Anxiety attacks?
I started seeing a psychotherapist and since I started seeing her my anxiety attacks have started again. For no apparent reason my chest goes tight, I have trouble breathing and I feel really frightened. This also happens at night – it really frightens me and I don't know what to do.
How can I stop these attacks?
Tagged with: anxiety attacks • apparent reason • psychotherapist • trouble breathing
Filed under: anxiety attacks causes
You can talk all you want to a therapist or try to "self-talk" yourself out of a panic but basic human biology can't be "talked" away.
Look at your diet. If you're skipping meals, dieting, not eating enough or eating a diet loaded with sugary or processed foods, you're going to starve your brain. You might have hypoglycemia.
Hypoglycemia is an ailment characterized by irrational behavior, emotional instability, distorted judgment, and nasty personality defects.
Some of the symptoms of hypoglycemia are:
Fatigue
Insomnia
Mental confusion
Nervousness
Panic/Anxiety
Mood swings
Faintness
Headaches
Depression
Phobias
Heart palpitations
A craving for sweets
Cold hands and feet
Forgetfulness
Dizziness
Blurred vision
Inner trembling
Outbursts of temper
Sudden hunger
Allergies
Crying spells
Try and have a look here and see if you can get any tips… http://www.anxietypanic.com/
Good Luck
TEN RULES FOR COPING WITH PANIC
The feelings are normal bodily reactions – exaggerated.
They are not harmful – just unpleasant.
Do not add frightening thoughts – negative, unpleasant consequences
Describe what is happening – notice what IS not what you fear MIGHT.
Wait for fear to pass – Do not fight or run away – accept it.
Notice when it fades – when you stop adding frightening thoughts, it fades by itself.
It is an opportunity for progress – use it to learn coping – learn to grow!
Think about progress to date despite the difficulties – think how pleased you'll be when you succeed this time.
When you begin to feel better, look around you, and start to plan what to do next.
When you are ready to go on, start off in an easy, relaxed way. There is no need for effort or hurry.
——————————————————————————–
15 COPING TIPS
Change "What If's" to "So What".
Stay in the present.
Don't judge your feelings.
Thoughts and feelings are NOT actions.
The more I do, the more I can do.
I've done it before, I CAN do it again!
I am the same person, here or in my safe place.
I can handle it, nothing terrible will happen.
The feeling are distressing, NOT dangerous.
In reality, there is nothing that can hurt me here.
The anxiety can only go so high and then it comes down.
SLOW DOWN.
Take slow, deep breaths.
DON'T PANIC
Accept the feeling, it can't hurt you.
Give yourself permission to feel anxious.
Calm yourself with positive self-talk.
Breathe slowly through your nose.
Let go, float, and flow.
Distract yourself, it is only anxiety.
Use the adrenaline in a positive pursuit.
Don't let a bad day scare you.
Give yourself credit for how far you've come.
Let time pass, IT WILL GO AWAY!
TOOLS FOR COPING SKILLS
When you begin to practice, expect yourself to experience some anxiety.
You are doing something that you have been afraid of or avoiding for a long time, so anticipatory anxiety is appropriate. You may have some physical reactions such as lightheadedness, palpitations, sweaty palms, etc. It is your past memories of these situations that create your anxiety response. Try to switch your thinking to more realistic thoughts like: "My body is only bluffing me. I will let go and not fight the feelings."
Whenever you feel the fear rising, WAIT.
Don't run to your safe place immediately. Research has shown that if someone leaves a situation while in a state of panic or high anxiety, they have more difficulty returning the next time. If you have to leave, just go far enough away for the anxiety to lessen. Allow yourself time to recover before going home.
Watch the fear rise and let it fall.
Notice that it comes in waves. In the past, you have run at the first sign of fear and didn't give yourself a chance to see it go down.
Rehearse going into a situation in a positive way.
Focus on rational thinking and use your THOUGHT SWITCHING CARDS (cards with a relaxing scene with you in the scene such as an ocean front, gardens, waterfalls, etc.) often until their influence is felt. Practice thought stopping.
Place emphasis on what you do, not what you feel.
Remember, you are learning that YOU CAN FUNCTION WITH DISCOMFORT. Experiencing anxiety gives you an opportunity to practice coping with it. Remember, comfort is a desire, not a need. Try to function with the fear. Accept it; don't fight it.
Try to focus on things outside of yourself.
It is this constant internal focusing that pumps you up. Listen to what other people are saying, focus on things in the shop window, count backwards from 100 by 3, engage in conversation, listen to what is being said on the radio, imagine yourself in some pleasant place, touch something soft, recite to yourself the states and their capitals, or any other thing that will get your mind off of your feeling.
Remember to go slowly.
Try not to rush because this tends to pump the body up and make the anxiety worse. If you have to leave, leave as slowly as possible. Imagine yourself in slow motion.
If you begin to feel lightheaded, try one or all of the following:
(a) Breathe slowly through your nose to the count of 4 and then exhale through your mouth to the count of 4. (b) Always practice breathing through your nose, slowly.
Try to remain in the present.
It is the constant fear of what you are GOING to feel that keeps you anxious. Say to yourself, "If this is the worst it gets, can I stand it?" Identify what you are feeling at the moment; don't add to it by jumping into the future. Deal with it from moment to moment.
10 GOLDEN RULES FOR COPING WITH PANIC
Remember that although your feelings and symptoms are frightening, they are neither dangerous nor harmful.
Understand that what you are experiencing is merely an exaggeration of your normal reactions to stress.
Do not fight your feelings or try to wish them away. The more willing you are to face them, the less intense they will become.
Don't add to your panic by thinking about what "might happen." If you find yourself asking, "What if?" tell yourself "So what!"
Stay in the present. Be aware of what is happening to you rather than concern yourself with how much worse it might get.
Label your fear level from zero to 10 and watch it go up and down. Notice that it doesn't stay at a very high level for more than a few seconds.
When you find yourself thinking about fear, change your "what if" thinking. Focus on and perform some simple, manageable task.
Notice that when you stop thinking frightening thoughts your anxiety fades.
When fear comes, accept it, don't fight it. Wait and give it time to pass. Don't try to escape from it.
Be proud of the progress you've made. Think about how good you will feel when the anxiety has passed and you are in total control and at peace.
Are you having cognitive behaviour therapy? That is supposed to be very good for treating anxiety attacks.
There's lots of advice online. Here's one of many sites…
http://www.anxiety2calm.com/faqs.shtml
This link might be particularly useful…
http://www.phobics-society.org.uk/condition_panic.php
http://www.phobics-society.org.uk/index.php
I had the same problem. Pills didn't help and therapy didn't help. It turned out I was addicted to caffeine. I stopped drinking coffee and energy drinks and now – no more anxiety attacks.
my boyfriend used to have anxiety attacks, his was to do with being nervous and not having any confidence, he used to sweat and think everyone was watching him. Now he is fine. there are several things you can do hun…first try to relax, everytime your chest starts to feel tight take a moment…stop…think to yourself….just calmdown, take deep breaths until you start to relax. you can go to the doctors if you are unable to resolve these matters yourself but the best thing you can do is take ontol of yourself mentally and take deep breaths, if you think it would help with your confidence you could join a perfoming arts class…there you will be in contact with people and play games, slowly but surely it will give u confidence…i wish u all the luck in the world hun…ul be just fine xxx
I take klonopin for this type of issue
1.5 to 2 milligrams per day.
EDIT. Jason D up above brought up something that i have noticed also, Yes, caffiene does seem to effect it. some times ina good way and sometimes it aggravates it.
These are some helps for permanent cure
Yoga, meditation, Pilate
Breathing exercises
Tapping technique and EFT
Affirmations and Self Hypnosis or Self Talk.
Reading good books like “Chicken soup for the soul”
Exercise – home or gym
Acupuncture helps for addiction and cure try www . acupuncture . com
Having good friends
Getting a hobby, volunteering.
Avoid Spicy, fatty, oil foods
Do not overeat or eat late and do not drink water within 2 hours before going to bed.
Check for glandular imbalance
Music therapy – Listening to soft melodious music, Mozart or Handel for example.
Good luck
YOu should find the root of your stress. Maybe look into a new Dr. In the meantime find somethign relaxing that you can do before bed. I had a period where i was suffering from severe attacks and the only thing that seemed to help was sitting in a warm bathtub listening to some calming music. THis really gave me a chance to think about things and put everything into perspective…until i finally got to a point where i came up with my new motto (f*** it). If i can't control it then it won't control me…..life is short and about the experiences you have….and so far this new outlook seems to be working. Plus it's fun to say.
you have to try and tell yourself you can beat it I went from not being able to go and hang out washing in my own garden to being able to stand in front of a room full of people and being able to give a speech my tips are when a attack starts pick a subject says sweets or veg tables etc and go through the alphabet thinking of something with that letter example asparagus beetroot cabbage etc don't worry about q xyz they are to hard even though you could have yam you could do pop groups or songs anything. tell yourself you can have your panic when you have done it by then you wont need to I also used to carry some lavender in my pocket or sleeve and tell myself if i had a sniff of that i would be ok as i was getting over them i set myself a challenge and went to ideal home exhibition on my own i did it and was so pleased with myself i still sometimes feel me getting tense and i sing the alphabet in my head this seems to calm me you just have to distract yourself if i can di it you can you really are not the only to feel like you do good luck no one Else can do it for you you have to do it yourself but honestly you can do it i know been there done it and worn the tee shirt
i get the same thing. especially at night i wake up with it. i deep breath i find. i found talking about it help with close people. and to my gp, they gave me something to help me be calm which helped for a while but i dnt recon anyone shld take it long term, i felt when i tlked about it it brang all my painfull memorys back and caused me to be panicky but it was part of my healing process. good luck to you xx
It may be that seeing the psychotherapist has brought up alot of emotions for you that are very difficult to deal with, and thus cause the panic. Hopefully, as you deal with these issues with her, the panic attacks will subside.
In the meantime, the best way to manage a panic attack is to try to stay calm. Think of it like an asthma attack. The more you panic, the less breath you have, and the more scared you get, and the cycle is self-reinforcing. When you feel yourself start to panic, try to take long deep breaths, in and out.
Panic is associated with hyperventilaton, so deep brearhs help to counteract it. Count or use some other method to distract yourself. You know logicallty that you are not going to die, as you have had these attacks before, and survived. Don't allow yourself to become scared. Tell yourself you KNOW the air is going to come back, and the panic will subside. try to get someone to sit with you if possible, so that you feel supported and safe.
It's not easy, but with practice, you should be able to get the attacks under control, and once you know you can manage them, they'll be less scary, and thus hopefully occur less.
i have the same feeling.i never cant breath normal and my chest is tight, also i have pain in my heart is like I'm dying any minute i missed my university lectures because of my anxiety attacks and i have to do the whole year again, when i see people breathing normally without no problem i think like y cant i breath like that is very frightened for me 2.so, is not only you!i think the best think is to be relax and calm and free your mined and avoid places that you think you will get them. but i dont really know how to stop it for ever….. if u find the answe gimme a buzz.
the one thing to remember is that these attacks are not going to harm you.
somthing that worked for me was actually looking forward and enjoying the feelings ,which i know is hard to accept but when you think it through its all about fear.
try and learn relaxation , meditation and deep breathing r also good
I'm having the same problem I don't drink soda, coffe, or chocolate…and every time I get in a car I get anxiety attacks…and it's true when you think positive it goes away. Just be careful with all that meditation crap…it's all negative spiritual stuff. Theres something triggering our stress…I hope we can find a magic wand lol! It's a terrible feeling..I like the first answer you got, it's excellent I'm going to try it….
Blessings, may the Lord give us the strength we need to surpass this.