frequency of attacks

[crazychick]

having suffered panic attacks for years i know they are very unpredictable and you never know when the next one is going to happen. however i always seem to try and set myself mini challenges and hope i'l have longer between each attack. i was dong awful for a long time and then when i came onto my anti-depressents i decided i had to get longer between attacks and if i could not cure myself of them then as long as i could have fewer. i got to the stage where i had one a week (roughly) and then got 2 weeks without an attack and then amazingly spent a month without an attack then last fri took the worst attack. this week its just been attack after attack after attack and everyone is so disapointed in me. it really upsets me as its not like i plan to take attacks - i would much rather not take them. its like i've went back a step and everyone is saying its no problem just have at least 4 weeks til the next one but i don't know if i can do that and i feel its so much pressure and it really stresses me more so i'm more likely to take an attack.

[giddy]

Hi - well done for going a month without an attack, try to keep that positive thought in your mind, you've done it before and you'll do it again. I'm sure you've just had a blip - I think it was in the Clare Weekes book I read that we will all have blips and although disheartenng they will make us stronger in the long run. Once you've worked through this blip and got back on track with your recovery you will feel so much stronger and more positive. I'm sure people aren't disappointed with you, please don't think that. They love you and are just concerned for you.
Take Care
Love Helen

[crazychick]

thank u helen. i'm just worried - i'm a born worrier. my work are moving me departments which is great as i work on a checkout just now and i can be quitedisruptive with gettingoff my checkout during attacks etc. i'm just worried theythink moving me to help fill the shop floor wil cure me but because it doesn't just happen at work its not really possible. i think its going to help me but i just feel i'm letting everyone down.

[ollie35]

Hi Crazychick,
It seems your thought pattern is the main cause of your panic.
Are body reacts to the way we think. I myself suffered from one full blown panic attack.
Somone once emailed me to ask me about how i managed to just have one so here is the story.
I had never experienced a panic attack, but had suffered severe anxiety. I was lucky enough to have my symptoms and the reason for them explained to me. I then studied the whole subject of anxiety/panic disorder, as I wanted to know everything I could about the condition. I learned a lot about panic attacks during this time and three months into my recovery, wham, I suddenly had one in a bar full of my friends. This was not a nice feeling and it seemed to overtake my body. The urge to run outside was huge, but I knew that if I did, I could fall into the cycle I had been warned about. I knew what to do and I faced it. I did not run away from my adrenalin, as I understood that this was all it was, but stayed totally calm in my attitude and let it run through me. I did not feed it with anything to keep it going, i.e. "Oh my God, I am dying” etc. I knew I would be fine and, you know what, within a minute of feeling as though I was going to collapse, it disappeared and all I was left with was mild anxiety. Don't get me wrong, it’s hard to stay calm when your body’s going wild, but I knew what to do and, from that moment on, I knew I would never have another one... Why?

I knew this because I did not fear another one coming and this is the very thing panic feeds on - FEAR. If you really think about it, it is not the place you fear, it is the fear of how you will feel in that place that you are scared of. This I took away that day, it did not matter where I found myself, I had coped with myself and not the place and that's why I was able to not enter the cycle of 'fear/panic/fear/panic' that most people find themselves in.

If I had run away that day, I would have been in that cycle of suffering an attack, fearing another attack and worrying that it was only a matter of time before I was experiencing those dreadful feelings again, watching my body’s reaction wherever I went. With this distorted thinking, it would only have been a matter of time before I suffered another. The "oh no’s” and “what ifs?" would have started again, followed by a trip to the doctor to find out what was wrong with me, and so on. I cannot stress enough that anyone caught in this cycle would have been okay if only someone had explained to them that all they were suffering from was an overflow of adrenalin.

Hope this helps in some way.
Take care
Paul

[giddy]

Hi crazychick - hope you're job move has gone OK. Sorry to read you might be leaving the forum, try to stick it out, especially as it has been some help to you.
Great to read your story Paul, I guess you were lucky to know all about panic before having your attack and so were able to deal with it in a rational way. I suppose its harder for people already caught up in the 'fear/panic' cycle - any suggestions on how to break it?
Love Helen

[ollie35]

Hi Helen,
Well it was not really just a story about my experience, it was also there to tell people what they must try to avoid doing.
It does not matter if you have had one or 50 panic attacks, the things I did are really what you must try to do. I know it is harder for some as this has become a way of life for many people, but I have helped many people overcome this with the same principles.
Try not to add worrying thoughts to the mix i.e "I am going to die", "What if i collapse".
Don't try and push the feelings away, trying to fight the feelings or try to keep a grip on yourself, let the feelings come if they want.
When you feel panic try and stay as calm as possible in your attitude and realise it is just adrenalin and that you wont collapse you wont die.
Panic may come but it can not survive without fear
It may take time as all habits do to reverse but it is all about unmasking your fear, seeing panic through and coming out the other side, realiseing that nothing is going to happen to you, you have some control.
I have had many people ring me or email me to say "Paul i did it i got through it i just accepted how i felt and let it come, i did it i now realise that i just thought i could not"
There is more to say but I had many times where I felt another atack coming and if i feared it boy it would have come no doubt. But I just stayed calm and said fine do what you want, I added no fear to the feelings and off it went, it had nothing to feed onpanic hates been invited to the party.
Take care
Paul