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Anxiety Attacks

Siúil a Rúin

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I searched for a thread on this topic and didn't find one specifically, but was wondering if anyone else faces these and what sorts of approaches you take to deal with them.

I've always had a background level of anxiety in my life, but have always managed to control it and do whatever is required of me at the time for the most part. I've always made progress despite the anxiety. My life right now is quite good externally, but for some reason every single night I wake up with a severe anxiety attack. It is so bad that I had started taking sleeping medication to be sure I don't wake up at night. When I do, I just take more. I have my own theories about what is going on, and don't need to go into the psychological aspects of it, but am curious about nutrition and other external ways of managing the problem. I am going to start doing some meditation and try to cut back on my work load as well.
 

the state i am in

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i don't have any special expertise, but an anxiety attack happens when your anxiety becomes a positive feedback loop that you can not break. you feel like you can no longer regulate it, and the loss of control creates more problems. the very basic advices of deep breathing (first and foremost!) and maybe some light stretching would be the starting point. meditation will have an extremely positive long-term effect. i'd recommend bikram yoga VERY highly as well, it is very cathartic and stress relieving. trying to get more sleep, and maybe trying to see a psychologist or explore some of your fears in a direct and supportive way would be very helpful. the tighter they are locked down and unaddressible the less conscious control you have to confront them, deal with them, re-direct them, recognize them when they start to flare up, etc.

feeling loved and understood by someone else does the most for this, but it is the most difficult solution to find. if you live in california and you're in the mood for some medical marijuana, that might not be the worst solution in the world either. with or without it, journaling also might be a good way to recover the parts of yourself that get unconsciously brushed aside and linger on throughout the day, wearing on you and weighing you down. i'm consistently amazed how much i am able to evolve when i recognize the problem.
 

Siúil a Rúin

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Thanks, the state i am in. Those are good thoughts. I think a lot of people have anxiety attacks and the causes can be from a variety of sources. I just wonder if there is a physiological element for some, possibly myself. For a short-term issue I have a performance tomorrow that is stressing me out because it is at the edge of my ability and the first run-through performance I couldn't play the hardest passage because my hands were shaking. I've been working on it since July. It is unpleasant to be placed on stage when feeling vulnerable. I need to rework my worldview as well. There are enough good things in place that I think I will get it under control once and for all, but it never hurts to hear new strategies.
 

proximo

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If you don't mind my asking, what do you mean exactly by "anxiety attack"? I'm thinking I might have experienced something similar, but I can't be sure we're talking about the same thing...

Is it when you find your heart beats irregularly and you feel like you can't breathe properly, you just feel really tense and you can't relax at all or take your mind off it however you try, or if you do manage to, it comes back pretty soon anyway? And it seems to be for no apparent reason, as there's nothing specific you can point to as a reason why you're feeling like it?
 

Edasich

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You could try eating more raw foods Raw Food Diet - What is the Raw Food Diet

I'm a pretty anxious person but i definitely find that the less crappy food i am eating the clearer and calmer i feel (exercise also helps to reduce my anxiety). Reducing caffeine intake wouldn't hurt either. The 3 most neurotic people in my family are by far the biggest coffee drinkers, haha.

Good luck in finding a way to stop the attacks, they must be horrible
 

Siúil a Rúin

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I had one of my worst anxiety attacks last evening as I was driving home from work. It was mostly physiological feeling light-headed, my face and neck burning hot, increased heart-rate. I was driving on an interstate and had an overwhelming fear that I was going to pass out. I had a few miles until my exit, so I rolled down my window to get oxygen and sang goofy songs to focus and calm down. It felt like I was going to die. It was shocking enough to me that I'm not going to take the interstate again for at least a month until I have proof it isn't going to happen again. On a two-lane road I can pull over at any spot if I feel light-headed.

There is a tidal wave of anxiety just under the radar in my mind. I think there are a few layers involved. There is enough resolved in my life right now that my mind thinks it is safe to work through it, I think. I am going to do meditation to try to address it. When I face crisis situations I tend to suppress emotions so that I can think clearly and solve the problem. In some ways I have gotten too good at it, and while I like the effect it has on my decision-making, this subconscious anxiety attack bit needs to go.

I'm always curious how other people experience these things and how they deal with it.
 

King sns

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Counterattack!

Hi there, Toonia.
I'm not normally participating in the threads right now because it is too time consuming, but have been reading some. I just wanted to share my history and some insights about panic attacks, since I can't help myself from trying to help someone in the same situation.

I started panic attacks about 3 or 4 years ago, the first one waking up with severe chest pain, everything appearing as though I was under water, throat constriction, "derealization" or a feeling that I was in a dream or the world was not real, and "depersonalization" or a feeling that I was kind of floating outside of my own body. I was freezing cold as if all the blood had run from my body, and numb. I had my roommate call 911 and eventually lost my vision for a brief time.

I've suffered panic attacks since, but the good news is that I now have some knowledge about my own body and panic to be able to abort them pretty quickly.

These are the things that have helped me.

Zoloft. Add on Klonopin for acute attacks. I was on this regimen for 6 months and eventually stopped once I felt the panic was under control.

During or at the onset of an attack.


Pacing and walking.


Breathing into a paper bag
. Clamp it right over your mouth and nose. (Many of the uncomfortable symptoms are caused by hyperventilation, and kind of correcting that C02/02 imbalance seems to get rid of my chest pain immediately. There is some information out there on the anatomy of a panic attack.)

Deep breathing: There is a certain way that you breathe when you are in panic mode that you don't realize, and there is a way to breathe that helps restore the balance of chemicals in your system and get the right amount of oxygen. (See the website below, I think it describes the breathing better than I can.)

Don't panic.
This one sounds silly, but its true. My counselor and nurse practitioner advised me of this. Basically if you accept the panic attack for what it is, and kind of "fall" into it, or let it take its toll without fighting it, it tends to resolve quicker.

Know that panic attacks do not have long term negative effect on your body: but is actually just like getting a work out, and physically can be good for you. (I used to think that I was going to have a stroke or a heart attack, but turns out the truth is quite the opposite.) The chest pain is all muscular, by the way.

"The Lemon Trick":I've never tried this one. It's one I learned in nursing school, and it sounds helpful. When you're having an acute attack, take a slice of lemon, (an orange, or icecube whatever.) Focus on it, describe its color, scent, what it reminds you of, stick it in your mouth. (Nothing like a lemon in your mouth to bring you back to the moment.) This is supposed to take the focus off of the attack. Again, i've never tried it, but I guess it's been successful in a lot of people.


Long term anxiety/prevention:

EXERCISE. Why do I do cardio workouts six days a week to this day? During the time when I was having attacks (with no control), I started working out vigorously, and it really corrected that imbalance in my brain. It helped me calm down and think clearly, and it is the one thing that I believe took me off medications and onto my own life. We know that working out helps you lose weight, feel better, blah blah blah. But that would never be enough for me to keep going back. Stop panic attacks and not have to take medication and move on with my life? That's the best motivator for me to get out and exercise. I can't say enough about this method. Sometimes when I stop working out, I do have panic attacks still to this day. (And then I just do all of the things listed above, and usually can get rid of them before they really get going.) I've just accepted that I have a weird body that needs to move a lot to be happy. So be it!

DIET: I think that eating healthy, getting enough B12 from your meats, (or supplement if you need that), and fish oils to help your brain function optimally helps.

DON'T CATASTROPHIZE EVERYTHING:
My counselor noticed that I was trying to do everything at once and made a big catastrophe in my head if I didn't get these things done. (If I don't get a new job, I won't have enough money to feed myself! If I don't pass the test, my career will be ruined!") I didn't realize I was doing that, of course. But now I try to focus on one thing at a time. I'm not sure if that's true for you, too.




These are the things that have truly helped me overcome that panic. Of course some of them might or might not work for you. I recommend trying these practical, sensory type things, since panic attacks tend to be a physical manifestation of the psychological anxiety. (And after reading your posts, I think that you may be on the same page as me with this.) And then of course manage that underlying anxiety however it works for you. Also see a good therapist. Mine was so good he had me out of there in 3 or 4 sessions with a good plan.



Below is a website that I just found. I never used it myself, but used some other sources and websites and of course the therapist and practitioner's help, and the help of others' who have had the same problem, and this site appears to cover most of the basic info. (Specifically the breathing is what I wanted you to look at. )
Remember that anxiety and panic are very treatable and there are many non-pharmaceutical methods to help you handle it.

There is tons and tons more info. out there. The more you know the better you will do!

Good luck and hope this helped.
Free self-help for panic, anxiety, worries, PTSD, phobias, fear of flying, social phobias


Oh, and if you're driving,during an attack, pull over. :) (Edit: oops, just read that you do that. Good.)
:hug:
 
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Sniffles

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Yeah taking a deep breathe and realizing you are having an anxiety attack certainly helps. If a certain situation is causing you anxiety, get away from it for the time being untill you've calmed down.

Shortnsweet has given alot of good advice. Best of luck to you toonia. I know from first hand experience what anxiety attacks are like. :hug: :hug:
 

NewEra

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I had one of my worst anxiety attacks last evening as I was driving home from work. It was mostly physiological feeling light-headed, my face and neck burning hot, increased heart-rate. I was driving on an interstate and had an overwhelming fear that I was going to pass out. I had a few miles until my exit, so I rolled down my window to get oxygen and sang goofy songs to focus and calm down. It felt like I was going to die. It was shocking enough to me that I'm not going to take the interstate again for at least a month until I have proof it isn't going to happen again. On a two-lane road I can pull over at any spot if I feel light-headed.

Why do these attacks occur? Is it out of a fear of some particular thing? For example in this case, are you afraid of driving on the interstate? Just trying to find out.
 

JoSunshine

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I am going to do meditation to try to address it. When I face crisis situations I tend to suppress emotions so that I can think clearly and solve the problem. In some ways I have gotten too good at it, and while I like the effect it has on my decision-making, this subconscious anxiety attack bit needs to go.

I'm always curious how other people experience these things and how they deal with it.

Well, I've never had an anxiety attack. I have recently learned to use mindfulness meditation (which is basically sitting and allowing yourself to think about whatever comes to mind without judgement or directives). It has been most effective in helping me figure out the causes of my stress. I have a natural tendancy to surpress my own emotions and needs until I reach "critical mass". I'm learning to counteract this by figuring out how I am feeling, what my needs are and then doing something about it by addressing the issue...which usually involves talking to people and setting boundaries...which was super-hard to do in the beginning, but is getting way easier.

That's what works for me...I am not sure if it will be helpful to you, but either way I wish you the best. I know it must not be easy for you.
 

Siúil a Rúin

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All the responses are appreciated, and I'll get back to a few more. Shortnsweet, your advice is really excellent and is an important reference for anyone dealing with this sort of thing. I'll need to go back and read it all over a few times to really think about it.
 

Lethal Sage

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Klonopin is practically my best friend. I forgot it today and probably appeared like a meth junkie.

I haven't had a panic attack recently, but I have had a few. Mostly at college. I sucked at college. Anyway, I'd get them in the parking lot. Once it almost felt like I had a stroke, or what is described as such. Now that I'm not doing much I feel like I'm near my edge. I develop quirks. It kind of sucks. I wonder what pills I'll be taking when I get older.

Anyway, Klonopin helped.
 

Sinmara

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You need to get checked out to know whether or not you are truly having anxiety attacks. For a long time I was told that I was having anxiety attacks, but I later discovered that I was having tachycardia-like symptoms due to untreated and unmanaged hypoglycemia.

Which just further solidifies my opinion that 90% of doctors are useless at diagnosing their patients unless the symptoms are dancing a little jig with bells on, but that's for another thread.

Point is, there are other health issues that can look very much like an anxiety attack. If this only happens when you're sleeping, I'm sure there's a reason for it. Your body releases all manner of chemicals when going in to sleep mode. Do a bit of research on your own and talk to a doctor about your symptoms.
 

SilkRoad

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Sorry to hear you are going through this, I hope it gets at least partly sorted out soon.

I don't think I've ever had a proper anxiety attack but I have a flying phobia so have felt close to it on a few occasions. CBT and breathing exercises helped somewhat, though I have to see how things go in the long term.
 

bluebell

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:hug:

There is a tidal wave of anxiety just under the radar in my mind. I think there are a few layers involved. There is enough resolved in my life right now that my mind thinks it is safe to work through it, I think.

That resonates strongly with me atm. I have an anxiety disorder (PTSD) so this is something I am continually dealing with, although not to the same degree as a panic attack that you've described.

In terms of practical physical things, cutting out caffeine and sugar has helped me a lot. I can get anxiety triggered *just* from eating too much sugar in one sitting. Also, going for long walks is my way of 'meditating'. I zone out, let my brain just wander as I walk while on autopilot. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this, but sometimes salt or salty foods can calm me down a bit as well.

In terms of the underneath the radar and feeling safe enough to work through it, that's something I'm living at the moment. As far as I can tell, anxiety is repressed emotion for me, which interestingly you've also mentioned:

When I face crisis situations I tend to suppress emotions so that I can think clearly and solve the problem. In some ways I have gotten too good at it, and while I like the effect it has on my decision-making, this subconscious anxiety attack bit needs to go.

I've found supressed grief, anger, pain, sadness, hatred etc at various times beneath the anxiety. Once I've tuned into the supressed emotion and processed it, often the anxiety lifts fairly quickly. The challenge is tuning into the emotion in the first place. Sometimes unedited writing can help me access what it is - I let myself just type whatever. Asking yourself 'what emotion is behind this?' can help focus the answers and tuning into whatever else is attached to it is part of the process for me.

One thing that I've very recently started doing is getting a back rub from new guy. He reads me accurately and knows when I'm starting to drift away mentally. I feel safe with him. The back rubs are simultaneously calming and grounding. The grounding is what lets me tune into whatever's going on. The brain seems to then throw up images of whatever historical emotional flotsam is causing the anxiety. Sometimes I just deal with it internally or sometimes I'll mention it to him.

Yesterday I had severe anxiety, triggered by an impending real estate agent inspection of my apartment. The history of it is terror of being judged, due to terror of my mother growing up. I ended up struggling with it all evening and was crippled by it at various stages. However, concious rationalism helped a bit. Staying focused on the fact that this was just anxiety and a trigger from the past helped with staying somewhat objective and slightly detached from the anxiety. Self-soothing, such as 'you're safe now' and 'there's really nothing to worry about, you're not gonna get evicted just cos you haven't cleaned the place perfectly' etc helped dampen down the anxiety at times and allowed me enough mobility to finish cleaning my place.

Buddhist mindfulness may be helpful for you. Non-judgemental labelling of the internal emotional state can turn down the volume of trigger reactions.

Best of luck with this, Toonia. Anxiety is unpleasant in the extreme.
 

GirlFromMars

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Anxiety/panic attacks are seriously awful, you feel like you're dying. I was put on Diazepam for them a few months back, but had to be taken off because they're apparently quite highly addictive. I'm always getting anxiety, but the actual anxiety ATTACKS I haven't had since I took them. To be honest, I can't give any real advice, because all I do is just...live with it. But I offer my empathy, because I totally understand. I hope they go away for you.
 

King sns

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All the responses are appreciated, and I'll get back to a few more. Shortnsweet, your advice is really excellent and is an important reference for anyone dealing with this sort of thing. I'll need to go back and read it all over a few times to really think about it.

Thanks. I know exactly what you're going through. It's really hell and a lot of folks don't understand, but of course there's a lot who do, too as you can see in the thread. I feel so fortunate to have "beat" them as severe as they were. Hopefully what worked for me can work for you, too! :hug:
 

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I took klonopin, xanax, and valium recreationally for a bit, but in doses much higher than people take for anxiety. The klondike bars were my favorite.

But they definitely work, although I've never had a panic attack before. In large doses I was practically an ESTP, one with no short-term memory.

Some doctors put people on anti-depressants for anxiety, which I don't think is quite right. But if SSRIs are the only thing that work, that's alright. But they have more side-effects than anti-anxiety meds in regular doses.
 

Magic Poriferan

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I don't think I have attacks. I don't if one can have anxiety attacks per se. I believe they are supposed to be called panic attacks if they reach that stage.

On many occasions I feel like I've gotten close though. I have a really high base level of anxiety, and sometimes when several demands overlap, I get very high-strung and I think I approach panic. I don't have the issue of waking up at night feeling panicked so much, but I do have a hard time getting to sleep or staying asleep due to general anxiety.

I'm not sure what you can do about it. In my position, I still find it pretty plausible to attribute my anxiety to things that are going on in my life, so I'm choosing to attempt practical solutions to my sources of stress, instead of taking meds.
 

Salomé

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You need to get checked out to know whether or not you are truly having anxiety attacks. For a long time I was told that I was having anxiety attacks, but I later discovered that I was having tachycardia-like symptoms due to untreated and unmanaged hypoglycemia.

Which just further solidifies my opinion that 90% of doctors are useless at diagnosing their patients unless the symptoms are dancing a little jig with bells on, but that's for another thread.

Point is, there are other health issues that can look very much like an anxiety attack. If this only happens when you're sleeping, I'm sure there's a reason for it. Your body releases all manner of chemicals when going in to sleep mode. Do a bit of research on your own and talk to a doctor about your symptoms.
This is the best advice.
I had the opposite problem. Taken into hospital with suspected heart problems (due to family history) which was simply an anxiety attack. I used to get them more as a child (seldom as an adult), blacking out, freaking out - but interestingly re above I was also hypoglycemic.

The first set of symptoms are called adrenergic (or sympathetic) because they relate to the nervous system's response to hypoglycemia. Patients may experience any of the following;
  • nervousness,
  • sweating,
  • intense hunger,
  • trembling,
  • weakness,
  • palpitations, and
  • often have trouble speaking.
Caused by release of hormones like cortisol and epinephrine. Could feel like, or even trigger panic, I would have thought...

My only solution has been to try to manage my stress levels.
 
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