fear of a faint

[**whenwillthisend**]

hi there
anyone else scared to go anywhere on their own in case they pass out or something...
im sat here panicing as i need to go to the bank but if i go into town i will have to take both my children...and im thinking im gonna faint??!!
yesterday i was fine went into town with my mum and felt ok...
today im sat here gripped with fear at the prospect of it..my biggest worry is i will go dizzy and pass out...
please help...does anyone else know how to overcome this ferar of fainting...waiting for a CBT referral i hope that helps me..does anyone know if CBT helps a fear of fainting??
thanks everyone

[marie ross]

Hi,

This is my biggest fear, being out somewhere and thinking i'm going to pass out in the middle of a shop. It's a horrible feeling and many times i've been in a shop and just had to run out feeling scared. I've now been making myself go into shops i'm scared of going into, or standing in a queue, i did get those horrible feelings to start of with, but i realised i was'nt going to faint, it was just anxiety, and i'm now able to go out more and more. If i do feel faint, i try not to dwell on it (easier said than done), i think about things like, what am i going to have for tea, or what can i watch on tv tonight, anything to take my mind of the anxiety, if it gets too much i'll ring someone i'm close to on my phone, just so i can hear their voice, i don't tell them whats wrong, i just want them to talk to me!!!
Mind you i've got to go into town this week on the tram, which i hav'nt done since i've had panic disorder, so i'll have to see how i get on, i'm trying not to worry about it, i'm just going to walk out the door and do it, if i fail, oh well, i'll just try again another day!!!

I really hope that you manage it, i know its a really horrible symtom of anxiety, but try not to worry about it, that all is is a feeling, and it wont harm you.

Take care. Marie XXX

[Wenjoy]

Hi - I sooooo know what you mean. Yesterday I went round BHS and had a faint dizzy hot spelland couldnt buy what I went in there for. Today I went in another clothes shopand managed to buy something but felt myself getting breathless,going red and feeling faint and dizzy and was quite short with the sales assistant as I just wanted to get outta there fast!!!! I think like all of us we have bad and good days and we should focus on the good ones not the bad ones. Take care. love wenjoy x

[manmoor]

Hi,

I go throught stages of being scared being on my own or driving on my own for fear of fainting. When I feel like this I turn cd player up full blast in the car to stop my mind working. At home I do the same thing. Only problem with the loud music in the car is the looks I get from others lol. I hope cbt helps you conquer this fear.

Mandyxx

[mirry]

I know how horrible this fear is, I been having it for over 4 years now and am seeing a cbt about it at the moment.
On monday my daughters school was closed so i took her to the local shops and felt shakey with fear, When i arrived at the shops and stood in a que to pay I felt myself go all breathless and dizzy... I just told myself to breath and let it pass (which it did), I then said to my daughter lets go round and take another look round the shop,,,
I felt very shakey but told myself its only adrenalin .

I am also told to practise mindfullness for this problem and am finding it very helpfull.

Good luck in you request for CBT because its a great help.

mirryx

[sassy]

hi
ive suffered the same fear for years..13 to be precise lol since i fainted whilst pregnant at macdonalds. and get this..i havnt fainted once since, yet i still panic over it more than anything else.

i always eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. if i dont, i tell myself that i will faint because i havnt eaten, so it takes away that particular train of thought.
i always carry a bottle of water with me..if i feel faint, it gives me something to do and takes the edge off it.
i focus on something..be it a leaflet, road sign..anything to keep my mind active.

also, rationalize with yourself. the chances of you fainting are pretty slim. however, if you do..whats the worst that can happen? sometimes fainting is the bodys safety mechanism, it gives our bodys the chance to calm down and brings our heart rate down to a 'normal' rate.

when standing in a que, keep your body moving in a subtle way (no strange dancing), shuffle from one foot to another etc.

all these silly tricks have got me thru the last 13 years and even today and i have not fainted since 1993! so they must work lol

you are not alone, is such a common worry xxx

[Grad]

Hi,
I've been told that it's extremely rare for anyone with panic to faint, because fainting is caused by low blood pressure and with anxiety - theres a rise in blood pressure.
And that with phobias the only one that causes people to faint is the blood - injection phobia (not sure how this works)
So tell yourself you're not going too faint and do some controlled breathing to get rid of the symptoms, it works a treat x