Fainting fear.

[angietomjimandcass]

Hi all.
I have a huge phobia of fainting when I am out alone with my kids. Its turned me agoraphobia. Any sugestions on how I can tackle this please. Also im always dizzy from anxiety.
I did do a short walk with my kids the other day with my husband waiting about half a mile away and afterwards and still now I feel so light headed.

[rb1978]

I have a similar problem...tho my fear is dizziness/vertigo attacks (I had one a couple of months ago and am convinced it's going to happen again.) It's not fainting, but it's the same kind of problem. I recently realised I had trouble with Agoraphobia. I'm in the process of setting up some CBT and have also found a counsellor nearby who I'm going to see so hope to get some help.

From what I've read it seems that exposure to the scary thing is the best way to tackle it so I've decided to force myself to walk out on my own every day. That's just me though...whether it'll work I don't know.

I've decided to start small and try manage 30 minutes out and then when I feel I can do that without panicking, to push it to 45 and so on. My ultimate goal is to be able to go off for the afternoon somewhere. That could take years. Lol. On day 1 I couldn't do the 30 minutes and just ended up feeding the ducks for 10 mins or so. But it was better than being inside.

Did 30 mins yest and felt off-balance, convinced I was going to collapse, had to concentrate on breathing and was covered in sweat when I got home (tmi I know!!) but I knew I'd feel worse if I gave up.

Panic can mimic the symptoms of what you fear happening but you can ride it out. Have you spoken to your GP to see if there is any therapy you could undertake? I've heard CBT is good cos it challenges the way you think and gets you to concentrate on constructive thoughts.

[angietomjimandcass]

I see a cpn every two weeks and have been put on meds but I just feel like life is over wellming atm.

[lincolnkate]

Hi i am new to this site, noticed your post. I have suffered from anxiety for 15 years on and off. I have the same thoughts as you do about fainting (even tho I never have) it is so intense i struggle leaving the house somedays but have to due to having a 6 yr old. My life is ruled by fear and it takes over. I know how u feel x

[loveletter]

Yes have had this for 24 years now.
Because of this will not go out the house at all unless someone is with me it has totally took over my life.
I am always dizzy some weeks worse then others and am dizzy in the house as well and often fear I may collapse hate having to be left in the house alone even if its just for a short while

[natasha75]

i am the same dizzy most of the time it is such a horrible feeling,but we have to put up with it for now till we find away to beat it.im with the crisis team at the minuet this is the first time i have had proper help they are great.They are getting me a therapist which i am looking forward to its the only thing i have to look forward to as i cant get out due to panic attacks.i have also bought a dvd called panic away it is ment to make you feel alto better in 7 days it cost £90.00 i hope it works,i haven't received it yet but when i do if it helps i will let you all no. take care:flowers:

[Bill]

From an old thread of mine...I've copied it here in case it's of any help:hugs:....

The racehorse and the vet
A racehorse stands at the starting gates before a big race with 30 other horses. He watches as one by one all the other horses walk into their stalls until it comes to his turn. He takes one look at his stall and thinks to himself "No way am I going in there!". He digs his hooves in and refuses to budge. The men push and pull but he resists even harder and kicks out to be free.

The poor racehorse thinks to himself "I'm terrified...if I go into that starting gate there's no escape and I'll be trapped!" He then starts worrying further "Even when the race starts, I could get boxed in by all these other horses. I might fall! I might get trampled! I might get injured...or worse!"

He stands there worrying and worrying about all the bad things that could happen. He thinks about these worries So much that he becomes even more terrified about going into the gate. All he can see is danger!

His anxiety gets So bad that he starts sweating, shaking, he feels he can't breathe and that he's going to panic. He feels absolutely terrified as to what's happening to him and worries he's going to collapse. His fear is now So great that he says to himself "That's it! I give up! I'm So terrified and So anxious that there's no way I'm going to start this race! They can do what they like but I'm not moving! I just want to get back to my stable so I can feel safe so I can relax!

However, he also thinks to himself "I'm So fed up with this. I Really wanted to win that race! I'm useless, pathetic, worthless! Will I ever recover from this? Can I ever be cured?

The men see him sweating so much that they call a vet. When the vet arrives..........(and you'll need to put your Dr. Doolittle hat on now!:scared15:).....the horse says to the vet, "I'm Terrified! I Can't do this. Can you please give me a cure so I can race?" The vet replies "I can give you something to take but it'll sedate you". The horse then thinks "That's no good! How will I be able to run if my anxious feelings are just eased?" The vet says "Well, that's all I can do." So the horse then says "I want to be cured!!!" The vet replies with a question "Of what? and the horse says "Of these terrifying feelings I've got". The vet then says "Oh....you mean you want a cure for your fear! Sorry, I've got nothing on me that I can give you to stop you being afraid".

The horse then thinks about it and then says "But these feeling are So Terrifying! I might collapse if you don't do something!" The vet replies "Well, stop being afraid then!" The horse says though "I AM afraid and that's why I want you to cure me!":mad:

They then go round in circles and in the end the vet says "Ok, I'll give you these sedatives but it will mean you won't be able to run!"

The horse is resigned. He takes the sedatives and is taken back to the stables. While he's in the safety of his stable he starts worrying. "What if those terrifying feelings come back next time? How am I ever going to race again? Will I always be stuck in my stable having to take sedatives?"

The time flies by but he's been worrying So much that by the time the next meeting arrives, once again he starts panicking and once again he's taken back to his stables with more meds!

"This is hopeless" he says to himself. "I'm an absolute failure!" "I just can't face these feelings ever again". "I'm just TOO terrified of feeling afraid!"

One day, to his amazement, a woman turns up at his stable. He's never seen her before but she seems nice so he feels safe to walk out of his stable with her.

She takes him into a field and there in that field he sees a dreaded starting gate! He thinks to himself "Oh no, here we go again! She's going to try and force me into that stall and get me to race!"

But as he looks around he suddenly realises there's no other horses around and there's only ONE stall. "That's odd" he thinks. "How can I race myself?!" However, he then realises it can't be a race and so as he approaches the stall, he doesn't feel so stressed so casually walks into the stall with no trouble at all! "Wow" he says to himself "I walked into this stall with no feelings of fear. How can that be?"

He then hears the woman talking to the owner and the horse hears her saying "Yes, it was the stress of all those 30 horses around him that made him feel too afraid to walk into his stall. That stress caused him to worry he'd feel trapped in his stall and that he'd be in danger. His fear scared him SO much that it made him feel ill and then he started worrying about collapsing or being trampled etc etc etc"

The woman then tells the owner that she will build him up gradually. She would add more stalls and then gradually add more horses so the horse gradually gets used to the added pressure.

Over a long period of time, the horse gradually rebuilds his confidence and eventually he no longer feels afraid of being closed in with so many horses around him.

One day the big race arrives and once more he's surrounded by 30 other horses. However, this time he's not even aware of them or even that he's going into his stall. He's become so used to it that it's just become routine except with one small change. He now thinks to himself "I'm going to win this race. They won't see me for dust! I can't wait to get to that finishing line and receiving all the applause for being the best!"......and he duly does!

Now imagine a human being stuck in an office doing a stressful job with 30 other colleagues around him or the person who goes into a shop and leaves feeling terrified to go back.

Then I'd ask "What are we wanting to recover from?"

In every post you read, the same words appear "I'm SO afraid. I'm SO Terrified. I'm SO scared."

Insecurity. Lack of confidence. Bad experiences. Worry. Stress. Pressure.....and what do they cause? Fear.

So what was that question again? "How do I recover from constantly feeling afraid and of the frightening feelings it creates?"

Then I'd say, identify your underlying causes, look at ways to ease your pressures and work on building on the causes that hold you back....plus a bit of distraction to stop you worrying and learning how to keep relaxed.....and that's where you'll find your "cure".......although we never look to cure sneezes, we just accept them as "normal".......and, well, feeling fear is normal too!....it's just that sneezing doesn't frighten us.....oh, we're back to that word again....fear!:winks:

[Col]

Hi as awful as it sounds it's reassuring to know that others know how all this fear feels.
I was soo outgoing extremely confident but due to too much stress I can't be bothered to even go into EVENTUALLY I started experiencing these symptoms. I struggle because I can't believe this has happened to me, I feel as though I've lost myself, I have never been one to go to the doctors other than to get some cream or antibiotics. I have had to leave my teaching course feb2011 then ever since I have resigned myself to thinking that there's no point going out because I'm only going to feel awful but now 5 months have rolled by. I don't know where the time has gone, I've become consumed by being constantly in fear of not being able to breath or fear of collapse. I manage to take my daughter to school and even though that's only a 5 minute drive it's been such a palaver, I would begin to shake, I would have to talk myself to think logically, it's almost like the the places or roads you've been to or walked along are no longer familiar, even though they are BUT when I'm feeling unwell and the panic sets in I don't want to be anywhere other than home, BUT then that's boring I want to enjoy life as I did before, vie travelled well and love doing stuff with my kids but just can't. My anxiety started because of stress and me taking my health for granted doing to much and never ever resting always on one, so to speak and then I became run down and I have got iron problems and would therefore naturally feel faint , lightheaded BUT then like I said before this at the beginning of the year was taken to another level when I would just stand in the city center so disorientated and then would panic. From then on I went to dice they said rest take time out BUT rest has in a way made me worse I stick to safe zones and don't venture to far anymore nd I always have to have my car near me so I can make a quick get away. I've had my life stolen , I used to be quite dismissive of people who suffered from any kind of
Condition like panic anxiety BUT you can only really appreciate how hard these things are when your dealing with it yourself. It's like a vicious circle am I ill OR is it panic OR maybe a bit of both??? The worse thing is I feel embarrassed by it, my family don't understand and constantly put pressure on to go out etc I'm 30 and I can tell I will eventually loose my patience with one of my parents because at the moment my health matters more than anything and I've got two kids to think about, I've stopped doing my PGCE is that not enough of an indication to people how bad I am??? Plus all those is just added pressure NO wonder why I'm not moving any further forward!!!

Sorry for the rant but I just wanted to share my experience , it won't make anyone better but may make someone think yes I'm really not the only one going through this nightmare!

[rb1978]

I think your post, Col, will strike a chord with so many people. The bit you say "am I ill or is it panic or is it both" sums my life up. I was always active, like yourself but a few years ago anx took over, then subsided (wish I could remember what made it subside) and now it's back more than ever...been a build up over the last few months but the last 2 months have got bad.

I know I have ear problems and am determined to keep pressing the doc on this. Things go wobbly for no reason and this has led me to be too scared to go out. Believe it or not, before all this I was into hillwalking. Not scaling proper mountains or anything but I'd go off for the day on my own and walk in the middle of nowhere and sometimes not see another human being for about an hour or so. The thought of that now makes me shake.

The last few weeks have been bad, taking hours to build up the courage to post a letter or go out and feed the ducks (both the postbox and duckpond are within sight of my house.) Over the last day or two I've been pushing (forcing) myself outside. I went out this morning, for about half an hour or so. Twice whilst I was outside I thought I was going to collapse, when I was at the furthest point from my house. I'm trying to convince myself that if I did, the world wouldn't end. What'd probably happen is someone would rush over concerned and try to help. I'm taking some convincing even though I know that is what would happen.

People don't understand though, you're right, which is why this website is worth it's weight in gold.

[terror-x]

i must admin everytime i have an axiety panic attack and my heart goes of like a rocket i make it worse by thinking to myself omg am i going to faint i dont want to faint incase i dont wake up again and know that might seem abit extremem but thats what i think and it scares me somthing rotten

[MardyBum]

im exactly the same... thats my fear.. ive got a diary on here if you search my posts u sound very much like I do hun x

[angietomjimandcass]

Also life feels very overwelming atm. Like its really hard.abd its really scaring me.