Feel fearful very anxious/panic attack

[marcusmaximus]

Hi guys need help last night had anxiety build up on me and resulted in a panic attack, never really experienced it this bad before, it seems to be a feeling of fear and death/furutre for no real reason can anyone tell me will this leave me i am so low today and shake at times. What should i do. thanks

[Rach29]

Hi its scary isnt it so horrible but the worst thing you can do is keep thinking of it coz then it wont go try to distract yourself if you can it will pass, have you read the symptoms page on here that will help explain why your feeling the way you are hope your ok

[marcusmaximus]

Hi thank for the reply i was that worked up i wanted to hear from someone if that makes sense i will have a look now. thanks

[marcusmaximus]

Hi i had my first session with a councilor today and i feel worse. What the hell is this normal im meant to go back next week but im in two minds if i should feeling how i do now. Anyone got advice

[Lousicle]

You're worse after seeing the counsellor because you had to speak about it , & the thoughts of what you said what your counsellor said etc will be floating around in your head , the best thing really is to distract yourself as hard as it is :/ trust me I know all too well how disabling anxiety is.
Take a bath , watch some tv or a film may be anything that you can focus on & if you feel yourself starting to think about your anxiety get up & go make a cup of tea or make a snack to take your mind off it then go back to the tv/film/book/music whatever u like.
Hope this helps & as counselling progresses u will see a change , mention to ur counsellor next time that u did feel anxious last time & they will explain why ok gud luck

[kittikat]

I agree with Louisicle, you can initially feel worse at the start of counselling. Are you seeing a counsellor or a cognative behaviour therapist? I am on session 10 of my CBT and I have to say, although it has been difficult at times, I am maknig progress in the right direction. The more you understand your thoughts and feelings (and the physical symptoms that come with them) the better equipped you will be to deal with this. I wish you lots of luck.

Kitti

[marcusmaximus]

Thank you so much, i'll try that. Could you tell me how long it took with your counsellor before you started to feel good again, maybe i shouldn't be asking for timeframes is that a wise thing to do?

---------- Post added at 21:38 ---------- Previous post was at 21:31 ----------

I agree with Louisicle, you can initially feel worse at the start of counselling. Are you seeing a counsellor or a cognative behaviour therapist? I am on session 10 of my CBT and I have to say, although it has been difficult at times, I am maknig progress in the right direction. The more you understand your thoughts and feelings (and the physical symptoms that come with them) the better equipped you will be to deal with this. I wish you lots of luck.

Kitti

Yes i am seeing a cognative behaviour therapist, his first thoughts where i hang onto the negative too much and think about what may happen and very fearful of the future, i know if i can come to terms with that aspect i'll be much better but it's getting there which i can;t seem to master.

[Lousicle]

I also had CBT but that was a while ago , it taught me good coping skills & about why panic/anxiety happens , also about negative thoughts why and how they manifest & how to replace them with positive thoughts.
For example : instead of thinking 'what if' , think 'so what'
Answer what ifs yourself don't leave the question open. Eg 'what if I go to the supermarket & have a panic attack & can't escape & faint or throw up' then answer with 'well so what? it would happen , I would feel bad for a little while but then when the panic stops ill feel better'
'But what if I made a fool of myself it would be so embarrassing!?'
'So what , doesn't matter what anyone thinks as long as I am healthy and happy that is what matters'

Its all about positive thinking, as hard as it seems it is possible.
You have to attack those what ifs with so what's

Hope this helps once again.

---------- Post added at 21:53 ---------- Previous post was at 21:50 ----------

Also don't question when u will feel better , it doesn't happen over night its gradual but u will look back & think wow, have made so much progress

[marcusmaximus]

This is great help, I can relate to your last sentence anytime if feel good i question it and for some reason think i'm just covering up the real feelings which are of fear, but again thanks for the tips

[kittikat]

Well it sounds like it's very early days for you atm. Negative thinking is a 'learned' behaviour which you need to un-learn. Anxiety and panic can fill your thoughts with dread about everything. If you therapist is good (mine is brilliant) and I think sometimes that can be pot luck, you should start to learn techniques to help you within the first few sessions. You need to be positive about it and be open to changing your thought/behaviour patterns. Read up as much as you can about how the mind and body react to panic. There are some interseting articles here on this site. You don't say if you are on any meds atm or how long you have been experiencing this. Thoughts are just that, thoughts. And anxiety/panic attacks can not harm you although they are very distressing. I have been 'taught' to go with the panic, breathe slowly and deeply from the stomach and eventually the panic will subside naturally. It's still not easy, but I am dealing with the anxiety much better and having fewer panic attacks. I am determined to get there and still have a long way to go, but I would say don't give up on it....it's normal to feel worse before feeling better....personally I would recommend CBT to anyone and can only say it has and continues to be a very positive experience for me. I could barely leave the house back in November, I was a quivering wreck and had 3 months off work. I was on 12mg diaz a day. I am now back at work and slowly reducing my meds. I know exactly where you are coming from and can honestly say things will get better for you even if it all seems so hopeless right now. All the best. Kitti