Terrified and Scared about Rabies

[golddustgirl1000]

I know- I know- I agree with all of you!

I'm a photographer.... I'm super creative lol for both the positive... and negative... ��

The thing is- I start to get better mentally and then some physical symptom will happen and it triggers it...

Just this morning I decided to relax with music and deep breathe- I was feeling fine.. until a few minutes later after making lunch I started to feel very shaky and like every muscle was gonna start shaking at any moment... I know I know- anxiety.... but how do I not fall into the trap of steering tonworry again when I feel symptoms?

And then, out of nowhere I remembered that the night before I was shooting out in a grassy field up to my knees in a state park that is know as being a bat sanctuary.... so now my brain created a scenario that I brought one home with me when I set my bag down... I know... crazy- but I can't stop my brain from thinking!

[ServerError]

It's not about stopping your brain from thinking. I'm not a fan of trying to suppress thoughts. It's about how you react to those thoughts. What you need to work on is how you react to your irrational thoughts. Do you ever do anything to counter them? Do you challenge them with rational alternatives?

[paranoid-viking]

The rabies reassurance has been done to death in here many times so instead of posting reassurance I link to a thread I started recently which tells pretty much everything there is to say about this:
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthr...03#post1715703

[golddustgirl1000]

Server Error:

Yes, I will either try to logically tell myself how my feelings arnt logical by working through them and why I feel them and what the other alternatives are.... last night I just journaled the whole thing.. and wrote down what I thought as well as the myriad of other options it could have been.. but then this morning when I wake up and feel super jittery and out of it all day, its hard to not think the worst when your body is feeling bad.

Paranoid Viking:
I get it.. you've seen it a lot on here, but then I know how real you know that this can feel, i respect your words and value them.. but sometimes empathy can help too...:/

[ServerError]

its hard to not think the worst when your body is feeling bad./

This is the same roadblock I see people put up all the time. "Yes, I'll try and do it, but it's hard." And then they don't really try. Or if they do, they give up and then get annoyed with you for suggesting they need to keep on trying if they want to get better.

The fact something is hard does not mean you shouldn't keep trying. I mean really trying. You have to give this everything you've got. You'll have ups and downs, but if you're interested in a genuine recovery and a brighter life (as opposed to temporary reassurance) you have to keep going, keep trying, and keep believing. You'll thanks yourself for it one day.

[golddustgirl1000]

Right.. I undersand that, I'm not saying it's impossible.. I'm saying it's very hard.. especially sometimes when I feel all alone. I have been going to counseling, and I keep trying to keep myself calm... but there are moments when it's hard and I feel myself going into a pit no matter how hard I try.

All that I'm saying is are there any tips for getting the mind out of the cycle..

If for example, I feel super fatigued ( tired) and like I'm going to start panicking... yes I can deep breath, yes I can be logical... but what happens when the symptoms ( though they might be in my head) seem to much to handle?

[ServerError]

All you can really do in that situation is fall back on what you know about the symptoms: that you've survived panic every time before, that nobody ever died from panic, and that it's actually a protection mechanism.

Then you just have to do your best to stay calm and let the storm pass. It always passes. There's not much else you can do. If you're prescribed anxiety medication you can take that, but it's not a long-term option.

I do understand what you're going through. I've been there too.

[golddustgirl1000]

yes I know.

I do not agree with taking medication. I think some people need it, but for me, I need to work on fixing the root of the problem, not masking it with drugs. No judgement on people who choose to, but I don't believe that is the best option for me..

Thanks for the encouragement!

[paranoid-viking]

S

Paranoid Viking:
I get it.. you've seen it a lot on here, but then I know how real you know that this can feel, i respect your words and value them.. but sometimes empathy can help too...:/

I have empathy. I have been where you are myself. Walking around fearing and folling yourself into believing you have rabies is horryfying; I know how it feels; I have felt it in the past. But. It is also STUPID. Sorry to be driect, but fearing that you have rabies for "invisible bat bites" or whtever it is IS stupid. And it goes agains every possible rational thinking. For anyone viewing it from the outside it is irrational. I was caught in a cycle of rabies fear in 2003 and it was stupid of me. And you should realise that your fear is stupid too. You are waisting valuable and wonderful times of your life with this and it is out of empathy I am telling this to you.
I wish today that I could have that year back that I was waisting on fearing rabies.

[golddustgirl1000]

Paranoid Viking..

Did you have what looked like a bit or subtle symptoms when you went through your scare?
When this all started I had two spots on my foot side by side- they measured 1.2 cm in distance...and sometimes my mind goes back to that...they are mostly faded and gone now but still slightly there.

Also- did you have symptoms? "Tingling/ weird sensations" around where you thought bite was? Spasms randomly, a tight throat? Fatigue? Pains in the throat... scratchy throat, or no...?

I'm honestly just curious of your experience...