need help: extreme exhaustion and panic attacks

Hi
I'm so sorry you are under such pressure and so stressed.
My simple advice - for what it's worth, is to get a second opinion from your doctor.

I'm no good with recipes but any exercise is better than none.

best wishes.
Amanda

breathe through your nose when you can.

some people have a tendency to breathe shallow breaths through their mouth (not fully inflating the lungs) which makes their bodies think they are in crisis for air (it's true!) which does cause panic attacks.

I would do crock pot meals. That way, you throw them on at the beginning of your day, and there's very rarely a set time for them to be done. One less stress you would have to deal with.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

This is a great source for crock pot recipes and she tells you honestly if its a good recipe or a dud.

I'm so sorry about everything you're going through. Just take it a day at a time and always remember to breathe.

I'm very sorry for what you're going through. I also suffer from panic attacks. They started for me as part of post-partum depression after having my 2nd child. I finally went to my doc and got some Xanax. Honestly, I hardly ever take them, but just knowing they're in the house in case the panic attacks get too bad makes me feel better. Also, if I am too wound up to sleep at night, taking one really helps me calm down enough to go to sleep. A full night's sleep makes a huge difference when you have anxiety. I was also prescribed Buspar (another anti-anxiety drug without the sedative side effects of Xanax). It didn't work for me, but I've heard it has worked wonders for others. I think your doc should be doing more than just monitoring you. You should try to get a 2nd opinion.

The very best thing you can do right now is to try to ease your stress. Getting exercise isn't going to help your weight loss nearly as much as reducing some of that cortisol which is flooding your system and to get better sleep. I can honestly say I have been where you are (not the situation, but the stress symptoms) and I respond to stress in the same way. A low dosage anti-anxiety medication helped immensely for the few months that I really needed them. I was able to sleep properly at home and able to deal with my day without wanting to curl up in a ball underneath my desk to sleep.

You might find that a short walk, or even an easy jog, helps your stress level a bit, and that's really all of the exercise I would suggest until things get more stabilized.

Crock pot meals are awesome. Stir fry is really easy, especially if you use the pre-packaged asian or stir fry frozen veggie mixes. You might look at doing some menu pre-planning or bulk cooking on one of your "days off". Freeze what you make so you can just grab and go another night. Making extra servings in the crockpot can help towards that, too.

I'm so sorry to hear all that's bogging you down. To say "that's rough" is an understatement. I've had issues w/ panic attacks in the past and found that I could work myself through them after a while. All I had to do was sit down, close my eyes and very diliberately force myself to take very slow and controlled breaths.... in through my nose and out through my mouth. Also sometimes a few minutes(3 to 5) of just sitting in silent meditation can make an unbelievable difference when your high strung.

As for easy ways to eat a lil' healthier... I find buying and keeping the precut fresh fruits and vegies in the fridge is an easy breakfast or snack on the fly. I also like the idea suggested earlier to use crockpot meals... I dunno how many healthy recipees are out there for crock pots (i know there are a few), but it would certainly take the stress of cooking off your sholders and that sounds like something you really need right now.

I really hope things get a lil' easier for you...

Some more things you should try....

Understand panic attacks are temporary, and get confident you can wait them out. When you feel it start, focus on breathing deep and steady. Really think about the in and out. If they come on during a workout, just slow down a bit, i.e. walk instead of run, and really focus on the breathing. You will be amazed at how you regain your confidence that yes you can manage these. And this becomes a melting snowball where they happen less and less often over time. Be patient and kind to yourself.

You might also add B-complex and Niacin (B3) as these naturally help with depression and anxiety. Hope these will help you. And that your concerns for loved ones are resolved soon.

I ended up so stressed earlier this year that I was off work for a month (and basically spent the whole of that month sitting in a chair, pretty much unable to move or do anything), and it was months more before I was back full-time. So, I definitely sympathise with what you're feeling. (Not that I wouldn't anyway, but you know what I mean.)

Exercise-wise, it would probably be a good idea to do something that'll make you feel relaxed. If you're feeling really exhausted and panicky, then doing some massive cardio workout just isn't going to happen. Maybe something like yoga? I'd say, rather than going for any full-on calorie-burning or strength work or whatever, just aim for something that'll give you a little bit of time to centre yourself, breathe, and be calm.

Frankly, your doctor sounds a bit pants. I agree with those who've said to seek another opinion, although I should also say, I got very frustrated with my doctor while I was ill, and in retrospect I think what she was trying to tell me was that she knew I felt horrible but that the main cure for that would be time. (She did give me anti-depressants, too, though, and those helped!)

Most of my easy-peasy cooking involves shoving things in the oven (often leaving it in there to cook while I do my workout). Roast veg (roughly chop sweet potatoes - don't bother to peel them - onions, and peppers, and roast then in the teeniest bit of oil; then towards the end throw in some whole cherry tomatoes and when they've heated through, mix in a spoonful of pesto or similar); baked sweet potatoes; baked fish or chicken (pop it on a bit of foil, rub on any or all of garlic, lemongrass, chilli, ginger (you can get each of those mushed up in a tube, so you just squeeze a bit on), wrap it up and bake it; and maybe shove a dish in beside it with a tin of chopped tomatoes with herbs and garlic, and a tin of butter beans, mixed together, to have with it). That sort of thing.

And I know you don't need me to tell you this, but you've done an incredibly brave and responsible thing in turning down the adoption. You wouldn't have done yourselves or the little girl any good by taking on a situation that wasn't something you were equipped to deal with, and you've helped her in the best way you possibly could by saying so. There's no better proof than that of how fantastic a parent you'll be when you do get to adopt. Stay strong, stay calm, and you'll get through.

Oh I love the glass of water analogy. My therapist explained it as all the stress filling up your 'bucket', eventually if you cannot find what empties the bucket or do not take time to do it, it fills up and any other little thing added, makes it spill over, that's when a panic attack hits.

I know it's hard but sometimes we have to ask for help, can someone else take up the slack helping others for a day, a week? Remember if you were not there to do it, someone else would have to anyway? I needed to do that when I cared for my mother for years, and then my husband got sick, I had to admit I couldn't do it any more. Was I a failure, a bad daughter? No I was just human.

You need to empty your bucket girl as otherwise you will become less and less able to do the things you normally do. You don't want to think about the alternative. My Mum ended up having to get meals-on-wheels and home help, that is OK it is life.

I'm all for pre-packaged. I really have stressed a lot in life about providing the best quality meals, but sometimes you have to compromise to fit the circumstances. I also do the shoving veggies in to roast while I go for a walk, and some chicken breast slices with some soy/oil/garlic. Pre-packaged pasta with some mushrooms and onions also works for us. I cook a lot in the pressure cooker and have leftovers the next day.

You don't have to 'do it all', others in the family could do it, I challenge you to look to someone you can 'hand something over' to.

Love and best wishes
GG

Lots of amazing ideas and suggestions here. For exercise, I think yoga and walking are great ideas. I also find simple abdominal exercises can be a great way to start my day - literally and figuratively making me feel more "centered". I literally roll out of bed, onto the floor, and do a plank pose for just about 15 seconds longer after it gets hard (I started out doing 30 seconds total...now I'm around 2 minutes, but it was literally by adding an additonal 5 seconds every week). It also lets me start the day feeling like I've accomplished something positive.

For meals, I think spaghetti is a super easy one, and if you buy sauce with vegetables in it, you get the nutrients from the sauce (tomatoes) AND from the vegetables. I buy whole wheat pasta and stir wheat germ into the sauce to add fiber and slow emptying time (so you don't get carb crashes). I also will bake fish (from Costco so it's pre-marinated) and saute a pack of frozen veggies per person in some olive oil and spices like oregano, paprika, and garlic. If you each person has a whole pack of frozen veggies you don't really need a carby side dish. I also agree there is no shame is frozen meals when you are under tons of stress!!!

Good luck and my prayers are with you!!