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:: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
Ok ive had GAD and HA (general and health anxiety) for 5 years but last year my symptoms peaked to the point that i wasn't just housebound, i was bed-bound.
Im going write a pretty long post here saying what i have learned from the internet, books, psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapy, group therapy for anxiety management and self-realisation.
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Here goes:
Many people with anxiety develop health anxiety, the worrying over symptoms to the point that your feeling something much more serious is going on. From my own experiences, i know this feeling well, so lets break it down on how to eliminate these thoughts.
1. Go to your GP and describe every symptom your having for piece of mind.
If your worried out of hours or your GP is fully booked CALL NHS DIRECT ON 0845 46 47 and you will be put through to a qualified nurse who will discuss all your concerns with you. This service is excellent and im well known there now and hardly ever have to call. Reason being i have exhausted the same symptons to nothingness.
(There is 1 problem i had from NHS DIRECT reception when talking about the common symptom of chest pains and that is they try to send an ambulance as it is regarded as an emergency. Experienced Anx sufferers need to get through to the nurse, so you might have to reassure the receptionist that what your having is normal for you and that you would like to talk to the nurse about the other symptoms/sensations your feeling.)
NOTE:
Thats what they are there for, what is the point in holding back the information or choosing not to go?. By not going your caught up in self destructive introspective thoughts that fuels the anx. We are trying to beat it, not feed it.
The usual procedure will be a series of blood tests at first to check for such things as thryoid problems, diabetes, kidney and liver functionality, and anemia amongst others.
When these results come back all clear, that is unquestionable proof that you don't have to worry about those things.
More than likely you will have your blood pressure checked to rule out high or low blood pressure (although BP changes rapidly throughout each day) to rule out hypertension.
Also get your height and weight BMI checked while you are there, slight differences to diet can make a HUGE difference, but i will go into that more further on. Rapid weight loss is very common with anx sufferers so do not be too alarmed by it but monitor it anyway.
Constant trips to the GP or calls to NHS direct is 1 of the fastest ways to piece of mind. Its your life, use what is available to you. Forget thoughts about being silly or feeling foolish, that last panic attack wasn't silly was it?
(Many people assume they have tumours with anxiety, request a CAT scan from your doctor, i have had one and if its constantly in your thoughts then get one done)
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Ok so now your up to date with whats normal when experiencing panic attacks and hopefully reduced the amount of health anxiety you feel.
Your GP is no specialist in anxiety, thats why they are called General Practioners so here are some aspects of anxiety few people know:
It is estimated there are up to 300 changes in the body when having a full blown anxiety attack/panic attack. Obviously some more subtle than others.
Here are some reasons why what is happening, is happening:
1. Numbness in parts of the body - Oxygen is re-routed to the parts of the body needed to escape from danger.
2. Shaking - Too much adrenaline is pumping.
3. Sweating - Makes the body slippery if grabbed, bizarre but true and makes sense doesnt it?
4. Hair on legs,arms and head stand up - just like cats, its to make us seem bigger. All about protection.
5. Rapid Heart Beat - Your body is alert and ready to run or fight so of course your heart is going to beat quicker, makes sense doesn't it?
A few times in those examples i typed "makes sense" to reassure that what is happening is normal.
The only part of it that is not normal is that it doesn't usually apply to the situation. This was best put forward in a little interview i watched from The Linden Method where he said something like this:
" Everybody has anxiety but people with panic attacks have presed a reset button on what is percieved as danger and what is not, its about realising this and making steps to change it "
Personally i dont like the guy, nor would i suggest paying this jackass £170 for a booklet and DVD to do something you can do yourself. Thats the key really, no matter what you find works for you, its you thats working for you.
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Ok lets look at making some changes Group Therapy style:
1. Keep a Panic Attack diary - make notes on times of day that you have panic attacks, the symptoms you feel and if your comfortable, time them.
Timing panic attacks worked well for me as it shows when you relapse and progress forward. Over time the balance shifts towards progress more and more.
2. Acceptance - Many people fight anxiety, its natural, we want our lives back and we dont understand why this happened most of the time. However its important to litterally tell yourself "i have anxiety and its ok, it wont always be this way". Talking like that to yourself infront of a mirror reinforces the belief. So acceptance isn't by any means giving in, infact its the opposite.
3. Worrying - Why are you worrying? (cause?), What can you do about it? (affect) Are you worrying about something that is happening now or might happen? (catastrophising)
4. Face the anxiety - The ONLY way to feel better and make progress is to do the opposite of what your doing. If your a busy person, slow down. All that rushing around and precise time-keeping isnt that important. (refer back to worrying) If you dont go out much anymore, go out a little at a time, if only for 2 minutes or a short distance. To build up confidence.
5. Focus on the positives - You didnt faint, you didnt die, you didnt throw up. Focus on the positives like this:
" i dont go to work " VS " i have time to work on making myself less anxious ",
" im ill all the time " VS " i have not always been this way, nothing stays the same "
" people dont understand me " VS " i have forums, chat rooms and NHS direct who do "
Group told me most of what i knew already, but the diary is physical progress. Make a list of 10 things you used to do but cant do now due to anxiety. Make another list of things you would like to do. Make another list of things you can do.
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Diet and exercise:
Before talking about diet i think its important to say that whilst having anxiety it is very common to get what is known as " eating distress ". Basically meaning loss of appetite. This is normal but should be monitored with the BMI checks at the GP's as mentioned above.
The term "sick to my stomache" is derived from anxiety so it makes sense that eating can, at times, be hard.
On bad days eat soups or meals that when cold you can pick at through the day. Little and often is bette rthan nothing. Be aware that not eating continually affects the immune system and inevitably will make you feel even more ill and have less energy.
Buy a Multivitamin and some garlic capsules and take one of each, each day.
Excersise as much as you think you can. Personally i am now at the point i can walk outside for 30 mins every 2 days. (im still recovering and only just started making my way outside more) Little and often as with eating is better than not at all.
If you have low mood or cant physically go out, thats ok, believe me it is. Your protecting yourself and thats very natural, just dont make it into an obsession or compulsion. Be aware your not getting exercise and make small changes until you start to feel better.
Everyone knows diet and exercise are important but people dont take into account its all about how we as anxiety sufferers feel on the day.
Do what you can, when you can.
Avoid:
1. Excess Alcohol - Will make you less resistant to anxiety the following day.
2. Caffeine - Its unecessary in itself and for anxiety is a potential trigger.
3. Smoking - Reduce the amount you smoke by smoking half at a time.
4. If you havnt been outside for more than 3 days, walk upstairs a few times more than normal to keep circulation pumping, or around the house/garden.
5. High sugars - For the same reasons as caffeine.
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So what to do when your having a panic attack?
Breathing Techniques:
1. Square Breathing - Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold it in for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, hold it for 4 seconds and repeat.
2. Diaphramatic Breathing - Place 1 hand on your tummy while lying down and 1 on the top of your chest, breathe slowly and semi-deeply so that your hand on your tummy rises and not your hand on the top of your chest.
Diaphramatic breathing is imperitive as we seem to lose this ability after the age of 2-4 years old.
As new born babies we do it naturally.
Sip a drink of water when having a panic attack, it contains no gasses to make the chest tighter and sipping will remove cottonmouth.
Stand outside in the yard/garden and breathe slowly, especially if you have a powerfull fire which will absorb alot of oxygen in the room. If you can use central heating instead of flame.
Walk around when having a panic attack as this will use up energy and adrenaline thats causing the dizziness. Take it slow at first but move around as much as possible.
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Thats my self-help guide, its working for me and if i help 1 person, then straining my eyes to write this was not a total loss. :)
Cons
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
Hi Cons :welcome: to NMP
I am sure you will like it here as it is a friendly place that offers a lot of advice, information and support. Chat is a great place to make new friends xxx
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
fantastic post cons found it really helpful thank you i will be back in my times of need
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
Great post Cons, I am sure many people will find it helpful.
Carol
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
AMAZING! Seriously, so much of this hadn't even entered my head even after 8/9 years of pa's! Coming back to read again in the morning! When is your book being published cons????!
Thankyou so much for taking the time and getting the eye strain writing this down - really was worth it!
Nici xxx
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
Hi there,
An amazing post! you have obviously done your homework!.
Anyway welcome to NMP and I look forward to more of your posts!.
Karen :yesyes:
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
Just two quick points :
"1. Excess Alcohol - Will make you less resistant to anxiety the following day."
That can also mean *any alcohol*. What's one persons meat is anothers poison. Any alcohol can make you less resistant to anxiety the following day(s) because of its chemical effect in the brain regarding vitamin B depletion amongst other unwanted side effets. A deficiency in one B vitamin can prevent the others working optimally or at all.
Oh - didn't spot chocolate on the diet list - combines both caffeine and sugar. No 4 on the list of stressor foods (Sugar / Caffeine / Alcohol / Chocolate). Its a misnomer held by most that its a comfort food. This is not the case with anxiety.
Krakers.
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
hi And Welcome.great Info!thanks X Sue
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
Thanks all for the kind words,
Krakers i put this up so people can concentrate on removing health anxiety as well as focussing on the CBT aspect that can be self-taught with a little self-belief.
Thanks for your comment anyway,
CONS
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
Great post and I have just printed it off
take care
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Ty purple,
come along way from last time we talked huh?
tc x
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
:: Update ::
21 Days panic free
:)
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
Congratulations on your progress CONS :)
I don't suffer from HA but do have anxiety/agoraphobia/PA's so a lot of the info you have provided is really useful.
I can't/won't go to the docs for help so need to aim for recovery on my own..which may take some time!
Keep us posted :flowers:
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
just read your post its really good thanks
tanya 1 x
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
Brilliant post, thank you matey. I particularly liked this part:
Quote:
Go to your GP and describe every symptom you're having for peace of mind.
Don't take any crap from your doctor. When you walk in there, say to them "I've been suffering from a few symptoms and I'd like to spend a minute or two discussing them all." Make it obvious you're there to stay -- don't let them rush you! They are there for your convenience, not the other way around.
They will think they know everything, and in fairness they probably do have a good idea what's wrong just from looking at you and listening to how you're talking, but you need to tell them EVERYTHING so that you don't walk away thinking "God, I forgot to mention my flatulence" (for example).
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Hi Cons, just read your guide, it's great and explains some of the weirder symptoms I've been having like the hair on my head feeling like it's standing up! I read somewhere that it's impossible to panic and relax at the same time, so I'm now going for the relaxation techniques in a big way, especially the breathing, so it's good to see it's working for you too. Hope things are picking up for you :D and thanks for directing me to you guide. Kayro
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
WOW!!! this is amazin thank you sooo much for posting! REALLY helpful, you have no idea how grateful i am, thank you thank you thank you! xxx
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This is an excellent post, thank you very much. I'm sure loads of people will find it really helpful and it's obviously helping you recover. Glad you've had so many panic free days.:)
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Made my day that 3 people replied since i put my links in posts yesterday, thanks you so much, whatever you got from my post here i got back from your replies.
Pay it forward,
:)
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
This is such an excellent post & why I love 'No more panic' so much. I even told my GP about the site :)
Some really good helpful stuff that I will come back to again & again.
I really do think the key to beating anxiety is from support from others that suffer the same & most importantly understand.
Thank you again :)
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Thanks Ragna its much appreciated,
i just want save people time and excess stress.
:)
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I woke up today to find a thank you message in my inbox so here is my reply which is also an update of my condition since i wrote this thread:
"Means alot to me that my post helped you and its very nice to read your message also. Yes i was scared to leave my bedroom, take a bath and even eat my food at one point. This was about a year or so ago now so let me tell you what i CAN do now:
1. Bathe easily
2. Go out walking around town for up to 4 hours (alone)
3. Eat comfortably
4. I work in a charity shop and have stretched myself from an hour a day to 6 hours a day
5. I passed my driver theory in August
6. Ive had 10 driving lessons
7. My driving test is THIS friday (bit nervous lol)
8. Im in the process of having HA talking therapy
9. Im currently recieving bereavment therapy
10. Im close to dating a girl i met on a website who lives locally.
Lastly: I quit smoking after 17 years
Now for the bad news, i do still have very bad days, i worked it out to be about 3/5 days a month. My energy level can drop in the middle of the day or can be extremely low from when i wake up. See im a constant thinker, so im worried maybe im pushing myself too hard, but the thing with that is, how would i know if i didnt push?
I have cut my Diazepam down from 6 x 5mg a day to half a tab a night, maybe 2 halves through the day, depending.
I do still see the GP for HA, maybe once every 2 weeks and i agree totally with your writing symptoms down and keeping them in a draw. for me i kept a daily diary and monitored myself all day, i also timed my panic attacks.
The only reason i did so well was self-belief and exhausting ALL possibilities, it was long and stressful but i simply demanded my life back.
Thanks again, you made my day,
Cons"
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
thanks for sharing this with us cons.
Veronicax
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
Cons...just wanted to say thank you for this post! It is honestly the best one I have read and has really put me in a positive mood to get up and do something about this and not just give up :D
I am going to print it off now hehe!
Glad you have made so much progress..hopefully I will have the same luck with this :)
Thank you again,
Candy xx
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::
Brilliant post! I think this is one of the best pieces I have ever read about anxiety. I am going to print it out.
Thank you so much for sharing this.:hugs:
I am glad that you are making so much improvement. Your post is really inspiring!:yesyes:
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Well done mate.. Cracking post.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Krakers
Just two quick points :
"1. Excess Alcohol - Will make you less resistant to anxiety the following day."
That can also mean *any alcohol*. What's one persons meat is anothers poison. Any alcohol can make you less resistant to anxiety the following day(s) because of its chemical effect in the brain regarding vitamin B depletion amongst other unwanted side effets. A deficiency in one B vitamin can prevent the others working optimally or at all.
Oh - didn't spot chocolate on the diet list - combines both caffeine and sugar. No 4 on the list of stressor foods (Sugar / Caffeine / Alcohol / Chocolate). Its a misnomer held by most that its a comfort food. This is not the case with anxiety.
Krakers.
Funnily enough I've only experienced full on hyperventilation when I've had a hangover.
Also most of my PA's have been directly after drinking a bottle of coke or cup of tea (I like it nuclear-strength :)).. Better go buy sum decaff as I do like a hot drink... Would be funny if i still had attacks drinking that!! :blush:
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Very informative post thanks
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Excellent post. Thanks for taking the time and effort to do it. I'm sure it will help and reassure a lot of people x
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thanks for that it made me feel better :)
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Thank you, just found the post and it is wonderful!
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Well sometimes I choke, it's so bad, I mean SO bad, really loud and scares people. What makes me worse is-like you say-alcohol and smoking, smoking makes my voice deeper and alcohol dries the mouth and tongue, it's like something crawled down your throat and died the next morning (well, for me anyway).
What helps me is: thinking 'relax' when the tension rises up, taking a bath, a walk.
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Just an amazing amazing post! by far one of the best to the point things i've read thus far! thank you :)
also, have you read about Panic Away? It's pretty much all the stuff you listed. but they say to "demand more" in the midst of a panic attack. it's kind of like calling its bluff. it's amazing stuff. :hugs:
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awesome information that i think everyone needs to take in... thanks! :yesyes:
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Thank you so much cheered me up after such an awful day, inspirational xx
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I've only just joined, so still finding my way around! I think this is one of the most helpful posts I've found. Thanks x
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I'm saving a copy of your post for future reference. Thank you very much for taking the time to write it.
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thanks so much for this post it has made me think twice about going back on meds after two years my anxity and panic is creapping back went doc today and she said i should go back on paroxetine this post has helped loads xxx
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Thanks for all the positive replies.
Another Update:
On the negative side I have just broken up from a 2 year relationship (only 3 days ago) and I thought I would fall to pieces, so far I am very down but have managed to still go to work with only having to have had 1 of my housecalls covered by the office to give me a little 'breathing room'. I love her dearly but she needs to go and do what young people do, Im 33 and can appreciate this.
On the positive side:
1. I now work full time as a senior careworker (yes I got promoted) on pretty decent money working approx 30+ hours a week and am a quarter of the way through my NVQ levcel 3 training to be a nurse.
2. Passed my driving test and have been through 3 cars already due to being impatient and trying to climb the ladder of 'better cars'.
3. On a fickle but self-pleasing note I have a black BMW 330 ci with cream leather interior and this makes me smile to myself and is a landmark to progress. It's only an X reg (2000 plate) but it's an asset and Im building for my future.
4. I have been to Morecambe, Barcelona and Florida in the last 2 years with my now ex-girlfriend and only had very minor anxiety when walking around these 3 places.
5. I have 1 friend who I see from time to time and we have a good friendship.
6. Im 99% anxiety clear and 90% of my health anxiety has died down also.
7. 100% medication free
Anyone reading through this please know it is possible, fight yourself without beating yourself up, resolve is everything, this is only a part of your life right now and NOT what defines you as a person, make 1 positive start and tick the goals off, in my life right now Im not happy but I have goals, a sense of purpose, now I just need someone to share it with.
Take it easy
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Re: :: Self-Help For Anxiety ::