Stop Causing Your Own Anxiety!

[PanicCured]

I just wanted to focus on one aspect of anxiety and panic. The part that involves you doing it. Part of this has to do with you triggering it. You initiating the fight or flight response. It has to be so clear to you that you must not activate this response. I'm not saying this is everything, but I am saying it is a big part of it. That point where you go, "OH NO!" that triggers the anxiety response. You think you are going to die and oh no what the hell to do? Fight or Flight survival response. Stop triggering it! You feel weird, thoughts are crazy, all these crazy symptoms you feel everyday that drives you to the hospital to have the doctors tell you its just anxiety now go take a Klonopin and shut up! Stop the vicious cycle right now. Don't ride that ride. Don't get swept away by that tide. Just be still in mind and body and allow it to wash over you. Not carry you but let it go over you. If you suffer from anxiety and panic disorder know that at some point you trigger the panic. Find that moment and learn to stop doing that. Let the anxious symptoms just pass and do not fight it. Just let them fade out on their own. Like a bratty crying child, eventually they stop crying. So will the symptoms. There are other things at play here, but this trigger part has to be mastered. You can do it! You can learn to not trigger it. Give yourself power over it, knowing that you have much control over it. You are in the driver seat and you determine to hit the gas or the break or just cruise in neutral. You have the power here, not this illness. Think of all those stupid freak outs you had that were a total bluff! Remember how it was such bullshit that after you felt bad that you panicked. Take your power back and learn to be the one who determines if the panic gets triggered. Stop adding 2nd fear!

Good luck!

[sazco]

I like what you said, a lot. Because we all do have the power to let it pass. If only more people realized this. Thank you.

[thinkpositive]

Thank you for writing this! :)

[dcoope11]

I can appreciate this post. I know it's all in my head but sometimes I cannot control it from starting. This is a learned behavior and then we begin to fear the thought of having another attack. Much easier said then done.

[dazza]

A typically inspiring post from PC... however, as usual in the case of this disorder, things are easier said than done.

What seems to happen is that our fight or flight response becomes completely automatic to stress / panic / pains, etc. and is virtually impossible to
prevent / cure.

My anxiety started with a fear of a heart attack, but now, I can play an intense game of squash for an hour... sweating / heart going like crazy but I
have no anxiety problems! yet I feel tense when getting into bed or walking up stairs.

These two situations (bed & stairs) seem to be hard coded within me to trigger fight or flight.
I'll be damned if I know how to stop this. I'm assuming time will heal me.

[PanicCured]

It's not "All in your head". I am talking about the point that goes from feeling weird and scared to Boom! full on panic. That is usually triggered by you. You have to own up to this and realize this. Your nervous system may be physically "off" but the more you don't add fear to the symptoms you have, the faster it will go away. That is why Claire Weekes repeatedly says to not add 2nd fear. Your body wants to heal. If you take the right supplements and do the right life style changes and do other things to help heal it, it will heal faster. But by allowing the anxiety to take you on a ride is not healing. You have to let it do its thing and it will fade without causing the triggers of your own. There is a point in time where you triggered the fight or flight response. I do not believe there was no trigger. Either its a wild animal (or person) about to attack you or you triggered it in that "OH SHIT!" moment.

[dazza]

I am cured of full on panic attacks. They're not my (and many others) issue.

What I'm struggling with is a hard coded, automatic fight or flight response to silly things - like climbing stairs or getting into bed.

These scenarios USED to cause full on panic. They now still TRY to cause panic by starting fight or flight... but I don't panic. Instead, I'm left with the residual symptoms of it.
I.e. I don't add the 2nd fear. This was the easiest part to cure.
The hardest part is stopping fight or flight.

The same goes for all the others on here that wonder why the hell they're still getting symptoms when they don't feel consciously anxious.
Same thing applies... fight or flight being triggered over silly, everyday things... but no panic.

[AceParadox]

I wonder how common anxiety disorders must of been in the medieval times and how they must of tried to deal with it. Just a random little wonder.

[cyncyn]

I'll do really well, practicing all this and then think. Hmmm....it's been a long time when will it come back? What do ya know, it comes back. I feel it's become such a part of me that I can't imagine a life totally free of it. I'm still trying though...

[PanicCured]

Dazza can you please not post on my threads anymore. It is people like you and Forwells why I don't post on this site anymore. I don't feel you are offering any benefit to people I am trying to help.

To everyone else: The fight or flight is usually caused by yourself not out of nowhere like you may think. The other stuff is caused from a highly active nervous system and I have given great advice on how to heal that in past posts and in the sticky above. Ask yourself? What are you doing to nourish your nervous system and brain back to health? Is your breathing calm and not too much? But once you have let go of your triggers, a lot of the rest falls into place eventually. But I do highly recommend the right natural remedies to heal such as Magnesium Glycinate, Eastern Essentials Calm and Relaxed Formula, Buteyko Breathing exercises, yoga, meditation to observe your thoughts and not attach to them, to be present and let your thoughts pass, Alpha Stim machine for 30 days, lots of chamomile tea, passionflower extract, getting sufficient sunlight or taking a Vitamin D3 pill, going on long walks and clearing your mind, etc. These things help nourish you, rebuild you and rebalance you. Doing these things while letting go of the part that you are to blame for, is a road to recovery. The body wants to heal if you allow it.

I have overcome severe panic, anxiety, and agoraphobia disorder completely! Listen to me and others who have got past it. I just want to help. Don't listen to people that tell you it can't be done or it's too hard or any of that nonsense. Everyone has their own unique healing path, and once you get on it, all the answers that you need will come to you. But you have to get on that healing path first and don't look back.
Onwards and upwards!

[PanicCured]

I'll do really well, practicing all this and then think. Hmmm....it's been a long time when will it come back? What do ya know, it comes back. I feel it's become such a part of me that I can't imagine a life totally free of it. I'm still trying though...


Yeah so then it comes. So what? Let it come and fade out like everything else. Do you see how it is you that keeps it going stronger?

[l1n7]

Thanks paniccured for the advice. I'm a bit confused though, you're saying that we cause out own attacks OR we cause them to be worse? And when u say we should let it happen and then let it go, that means let the attack happen?

Sometimes I convince myself that I'm ok instead of thinking "oh I'm going to die" yet I still have an attack. I don't get how I still have attacks even though I'm telling myself I'm ok. I hope this isn't confusing

[dazza]

Thanks paniccured for the advice. I'm a bit confused though, you're saying that we cause out own attacks OR we cause them to be worse? And when u say we should let it happen and then let it go, that means let the attack happen?

Sometimes I convince myself that I'm ok instead of thinking "oh I'm going to die" yet I still have an attack. I don't get how I still have attacks even though I'm telling myself I'm ok. I hope this isn't confusing

Sounds like you're getting there... slowly.

The fact that you're convincing yourself you're ok is a step forward and I understand how frustrating it is that despite this, attacks still occur.

Stage 1: You've just developed anxiety disorder & panic attacks. This is the worst since you have NO idea what's going on. Panic attacks are horrific.

Stage 2: Over time you learn & comprehend the condition and "think" you're getting over it... but attacks still occur.
This makes you think "wtf... I was doing OK and then an attack occurs out the blue"
You should now be attending cognetive therapy and using medication / natural remedies where necessary.

This is the stage you're at!

Stage 3: You continue to understand the condition & continue trying various techniques / medications / therapies to stay calm.
You understand that by reacting to initial fears will & does often lead to panic, therefore you are able to control / stop this second layer of fear.
Your life should be pretty much back to normal.

I'm at this stage and can't seem to get any further. Fight or flight seems to have become a natural, everyday "thing".

Stage 4: Completely cured.

[PanicCured]

Thanks paniccured for the advice. I'm a bit confused though, you're saying that we cause out own attacks OR we cause them to be worse? And when u say we should let it happen and then let it go, that means let the attack happen?

Sometimes I convince myself that I'm ok instead of thinking "oh I'm going to die" yet I still have an attack. I don't get how I still have attacks even though I'm telling myself I'm ok. I hope this isn't confusing

Ok I see what you mean. The panic attack is caused by you, the low level anxiety is caused by an over sensitive nervous system that needs to be addressed and slowly healed. So find that "OH NO!" moment that triggered the fight or flight response and see how you triggered that. My point was not that this is all there is, but a big part of the puzzle that should be addressed. If panic attack is the peak of anxiety, and that is triggered by you in a split moment, "anxiety" can also be triggered by you. It's confusing but you can understand what I mean. Some by you, some by your nerves. But curing the part the is from your own doing, causes a cascade of healing through the parts of you that are physical. Its a must to get the part caused by you under control as a big part of the puzzle.

[l1n7]

So I think I understand. Part of it is caused by ourselves and part is caused by nerves. This means that if when we get anxious, we have to try hard to block out thoughts like "Oh no i'm about to stop breathing." We have to immediately block the thoughts. Change our focus to something else/distract ourselves. If we don't think about it, it won't happen? Once we have that down, we will still get some panic attacks even without thinking about it, but that's when meds or whatever come in? The meds will help us to stay calm and then we'll be back to feeling like our old selves.

I'm sorry if I'm still misinterpreting what you're saying

[PanicCured]

Not exactly. I am not one for blocking out things. I am for allowing it to pass and not adding 2nd fear to it. I am for taking herbs and proper supplements and doing various natural things to help heal your nervous system. Meds do not cure you. They are temporary and many are addicting. Sometimes they are necessary. You want to cure the anxiety so it doesn't come back and you no longer need to take anything. If you get nervous or get anxiety once in a great while that is normal. But the disorder will be gone. I explained it better in my Techniques and Quick Guide threads above in the sticky. Check it out.