Wellness

[dex]

I have panic attacks too..they are so terrible that I fear them and then I am sure this fear brings them on......I worry,panic,and then worry about the panic.

[luvingit]

She means look at what is happening, accept it as ok. Float means mentally "float" away from it, like imagine floating high and looking at what is happening far away.. Let time pass means stay in this relaxed state until you start to feel better. Hoping the best for you.

[LilacTree]

On 5/15/2014 dooBdoo said:

I'm not familiar with that author. I wanted to suggest a couple of things that helped me significantly with anxiety, obsessive thoughts, and also with chronic daily migraine and pain.

For me, seeing a good therapist was essential. He taught me how to do biofeedback, to the point that I can slow down my heartbeat/pulse very quickly, calm my anxiety, gently bring my mind back to a more peaceful state.

It's better to do this with a therapist, because they can monitor your responses to be sure you've learned the process thoroughly. I suppose you can try using videos to learn it by yourself. I agree with straykatz, because the deep belly breathing is an important part of calming your body and mind.

The book "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" by Dale Carnegie is wonderfully practical. It's old, but it's still in use and his techniques are used by many modern-day gurus because his principles are sound.

The technique you describe in the original post might be the same as "guided imagery." I learned this practice from my therapist in association with a form of self-hypnosis, and it's really natural and effective. Do some Internet searches, find the videos on this, and see if they help you.

I send my best wishes to all of you. Keep this in mind: You're never alone in this, and we can be wonderful support for one another.

DooBdoo and Alleycat, this was an old book even when I read it . . . way back in 1990 when I was going through horrible mental and emotional symptoms during menopause. The panic attacks were excruciating. "Hope and Help for Your Nerves" saved my sanity. And there was a second book by Weekes, "More Hope (I don't remember the exact title). And a third book by someone else. I read those books until the pages turned yellow for five years straight . . . every night. That, plus the low dose Xanax my GP put me on stopped the attacks from coming on, sometimes ten times a day, and allowed me to function, go to work, take care of my home, etc. I still have those books packed away somewhere.

She was a British writer, but her books were written in layman's terms, very easy to understand, no tricks and charts, just plain sensible prose. I had memorized full paragraphs which I would repeat to myself when I felt an attack coming on. I think her books are still in print because they work. At least they did for me.

Ironically, I wouldn't know what a "hot flash" was, I had never experienced one. To this day I never sweat, and I don't know why not. Of course that is not a healthy thing.

Anyway, Alleycat, I would suggest if you are having debilitating panic attacks, perhaps learning her techniques will help you immensely. I remember another part of her book that was a chapter about "wobbly legs," in which she said something like "get up and walk, your legs will take you there no matter how weak and afraid you are, they will take you there." I could go on and on. In fact, I wish I could get at those books because I think to this day they would benefit me to read them again.

I may just go to amazon.com and purchase them again. I'm so glad I read this post.

[ScarletsBane]

The fabulous thing about this lady who was a GP, was that she explained anxiety attacks as the body overproducing adrenaline in the fight or flight response. The more you fear, the more adrenaline is released and the more adrenaline, the more anxiety. It is self perpetuating. By accepting all your responses as "ok" even at their most uncomfortable and allowing the body to feel whatever it is feeling, the cycle begins to wane. Time will pass. By fighting to stay in control, fighting to ignore the anxiety, the body just releases more adrenaline. She used to have audio tapes and her voice was very soothing. During my (very ugly) divorce I used her techniques. Trying to get a handle on anxiety and not fully understanding the float thing at the time, I used a visual when I was driving that I was in a car that looked like a giant cloud with a steering wheel sticking out of it. Well the ridiculous visual was so funny to me that in of itself made me laugh and relax. If you can track down her audio books they are worth their weight in gold. As she stated most who suffer anxiety attacks think they are crazy, falling apart, defective or deranged. But she said she never met a person who in their worst of moments neglected to say "Excuse me please" as they fled from the inside of a church pew. Courtesy is not generally a priority if you are losing your mind. By understanding it is an exaggerated physical response, she demystifies the experience.