New at this, i am so afraid

[ocram]

As a premise, ive always had anxiety problems and depression with some success in keeping it at bay despite some recurring episodes. The newest thing I've been experiencing is...panic attacks. It started with slight adrenaline charges that made me think I had heart problems. Then it started getting worse, I noticed it happened in social situations. When I was helping a customer, when I started an interview, when I was in front of a small crowd. Palpitations, feeling of despair, depersonalization. One time i was stuck in traffic and I was afraid I was going to lose it, and I was goign to block traffic, the waves of anxiety were killing me. The latest (and worst) one happened when I took a course and it was the first lesson and we were supposed to introduce ourselves...When it was almost my turn I couldnt handle it anymore, whatever I was goign to say it was going to come out all weird and people were goign to think I was a freak, and I was going to faint ot breath heavily and roin anything. So I pretended I had to leave because of an emergency, I wa so distressed that the drive home was a nightmare, I thought this is my life, this is what it's going to be like, ill never fit in, ill never be normal, how can I conduct a normal life with this stuff happening to me. I am very scared and I cant talk to anyone... I dont know what to do....

 

[Polarity]

man thats too bad...i have these situations happen to me on a regular basis...dont worry too much...have a hot bath and relax and youll get some perspective...

 

[kaliman35]

You said it,you're so scared,that's exactly what panic attacks want for you to be afraid.Panic attacks are feeding from your fear,if you didn't fear them they wouldn't exist.I used to be like you,scared all day for no reason,but one day i just got fed up with living like that and i said to myself,what the hell i'am of afraid of,,you know what if i'am going to die from this i don't care anymore,go ahead kill already,and you know what happen when i didn't care anymore,,,the panic attacks went away immediately,,and i said to myself wooooo what just happen here.That's when i realize that i was creating the panic attacks by being afraid of them.First of all eveyone knows that you cannot die fron panic attacks,so this is what you do,,try not to fear it and try to make the symptoms as worse as you can,,and i assure you that they will subside because they will see that you don't fear them anymore,it takes practice but keep doing it and you will eventually get rid of them for good,you might still get the symptoms but you will know exactly what to do.

 

[MikeG]

Kaliman has a point. Dont feed into the fear. I know it is easier said then done. But it is true. When you feel them start to come on you relax and TRY to get your mind off it. You cannot let it snowball into a full panic attack. Dont try to fight it. Cause when you fight it your thinking of it. Listen to the radio and listen to each word being sung. Try a puzzle book. We all need to condition our minds to think of something else.

We all did something to our brain for this to happen. And its happening in the most sensitive part of ouur brain. This part is so easy to effect in a good or bad way. Now we all have to learn to condition it back to what it was.

Your not going to die. I know it feels like you are. But your not.