Not again :(

[Pipcat]

Had really good day yesterday and most of this morning was just watching tv and boom out of no where i'm having an attack i'm sipping water and playing tetris on here but i'm still shaking,have shooting pains in my arm,feel like i cant move as so heavy, have a pain in my neck and my eyes really hurt only thing that changed today was that i was thinking of having some soup as i have developed a fear of eating in case anything gets stuck in my throat so figured as can drink water soup would be a good idea. How can i calm myself down? I have tried CBT (have a cold and throat infection so this is proving more difficult) please help :(

[Lynnann]

If you reread your post pipcat all the answers are there? you have a cold/ sore throat, you have developed a fear of eating, you were about to attempt a step forward? Your anxiety has resurfaced with a bang. Has gone into overdrive. You know within yourself, this will pass, you have experienced it before and overcome it because it passed :) . Keep telling yourself that, draw strength from that and keep on the onward/ upward path. I believe in you and you will overcome this blip, we all have them you know :)

Lynnann:flowers:

[Pipcat]

Thanks Lynann
I know deep down it will pass i just hate how badly it is effecting me and how helpless i feel as i never know when it will happen or how to stop it. I really miss the days when i could eat whatever i wanted and had no problems doing so whereas now i cant even have a bowl of soup without having an attack :(.I try to tell myself it will pass and that i will be fine but every one i have just seems that little bit worse than the previous one :(
I know everyone on here has the same problems but i still feel alone and lost

[debs71]

Hi Pipcat,

It is so hard not to feel alone with panic and anxiety, I know.

It honestly will pass though and get better, I assure you. Don't see an attack as a failure, just see it as ' so here is the anxiety again, well I dealt with you before and I will deal with you again' kind of thing. You must always be encouraged by the fact that you got through it before and it will pass once more.

A few weeks ago I had the exact same thing with eating, in particular hard foods like crackers and toast. Every time I ate them I felt I couldn't swallow properly and would gag and choke. It was horrible and VERY real to me, and I started to think there was a real blockage going on in my throat, but in the back of my mind was that voice saying that I was just anxious and don't be so stupid, and here I am now and I wonder what I was thinking.

I understand your frustration about how random panic/anxiety is. Mine usually surfaces when I am having stressful times (which has been a lot recently). The thing about anxiety/panic - whilst I know it isn't much comfort - is that the more times it emerges again, the more you honestly do get used to it JUST being your anxiety again. The key is finding ways that work for you to deal with it, or get through it, which is the tricky bit. I am always banging on about distraction methods as I truly think they work well, things like playing a game on the internet, watching a good dvd or just getting out to the shops/ for a walk. Breathing/ relaxation techniques are also helpful.

Be bloody minded with panic and refuse to be overtaken by it. You are the boss....it isn't!

xxxxx:hugs: