Fear of panic in same places

[nigela]

hi there
how do i stop fearing that the panic will happen in the same place outside-this is narrowing where i can go-a short cut of mine has now been closed and i was in tears yesterday-no wonder people end up with agrophobia-
how do you not remember where it happened before etc
Nigela x

[IzzyB]

Hallo
I had my first bad panic attack at work, and was terrified about going back in case simply being in the same place again would trigger another one.
In my case, it really helped to explain to my colleagues what had happened. It turned out that 2 of them had also suffered from (and recovered!) from anxiety and panic disorder.
Chatting about general day to day stuff really lifted the tension, more so than traditional breathing exercises, which often make me a bit jumpy. Maybe you could go the area where the short cut is with a friend, and then together find an alternative route?

Good luck, I am sure that you will overcome this. xx Izzy

[jodie]

hi nigela

i am just the same i went to a frends farm on saterday and had a realy bad pa now i am thinking i never want to go back there i feel like it will happen agane !
i do this all the time i dont even sit in the living room after 7 with my hubby as i am scared i will have a pa ,i put off going on holiday and all sorts of things i will have to start and face these fears i think if i am to get better

jo xx

[mirry]

yes it can be become a bad habit. If I have a bad panic attack I either stay there until I feel a little better or return there as soon as possible so I am not left with those "what if feelings".
I actually think having your safe route closed off is a good thing , it has given you the chance to expand your safety zone.
good luck with it all.

[belle]

Hi..

What you are describing is exactly how agoraphobia is started. Avoiding a place that we've had a panic attack in, therefore deeming it unsafe...and a possible trigger for another attack.

When my PA's started i had no idea what was going on so i just avoided EVERYWHERE (hence becoming housebound for 2 years) if i panic when i am out, i go right back as soon as i can to that very place just to prove to myself that its NOT my surrounding that are scary, just those silly thoughts in my head :(

Sarah x

[nigela]

Thanks everyone
that makes sense-will try my nest
Nina x

[Ma Larkin]

Hi Nigela,

I agree with Sarah. I had my first funny turn in Asda. Every time I went back I would start to panic and end up turning back and not going in. In the end, I got so fed up I decided to take the bull by the horns and walked straight in there with my head held high. I didn't even give myself time to think about the attack because I was adamant that this thing wasn't going to beat me.

It worked a treat and you can overcome it hun, just give it time.

Les

[Krakers]

Hi Nigela - avoidance isn't the answer. Its difficult to go back to somewhere where you've had a bad panic attack, but you do not need to avoid places.

I was house bound for 5 weeks over Christmas because I started to avoid more and more places where I either had a panic attack, or it made me so anxious I just wouldn't go.

It got to the point where I wouldn't even go to my corner shop. The only thing that has worked for me was exposure. I knew its irrational to feel that way and used positive self talk to tell myself I'd done this hundreds of times before and the fear wasn't justified.

It took quite a while to get back on track. I started by going to the corner shop, waiting for anyone in there to leave, then ran in and did my quick shop. Over time I became less and less anxious until its no longer a problem.

Because of how long my list of places I was avoiding was after Christmas, I made a concious effort to revisit those places. Yes its uncomfortable at first, but with perciveriance you can unlearn the negative behaviour your brain is trying to exert.

I no longer avoid anywhere that I've had a bad time in before. The only place left that even causes me a slight problem is a cetain road junction near me, and only if theres lots of traffic queing. I just use self talk again - I've done this before, I can do this again, nothing bad is going to happen, I will be fine.

Its important to be positive when you use self talk. It took me a while to learn. At first I was always sating "what if it happens again", "what if I can't cope", "what if I freak out and everyone will be looking at me". This has changed to "If it happens again I will deal with it", "I can cope, I am strong and have done this before", "I will not freak out because I am my own safe space and I will overcome the anxiety".

I know this all sounds very easy to say, but believe me it started with very small steps. Tescos was a problem for me - my first step, I just drove there, parked up. Reversed out again and went home. A small success even though I didn't even go in. Next time I just bought a newpaper - in, out, no panic. Over time places will become easier to visit so long as you can resist the urge to avoid them.

Krakers.