnancy too. I normally don't have a fear of being left alone, but I did while I was pregnant. I am 100% convinced that it's the hormones. You have to remember though....you're not alone! You have your baby with you wherever you go!

I don't really have any advice for you, but I just wanted to let you know that I made it through the pregnancy and I'm doing OK now. The only reason I'm not completely back to normal is because I've had a lot happen in my life since the baby was born (death of a family member, had to move to a new house, serious financial issues, etc.). The stress has been unreal. Any normal human being would have gone insane if they were in my situation, so I'm OK with dealing with anxiety, lol!! It sometimes seems that I will never have a calm/normal moment in my life anymore! But I'm pushing through and so will you! I do have days where I feel completely normal, which I haven't had in years. So maybe this is a breakthrough for me. Maybe I'm on my way out of this mess.

One thing that helped me a lot was remembering that not only was I dealing with anxiety, but hormones as well. It's hard, but think of things logically - think of what you would tell a friend if the roles were reversed and your friend was feeling the way you are. That sometimes helps.

Good luck and you can PM me anytime if you need to talk!

[breanna]

racdun, thank u im actually due.feb 2nd i will ty the breathing techniques, 38wks only two left! thanks for all ur advice! its sohard and im hoping things will taper a lil bit! nervous nellie i will def pm u thanks:)

[racdun]

Thats great to hear Breanna. Only two weeks to go wow you must be so excited. Hope all goes well and feel free to pm me anytime. Take care
Rachael

[skippy66]

I've still got bad Health Anxiety but I've managed to rid myself of panic attacks.

I did it by changing my outlook on them. If you try to encourage the symptoms rather than fight them, they disappear.

I also turned it into a game - see if I could challenge myself by putting myself into difficult 'panicky' situations deliberately. When you emerge from them, you feel much better.