Anxiety and Panic list

Hello everyone.... Kitt.... "peace begins with a smile" is one of my coping mechanisms.... I force myself to go out for a walk everyday.... and no matter how terrible I feel... I force myself to smile at everyone I meet... it is forced at first...but before I know it.. my smiles are really genuine because I get beautiful smiles back... I force myself to talk to people... whether about their dog, their baby/babies, about the nice jacket they are wearing... anything just to start a conversation.... in no time, I've met a new friendly face, member of my community... it makes me feel less isolated, lonely. I also try to make people laugh which always helps me forget about my own issues and brightens my day.
I guess I have my darling mom to thank for that approach to life. I am forever grateful to her for teaching me that almost every situation has a humorous side to it.... of course my life has been sooo difficult, I can't say there was much humor in what my mom, brothers and sister...then my children and I have gone through.... but I know that laughter has gotten us through much of it.
This is a wonderful thread....
Another coping strategy for me was watching inspirational movies or tv shows. ... shows like Touched By An Angel. .. Twice in a Lifetime... Seventh Heaven... Christy.... Little house on the Prairie etc... I know my children were really influenced and touched by some of those episodes and they were always a good point of reference when we talked about how to overcome difficult times... especially with little ones .
I hope this helps a little .
Healing thoughts , loving thoughs and prayers to my HW family.
Mary

....I know I am in a blockage when I am not on potty 4 to 6 times daily especially in the mornings
BUT if I do not go for a full day I will get the most severe bloated tummy cannot eat and I have vomit even come up at night when sleeping...
Yes it is gross.......and painful
I will purposelly eat something I know I am not supposed to to help make me go to potty

Codiene nor any opiates make me constipated.........
I take MS Contin.....Percocets Statex ect.........plus all my other meds for CD and fibro

This is not embarrising hun it is part of our life.........IMHO

**I have gotten over my anxiety of being around alot of ppl when I go volunteer at the foodbank.....

it is defintely sad at times but it is rewarding'I will be helping to deliver the food boxes and gifts on the 22 of December

*** MY anxiety of loss of hearing will be fixed ( Hopefuly) by Friday@ 10'30

I get my Hearing aid .....YAHOOOOOOOOOOO Finally I will hear somewhat better out of one ear other is shot but I can live with that ........

Luvs

Lyn/Sis

Love....Big sis

 

hi all! my problem is everything racy heartbeat,constant fear of nothing.chest pains send me off the deep end and so do the headaches.i try techniques i accept what it is,watch my fear,and try to act with it.that's 50/50 scenario,it works sometimes.it's hard to sleep and thats all i really want and when i do go it's never enough.it's been 2 months now and i'm not the person i use to be.i'm so ashamed to go back to the er so i deal with it and get scared even more.we need a scientific break through on this one

thanx kitt i have seen many doctors and my heart is just fine.i've had ekgs blood work and even been tested for blood clots.its hard dealing with anxiety and there sre so many physical symptoms to send your mind spiraling this is very scary for me and thanks for being on my side

That is a good plan Nikki :) It took me doing things like you are describing to be able to find my rational perspective of things. . . I think we all slip from time to time but that is okay because we are just human :) I just keep picking myself up and come back for more, lol :)

My anxiety presents itself in two ways, most often concurrently but certainly not always:

1. What I'd characterize as significant abdominal distention. So much pressure builds up in there that I get very nauseated.
2. A heightened nervousness. Lots of fidgeting and quirks. Racing thoughts, too.

Sometimes the heightened nervousness will happen by itself. Occasionally that will lead to the abdominal thing but not very often; usually if it starts out with being nervous it will not get to my stomach.

Most often I don't feel outwardly nervous but my stomach bloats up like I've been impregnated with the spawn of Satan and I get quite ill. This leads to being very nervous...I'm emetiphobic. This is my most common anxiety (Bloating, then nausea, then nervousness) and the more nervous I get, the more physically uncomfortable I get.

Back to the "heightened nervousness without distention/nausea" state...I can be quite susceptible to various health anxieties during this time. I'd rather be this way if I had to choose but it's not exactly a walk in the park.

However, I've gotten better with dealing with this over the last 1.5 years or so. Klonopin has helped tremendously. Finally able to calm down and step back, I was able to examine things for the way they are and devise coping strategies. Most of them involve a creative process. Photography, writing, playing guitar. And they also involve changes in the way I think. Used to be, I'd wake up in the morning thinking that feeling bad was inevitable. Now I no longer allow myself to think that, even when I wake up with anxiety. When I do have it, most of the time I can tell myself "this will pass very soon" and it does.

I wouldn't say it gets to "panic" very often anymore. Only occasionally.

But I still have my bad days. Sometimes, I think, we just get in bad moods like all people. And when we get that way we're thinking negatively and are less open to our own coping strategies.

I'd like to add that for a time I tried to "fight" anxiety back. Sometimes getting really mad at it actually worked, but not usually. Most often it would make things worse. So instead I just sort of let it happen. I've never tried formal CBT but I think a lot of what I've figured out is similar. I get through most days pretty well and I have a very stressful job. Literally on the go all the time. I often dread the road but in reality I know it's my savior.

Health anxiety remains a bit of a problem. I have sinus issues and get lots of headaches. When the headaches venture into migraine territory things get weird and I'll have all kinds of bad thoughts about brain tumors and retina problems and whatever else. Plus, I fear getting sick. Not a cold, but the flu. Boy do I have a fear of the flu and sinus infections. I haven't gotten the flu (knock on wood) but I've had two sinus infections recently. Funny thing is, when they really set in with a fever and all of that, I'm calm no matter how miserable I am. When it's ramping up that's when I worry, trying to do everything I can to keep the infection from setting in. Probably not a bad anxiety to have but not a comfortable one.

So that's what happens to me and how I deal with it.

I go through these symptoms of anxiety as well Mollydolly. . . It is really rough at times and can be very scary.  If you work the different techniques and therapy ideas all of us members have posted to help, you will notice yourself doing much better :) 

One day at a time my friend!

Sam :)

I starting having massive panic attacks after the death of my twins in 1986 when I was 21 years old. My symptoms were heart-related, obsessive thinking and feeling very, very hot. I did learn how to control them and did extremely well for many years. I did it by "talking myself down." I say things to myself like, "remember the last time you felt like this and you got trhought it and everything ended up ok." I had myself to the point that I could control them almost as soon as they started. Last year they started anew -- always because I think I'm dying of some dreaded disease. I'm not doing as well controlling them these days, but I'm working on it. Lately, in addition to the pounding heart, I feel like both my arms go completely numb. Very weird.