im having panic attacks/anxiety all day long?

[andy123]

hey everyone, my name is andy and im 24 yrs old, for the last few monthes i have suffered from anxiety and panic attacks. but it normaly will go away and i can go back to functioning normal again, but for i would say the past 2 monthes i have anxiety everyday to the point where i go into a panic attack.

Ive noticed that the symptoms i get most are in my face and neck and jaw. my jaw becomes very tight and the back of my neck is very stiff and has stayed stiff feeling for about a month now. my eyes twitch real bad and i breath very heavily. i get a lump in the back of my throat and it is very unpleasent. and all these symtoms occur at the same time. this has been happening everyday and im really starting to get worried.

i am perscribed xanax but i get scared to take them for some odd reason even though i know they will help. i guess my wuestion for everyone is, is it normal to suffer from anxiety/ panic attacks for the majority of the day? i have read they should only last for a few hours max, but mine last all day and have been reoccuring over and over again just non stop it seems like. i am really starting to think there is something seriously wrong with me.

if anyone could give me some feedback i would greatly appreciate it.

[lauraw]

Hi Andy,
I to suffer from anxiety, Im 28 and I have experienced all day anxiety. The symtoms you are experiencing are typical symptoms of anxiety and ever person on here has probably suffered from them at some point.
Panic attacks do only last a couple of hours so what you are experiencing is on attack after another after another etc etc Do you use any techniques to help. I find diaphragmatic/tummy breathing really helpful. Lie down somewhere you are comfortable, where its quiet and there's no distraction. Place one hand on your tummy and as you breath in let your tummy rise and as you breath out let your tummy fall. Most people who suffer from anxiety are backward breathers and breath to shallow. This can exacerbate your symptoms.
Sorry for rambling I just really feel if you could start using some relaxation techniques you will start to feel a lot better
Let me know how you get on.

Take care,

Laura x

[girlrock]

Hi Andy,

In the past I can say that I had been in constant states of anxiety. So I do understand what you are feeling. I snapped myself out of it really but I know that that is not an easy thing to do. The advice I would give you now is to try taking your Xanax as prescribed. See how it makes you feel and if it helps. If you have the help there, try it out. It's no fun to live in a constant state of worry :( Let us know how things work out for you. Take care.

[simplysal]

Hi Andy,

Yes, I feel anxious 24/7 unfortunately. I constantly feel anxious, slightly nervous for no reason. I get palpitations and worry about my heart. I've also had globus (feeling as tho you have something stuck in your throat).

My background is this. I had never suffered from panic until the birth of my second child. The birth was very traumatic and during the birth, the Consultant was worried about my heart rate but no medical professional after the birth explained exactly what about my heart rate they were worried about.

Following the birth, I found that my body started to attack my thyroid gland and it became underactive. I also started to suffer from irregular heart rhythms. I saw a Cardiologist who ran a few tests and told me that the irregular heart rhythms were caused by benign ectopic heart beats.

My father died of a heart attack at 60 but required a triple heart bypass operation at 53 but when he died 4 years ago today, he was brought in to the Medical Emergency Unit at our local hospital which was where I was working as a clinic co-ordinator. I wasn't expecting him to come in and didn't know he was coming in until the ambulance brought him in pumping his chest. He didn't make it.

Because I had palpitations, felt slower due to my underactive thyroid and my father had died young, I felt very aware then of my body and what my body was doing. Suppose I could say I naturally became 'too' aware of what my body was doing. This is the point where I became almost constantly in a state of panic. In this state of panic, I started to experience a feeling of choking. Perhaps not that bad, but definately that something felt lodged in my throat. I even went to A&E in a panic about this feeling and had a barium swallow. Due to them delivering a normal result, I've found that globus is caused by generalised anxiety. It isn't dangerous. It just serves as a reminder that you need to relax as best as you can at this point because as we all know, worrying won't make us feel any better and because of this would cause us to worry all the more.

Good luck Andy, you're not alone in this horrible state of anxiety. Take care, Sal x

[lauren6]

Hi Andy, I went through a time like that. Everyone is different but xanax, although it can help you through a very rough time, is not the complete answer. Along with that you really should try cognitive therapy. I will recommend a book to you...as a sufferer of anxiety most of my life and owing over 50 books on anxiety, this is the one that was the most helpful. It's title is The Anxiety And Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne. Please get it, it will be the best investment you ever made for your well being.

The pains you from are from tension and as the others said, so is the lump feeling in your throat. Google "progressive relaxation" and see if you can get a CD or tape. Right now, I want you to tighten your shoulders and neck, then let it go limp. You will see how tight you are feeling, many of us, all the time! try to keep your mouth in a position where it's party open, this way your jaw is naturally dropped. Progressive relaxation goes through every muscle of your body. It is HARD to feel anxious when your body is in a total state of relaxation.

I have been where you are and I know that anxiety feeds on itself. There is so much for you to learn about this but keep one thing in mind...try not to be afraid of the anxiety itself, the fear of the fear is what keeps it going when in fact it is just adrenaline acting up. The key to getting over this condition is when you no longer fear the symptoms and fear itself. I know this sounds simplistic but you can get there. Xanax can take the edge off but it doesn't do a thing for your learning and attitude. It reinforces that you have something to fear...a bogeyman that is nothing but our overactive nervous systems. Hard to do at the beginning because panic attacks are horrible and in the midst of one, you lose your reasoning but with practice, they just don't happen anymore (the ones from our of the blue). I still get panicky but more related to real stuff about my health. Feel free to write again if you ant something I said clarified and check out the side bar, Claire Weeks books which, if you get through this wonderful site, they get a profit. She was really one of the pioneers in this field and her books helped me a lot. Good luck, Andy and try to have a good holiday weekend! Lauren

[andy123]

thanks so much everyone for your response, it makes me feel better to know im not alone in this hard time im facing. its very comforting to know that you all have expirienced these same feelings and understand what im going threw. i will deffinetly take your advice and do some of the things you recommended.

it is very difficult to not be afraid of panic attacks after youve had one, seems like im alweys waiting for the next one to creep up on me. i will do my best though not to fear them and stay as positive as possible. hopefully over time they will go away which i believe they will. they are very stressful and i hope we all get threw these eventually. thanks again everyone and god bless. cheers. -andy

[Annguitar]

Hi Andy, good luck, I hope you start feeling better soon. Evertime I think I'm getting over it something happens in my life that sets me back, and it is frustrating and difficult and times I've felt I'm never going to get over this, so I know what you're feeling like. I have determined today to keep mymind off myself and to relax and try do things about the house - like someone else suggested in their reply about cleaning. This morning I cleared a wardrobe of stuff and while I did it I felt ok. But I get lightheaded from worrying and I haven't been out and I know I need to go out to feel better. Its only facing these things that minimise them I've found and its very hard, but we have to do it. So good luck and knowing others are facing similar problems helps too I've found.

Best wishes,
Ann

[Tori Frances]

Hi Andy,
I get exactly that, constant anxiety/panic all day and often all through the night as well. Its very hard to cope with as you don't get a break, but my dr says he has seen people with it before. makes you jealous of people who just get normal panic nattacks that go away doesn't it! The hardest thing is I can't east and am losing lots of weight.I have had the odd few days of being much calmer though in the five months have been suffering this. Might not seem much but I cling to the hope they will get more frequent. Maybe for me that haven't found right medication or that its just going to take me longer to recover. Hopefully you will get better more quickly as I believe most people do.

[gemma.l]

Three years ago I was so bad I couldn't eat or sleep and they were constantly happening everwhere I went.. but eventually they vanished. Theyve come back to haunt me and now I can hardly leave the house. I'm 18 years old and it's not a good thing to miss out on the parties and gatherings but I never pressure myself into doing anything i don't feel comfortable with... Your right Andy they are so frightening.. the best thing to do is realise they can't kill you. You survived it before and you'll get through it again. They're so awful.. but the best advice ive been given is to let the feelings wash over and eventually they fade....
we feed our panic by worrying about them. If we let them happen we'll see they can be over within minutes. Good luck x

[D Ray Morton]

Hi Andy, I went through a time like that. Everyone is different but xanax, although it can help you through a very rough time, is not the complete answer. Along with that you really should try cognitive therapy. I will recommend a book to you...as a sufferer of anxiety most of my life and owing over 50 books on anxiety, this is the one that was the most helpful. It's title is The Anxiety And Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne. Please get it, it will be the best investment you ever made for your well being.

The pains you from are from tension and as the others said, so is the lump feeling in your throat. Google "progressive relaxation" and see if you can get a CD or tape. Right now, I want you to tighten your shoulders and neck, then let it go limp. You will see how tight you are feeling, many of us, all the time! try to keep your mouth in a position where it's party open, this way your jaw is naturally dropped. Progressive relaxation goes through every muscle of your body. It is HARD to feel anxious when your body is in a total state of relaxation.

I have been where you are and I know that anxiety feeds on itself. There is so much for you to learn about this but keep one thing in mind...try not to be afraid of the anxiety itself, the fear of the fear is what keeps it going when in fact it is just adrenaline acting up. The key to getting over this condition is when you no longer fear the symptoms and fear itself. I know this sounds simplistic but you can get there. Xanax can take the edge off but it doesn't do a thing for your learning and attitude. It reinforces that you have something to fear...a bogeyman that is nothing but our overactive nervous systems. Hard to do at the beginning because panic attacks are horrible and in the midst of one, you lose your reasoning but with practice, they just don't happen anymore (the ones from our of the blue). I still get panicky but more related to real stuff about my health. Feel free to write again if you ant something I said clarified and check out the side bar, Claire Weeks books which, if you get through this wonderful site, they get a profit. She was really one of the pioneers in this field and her books helped me a lot. Good luck, Andy and try to have a good holiday weekend! Lauren

Some great points here lauren Ill like to know a bit more id tried everything to this point.