Out of Control

It's been several years since I've felt the way I feel today. Since the time woke up I have been vacillating between a high anxiety state and a state of pure terror. I'm tired of it. Hours on top of hours of this...physically and emotionally I am spent.

I don't know what has caused it. I can barely think. In fact I have spun so far out of control that no coping method that I know of can even put a dent in this.

This will pass eventually, I know. I just wish I knew how much longer. Short of a short acting drug like Xanax or Ativan (which I do not have), I don't think there's anything that can be done about it other than waiting. And when this used to happen to me it could go on for a long, long time.

debaser


Hey there, I think perhaps it is time for some chemical intervention..........can you go to a walk-in-clinic or urgent care facility such as we call them up north here.



I think you need to break the anxiety now and get some rest and relief and then get to your regular Doctor for some help. Most of us with anxiety may have very long spells where we cope very well and then for reasons we cannot exactly put our finger on we have a bad spell.



Do not try to be a hero, reach out for some help and get to a clinic. I know from personal experience high anxiety for a long period of time makes me ill. Really ill and it can take me weeks to get over it. Now no guilty feelings for not being able to control it, just go with it and find some help my friend.



Hugs



Kitt

debaser,

Glad to hear your feeling better and I meant no offense by advising you to reach out for help. Your post sounded like you were in dire straights and I was just offering ideas for you to consider but I understand the insurance issues.



Take care of you and again I am happy your feeling better.



Kitt

I didn't take offense. I'm just frustrated that things are the way they are. I could afford to go to the doctor, but you know it's a crapshoot if you can find a doctor with any degree of understanding about anxiety. Going is a gamble, and it's an expensive one. And you know how I feel about upping the dose on a benzo. Adding one would be similar. I kind of think the Klonopin I do take will keep this from getting really, really bad. Perhaps yesterday was just a bad day.

Other than "chemical intervention" as you put it, I was wondering what people do when their anxiety gets out of control and sticks around that way for a long period of time. There has to be something...mind you I'm not asking how to eradicate anxiety that gets that bad. I'm asking how someone copes with it and maybe gets it to a point that is manageable. Usually I'm pretty good at heading it off as it's starting up, but if there's no warning that's hard to do. What I ultimately did yesterday was eat a bunch of sugar. It was a shot in the dark and I don't recommend it. What it did was create the sugar high which in a state of anxiety is absolutely horrible to deal with, but when that high went away and my energy level troughed, my anxiety finally eased. I'd like to go the rest of my life without having to use that "method" again. Awful experience.

Anyway, back to the frustration...I think that's what probably caused the whole thing. I mean we have this recession. I barely held on and was almost out of business several times during the worst of it. But I worked my fingers to the nub staying afloat and eventually it paid off. Three months in a row things were so good I recovered a lot of the loss that I incurred this year. But then the state made all these crazy regulations that affect my business, and this has my clients freaked out and suddenly they don't want to move on anything. Eventually I think these regs will actually be good for my business, but until people are used to this things are going to be very lean. I'm not big on things having to be "fair". Life isn't fair and all of us here in this forum certainly know that. So I will say that it is frustrating and leave it there. Well enough of the venting. I should be very thankful that my hard work paid off for a time, because otherwise I don't know where I'd be right now. Instead I think I can weather this...I just don't like the idea of feeling broke again. The after tax income swings have been absolutely insane. Nearly triple digits one year. Flat the next. I don't even want to say how much I lost during the first two quarters this year, but it looks like when FY2009 is all accounted for it will have seen negative income, though it was erratic all year. Again, enough of the venting.

Maybe there's not an answer but what I'm looking for are ways to back myself down from really intense anxiety...anxiety that resembles a near constant panic attack that goes on for hours. Any advice that doesn't cost me money would be greatly, greatly appreciated.

Thanks for listening.

debaser,


I have been in your place. I know how it feels.



Most people who have panic attacks will tell you that once you are past a certain point there is no return. That is the biggest fear; once you are there it is difficult to remember anything and you have little choice but to bear it – then you feel like a wrung out washcloth afterwards, limp and lifeless, for ages. All you want to do when an attack hits is get out, now !



The symptoms of panic attacks are practically the same as hyperventilation, which is breathing quickly from the chest and unbalances the blood oxygen levels.
Taking one slow deep breath from the abdomen. Putting your hand there so you can feel it being pushed out helps to know you are doing it right, and really regains balance, calm and composure quite quickly.

Then continue breathing deeply like that, counting to 4 on the in breath and 5 out, while the adrenaline starts to disperse, which takes about 3 minutes. Then the physical symptoms start to slow right down and stop.

Proper breathing calms the system down quite rapidly. If you do it quickly enough before the panic starts to spiral out of control it is possible to prevent a full blown attack.

This works for me a bit like meditation as I just tell myself to breath and keep on concentrating on the breathing.

I know you will find other members posting what works for them.

Take care and know we are all here to support you.

Kitt

Hello, Kitt, and thanks.

I've actually been doing quite a whole lot better. No more days like that. Just a few little anxiety spells from time to time, which is normal for me.

Have a great 2010!