Anxiety attacks...

thedancingleper

Does anyone have effective coping strategies that don't involve medication or comfort eating? Thanks in advance.

baasland

i wish i could tell you. i thought mine would be solved by some late night runs (which it did) but only for the time being. It gave me such a great rush but after I finally went to bed and woke up the next morning I was still having the same episodes throughout the day, until I finally get to workout/go running again.

MiaMcBetty

BUMP!
Would definitely love to hear of any strategies too if anyone has some ideas.. Such a horrible feeling.. Wondering if there's something wrong with you or if it's just the anxiety.
Would also be interested to hear other people's symptoms..

thedancingleper

i wish i could tell you. i thought mine would be solved by some late night runs (which it did) but only for the time being. It gave me such a great rush but after I finally went to bed and woke up the next morning I was still having the same episodes throughout the day, until I finally get to workout/go running again.

I'm sorry to hear you struggle too. Workouts help me in the moment as well, but same thing, once I'm done and during the day, it does nothing to prevent them. Currently I have pills, but I seldom take them because they are supposedly addictive. Hopefully someone will chime in and help us.

lindylubilou

Hi try opening and closing your hand in a fist while breathing slowly can help and make sure you are getting enough sleep. I have found I'm a lot more anxious if I don't have enough sleep and also if I have too much caffeine. I hope things get better for you soon.

thedancingleper

BUMP!
Would definitely love to hear of any strategies too if anyone has some ideas.. Such a horrible feeling.. Wondering if there's something wrong with you or if it's just the anxiety.
Would also be interested to hear other people's symptoms..

It's related to other conditions I am diagnosed with, but is a fairly new symptom. I have no history of them before a few months ago. They appeared suddenly and intensely out of nowhere.

atxdee

what are your symptoms? do you get really bad palpitations?

thedancingleper

Hi try opening and closing your hand in a fist while breathing slowly can help and make sure you are getting enough sleep. I have found I'm a lot more anxious if I don't have enough sleep and also if I have too much caffeine. I hope things get better for you soon.

Thanks for that.

thedancingleper

Fear, and shaking. My legs and hands start shaking and I get these awful feelings that something horrible is going to happen any moment. Really ridiculously unrealistic horrible things too. Part of my brain logically can recognize my thoughts as unlikely, but the majority of my mind refuses to stop thinking about it as though it were really going to happen at any moment. My heart races too and my stomach churns and craves food for comfort.

what are your symptoms? do you get really bad palpitations?

RuthSweetTooth

Things you can try: As an anxiety attack is a breakdown in homeostasis, like a broken thermostat.

Add a multivitamin to your diet. Be sure you are getting all the vitamins you need for all your body's metabolic transactions. Are you getting enough calcium, for example?

Get a sleep study done. Even slim people can suffer from sleep apnea, causing panic attacks in the middle of the night.

Check your blood pressure and be sure it is in the acceptable range.

Limit caffeine and sodium. No caffeine once the morning is over, and none with lunch. No tobacco.

Go back to your doctor.

Be sure you're getting enough calories and that your career it not too stressful.

Opening your diary may help, sometimes it is a no-brainer for us to help, if it is open.

thedancingleper

Things you can try: As an anxiety attack is a breakdown in homeostasis, like a broken thermostat.

Add a multivitamin to your diet. Be sure you are getting all the vitamins you need for all your body's metabolic transactions. Are you getting enough calcium, for example?

Get a sleep study done. Even slim people can suffer from sleep apnea, causing panic attacks in the middle of the night.

Check your blood pressure and be sure it is in the acceptable range.

Limit caffeine and sodium. No caffeine once the morning is over, and none with lunch. No tobacco.

Go back to your doctor.

Be sure you're getting enough calories and that your career it not too stressful.

Opening your diary may help, sometimes it is a no-brainer for us to help, if it is open.

Thank you, I really appreciate this post. :flowerforyou:

RainHoward

Been there. To the point I was on the brink of suicide. It can get better, I promise. First I suggest therapy. Saved my life. If you can't afford that then there are several things that I have found helpful. Deep breathing, meditation type exercises. Distraction works wonders. Exercise. Panic and anxiety are your fight or flight mechanisms kicking in, so if you run and release those endorphins it help immensely. Of course many of us can't run but a good hard, hear beat raising exercise of some sort seems to do the same thing.

What works the best for me is the meditation/breathing and realizing what it is I'm experiencing and that it's not going to kill me. To essentially "go with the flow" and let the emotions run through me, knowing that I am safe and nothing bad is really going to happen. The more you do it the easier it gets.

isabel88g

I have bad anxiety.. My doctor took me off my pills about 2 months ago, and now I find that the best way of coping with my anxiety is to either do meditation, or do a hobby I love.

invictus8

I eat beans -- usually emotional eating (for me) involves carbs such as pizza, potatoes, etc. So beans are a healthier replacement for me.

Contrarian

I take medication, but it isn't foolproof. I use meditation and exercise to supplement my anxiety meds. They help. Try yoga or even just stretching, and make sure you breathe deeply.

LesIsMoreXX

I suffer from anxiety and I am on medication but other coping methods for me have been therapy and exercise.
Meditation doesn't work for me but I've heard of a lot of other people using this to help with anxiety.

baasland

This is just too funny for me. I definitely could use a multivitamin in my life, that's for sure. I know I am getting enough sleep at night (for now at least). Blood pressure is pretty average, caffeine is very low, sodium a little elevated. Calories are pretty low and I am very very stressed all of the time; work being the main reason.

Things you can try: As an anxiety attack is a breakdown in homeostasis, like a broken thermostat.

Add a multivitamin to your diet. Be sure you are getting all the vitamins you need for all your body's metabolic transactions. Are you getting enough calcium, for example?

Get a sleep study done. Even slim people can suffer from sleep apnea, causing panic attacks in the middle of the night.

Check your blood pressure and be sure it is in the acceptable range.

Limit caffeine and sodium. No caffeine once the morning is over, and none with lunch. No tobacco.

Go back to your doctor.

Be sure you're getting enough calories and that your career it not too stressful.

Opening your diary may help, sometimes it is a no-brainer for us to help, if it is open.

Uxorial

I have had anxiety attacks at certain periods in my life.

One thing I tried that took time was to set boundaries with people that were causing me stress. For example, my mother called me several times a week, which compounded with other things, gave me attacks. I talked and talked to her and eventually got her to call less and I didn't answer unless it was our weekly scheduled call.

I also got rid of some responsibilities that I no longer enjoyed, ended my terms in voluntary organisations, that sort of thing.

Also, not entirely related, but I have found that one way for me to control eating is to do something with my hands, usually something repetitive that I don't need to think about much. My husband used to do rug hooking, for example. It can become very zen like if you get into something like that.

I hope you feel better.

AllonsYtotheTardis

I found that repetitive tasks helped me a lot while I was preggo. I was getting panic attacks something wicked. Believe it not, I took up crochet (sounds strange, I know). But the repetitive movements, with the constant counting involved actually helped to keep some of the attacks at bay.


Now I get them, but not as often. Less caffeine, and more daylight seemed to help. Regular walks helps me too.


Sorry you're going through this - I greatly sympathize.

apom36

Take your mind do a different place, somewhere calming for you...for me, I go to the beach. I have had anxiety and panick for years, otherwise...I would make someone have a conversation with me until I was distracted enough that my symptoms passed. Good luck

Beleg

I take medication as well. I also have gone thru 5 yrs of therapy. Thankfully the VA has covered mine. It doesn't always work but they aren't as severe as they were without it. I find exercise can be really helpful. I also love sports so I will go to the local basketball court that I can find where there isn't anyone around and I will shoot baskets until it settles enough that I don't feel like hurting anyone or myself anymore. I also do some basic yoga exercise they seem to help as well. I hope you find what works best for you. And I also believe it can get better.

thogg85

I suffered for a while with anxiety and panic attacks. They came on suddenly even in the midst of a moment of no stress. The worst was every day when I drove to work and saw every imaginable way I could die in the car on the highway. This went on for a year. I understand how awful it is. The chest pain, the diarrhea, and stomach ache. Is there a reason you don't want to try meds? I tried everything else (prayer, meditation, yoga, purposeful breathing, exercise, etc.) and they were very temporary - only while I did it. Xanax saved me and helped me function and feel normal. I only took it when I felt it coming on or a half hour before I had to drive to or from work. It doesn't cure it, but it helps you to cope better. If you are disciplined, you won't become addicted. I never did and never had any side effects when I slowed down and eventually stopped using it. Now, it's very occasionally that I use it (once in a few weeks). I pray you find what helps you live life less painfully :flowerforyou: .

Txnurse97

Therapy has helped me more than any other thing I have tried. My employer has an employee assistance program (EAP) so I've gotten 6 sessions free. It might be worth it to check into your place of work.

pen2u

Make sure your hormone levels are OK. I had anxiety symptoms when my thyroid suddenly became overactive.

LorinaLynn

I know it sounds weird, but recognizing a panic attack as a panic attack helped me. It's as if I could convince myself that the "fight or flight" feeling wasn't real... "Oh, nothing bad is REALLY happening... it's just my condition."

Usually for me, it would happen when I forgot to take my medication (I've since been able to stop), and once I realized it was the lack of meds that made me feel so wonky, I immediately felt better.

Similarly, when I recognize PMS mood swings as PMS, I feel better, too. "Oh, so THAT'S why I wish I had a grenade launcher! Makes sense now. Just power through it and we'll be fine in a day or two."

I also learned to recognize my triggers. For me, it was beeping sounds and alarms that sounded like hospital monitors. My anxiety hit big time after my Mom was very ill and hospitalized for 4 months before she passed. I think I developed some almost PTSD during that time. It took a while to recognize that I was freaking out in the grocery store because someone in a scooter was backing up and it was beeping like a heart monitor.

themildcat

Hullo there

As a recovered sufferer of panic disorder I really recommend reading a book called Power Over Panic by Bronwen Fox. Her writings on anxiety changed my life x

Restybaby2012

I suffered from debilitating panic attacks for years. Here are a few things that worked. (BTW I no longer have them)

STOP yourself abruptly by saying (to yourself of course) STOP IT!! Then immediately re-direct to something pleasant. For me it was the words to a song, in my mind Id start singing that song. (usta be called Shout Therapy)

I would silently bind and cast the "darkness"....or " evils" by saying " Spirit of panic, Spirit of Anxiety, Spirit of Fear, I bind and cast you out of my life....I AM a CHILD OF THE MOST HIGH GOD you cannot live in my life". Say this over and over til the fear leaves--it WILL leave(for those non believers or non Christians I apologize that this may not or does not apply to you---please dont take offense)

When the fear or panic starts....immediately start counting.........1.1.2.--1.1.2.3..---1.1.2.3.4---.1.1.2.3.4.5 ALWAYS go back to one and only go forward one more number...this will force you to concentrate on that next number and soon the fear and panic will leave.

Hope something helps

themildcat

Sorry, BronwYn Fox

KCoolBeanz

I find that if I tell myself something to the effect of: "don't worry, this will pass, it always does" it's quite helpful. Sometimes reinforcing that it's only temporary helps to keep me a little more grounded.

denise032

I used to get (still do at times) those similar thoughts of "impending doom." It's a paralyzing fear that can't be truly understood unless experienced...

Here are some things that help me reduce attacks: regular exercise (30 mins a day at least 4 days per week), plenty of rest (7-10 hours), plenty of water (8+ glasses per day), and I also use a lavender diffuser near my bed which has been the biggest help believe it or not.

Hope this helps

denise032

I find that if I tell myself something to the effect of: "don't worry, this will pass, it always does" it's quite helpful. Sometimes reinforcing that it's only temporary helps to keep me a little more grounded.

This as well! I always do this just when one is coming on and then re-focus my thoughts and energy back to what I was doing. It really helps.