Lexie1425
04-01-2013, 08:10 PM
Hi everyone,
I haven't posted in a very long time, but I feel the need to. About a year go, I was at my worst with anxiety. I had a week where I had full blown panic attacks and did not think I would make it. I was so scared for each and every day and when anxiety would hit I was miserable. Now a year later, I have made so much progess. When I started to have very bad anxiety, my husband suggested that I research online and try to find others to talk to who was going through the same thing, and that is when I found this site. I posted many times desperately trying to find others who were feeling the same way that I was. And I did. It helped me so much. Looking back at this past year, I can say that there were many other things that helped me too and I wanted to share those.
When I began getting severe panic attacks I decided to talk to a professional therapist. That helped me a lot. At first I was secretively wishing that he would just put me on medicine so this could all go away. He didn't and I'm really glad about that. It helped to talk to someone other than family and friends. He knew the right questions to ask and had suggestions for me to try. That first time I met with him, the biggest thing he told me was to breathe from my abdominal -- in through the nose, out through the mouth. Retraining your body to breathe like this really helped me to get rid of my panic attacks. Since beginning to talk with my therapist, I can honestly count the number of panic attacks on one hand.
He also gave me many books about anxiety. Understanding anxiety helped me to know what I was feeling was really anxiety and I wasn't dying. The books also gave me different strategies to try. I found these resources very valuable.
Someone suggested to me that I drink chamomile tea to help calm the nervous system and I think it really did. I drank 2-3 cups a day for awhile and it really helped me. I still drink it periodically when I feel I need to calm my nerves or just to relax.
I also purchased something called Rescue Remedy. You put a few drops under your tongue and it helps you to relax. It is completely natural and over the counter. I found it at a vitamin store. There have been mixed reviews if it works or is just in your head, but I found it to really help me. It could've just been the placebo effect, but it helped me to calm down when experiencing anxiety.
Exercise helps me a lot. At first I was scared to exercise and get my heart rate up, but even the first time I did it after experiencing my huge panic attack week, I felt great. It took me awhile to get back to how much I had been exercising because of my fear but I can honestly say that it makes me feel better.
Through all anxiety, you need to find someone who is supportive and you can talk to. My husband was a great supporter and has encouraged me through the whole process. I had to be careful not to rely on him too much when I was experiencing anxiety since he became my safe person. I had to get through it on my own. He was always there to talk to when I wanted to discuss my anxiety and still is.
Make sure to challenge yourself. I am still dealing with this one. If you know of something that causes you anxiety, do it. Avoiding it will only make it worse. I hate to drive long distances, especially at night. But doing it will help me to overcome my anxiety. Like I said, I am still working on challenging myself.
Those are all the big things that have helped me get through this year. At the start of my anxiety, I wanted to go on medicine to get rid of my anxiety but that would've only been a band-aid. It wouldn't have truely solved the problem. Dealing with it does. I am so glad that I pushed through and have been able to go back to living my life and enjoy it without the use of medince. A few years ago I was on anxiety medicine and when I decided to come off of it, I saw what withdrawl my body went through and do not want to go through that again.
Of course there are times that I feel anxiety, but I know what it is and what to do to calm myself down. I hope that my post can help others to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you can get through anxiety. Just keep at it and know that you are not alone! If anyone wants to talk, I would be more than happy.
Lexie
I haven't posted in a very long time, but I feel the need to. About a year go, I was at my worst with anxiety. I had a week where I had full blown panic attacks and did not think I would make it. I was so scared for each and every day and when anxiety would hit I was miserable. Now a year later, I have made so much progess. When I started to have very bad anxiety, my husband suggested that I research online and try to find others to talk to who was going through the same thing, and that is when I found this site. I posted many times desperately trying to find others who were feeling the same way that I was. And I did. It helped me so much. Looking back at this past year, I can say that there were many other things that helped me too and I wanted to share those.
When I began getting severe panic attacks I decided to talk to a professional therapist. That helped me a lot. At first I was secretively wishing that he would just put me on medicine so this could all go away. He didn't and I'm really glad about that. It helped to talk to someone other than family and friends. He knew the right questions to ask and had suggestions for me to try. That first time I met with him, the biggest thing he told me was to breathe from my abdominal -- in through the nose, out through the mouth. Retraining your body to breathe like this really helped me to get rid of my panic attacks. Since beginning to talk with my therapist, I can honestly count the number of panic attacks on one hand.
He also gave me many books about anxiety. Understanding anxiety helped me to know what I was feeling was really anxiety and I wasn't dying. The books also gave me different strategies to try. I found these resources very valuable.
Someone suggested to me that I drink chamomile tea to help calm the nervous system and I think it really did. I drank 2-3 cups a day for awhile and it really helped me. I still drink it periodically when I feel I need to calm my nerves or just to relax.
I also purchased something called Rescue Remedy. You put a few drops under your tongue and it helps you to relax. It is completely natural and over the counter. I found it at a vitamin store. There have been mixed reviews if it works or is just in your head, but I found it to really help me. It could've just been the placebo effect, but it helped me to calm down when experiencing anxiety.
Exercise helps me a lot. At first I was scared to exercise and get my heart rate up, but even the first time I did it after experiencing my huge panic attack week, I felt great. It took me awhile to get back to how much I had been exercising because of my fear but I can honestly say that it makes me feel better.
Through all anxiety, you need to find someone who is supportive and you can talk to. My husband was a great supporter and has encouraged me through the whole process. I had to be careful not to rely on him too much when I was experiencing anxiety since he became my safe person. I had to get through it on my own. He was always there to talk to when I wanted to discuss my anxiety and still is.
Make sure to challenge yourself. I am still dealing with this one. If you know of something that causes you anxiety, do it. Avoiding it will only make it worse. I hate to drive long distances, especially at night. But doing it will help me to overcome my anxiety. Like I said, I am still working on challenging myself.
Those are all the big things that have helped me get through this year. At the start of my anxiety, I wanted to go on medicine to get rid of my anxiety but that would've only been a band-aid. It wouldn't have truely solved the problem. Dealing with it does. I am so glad that I pushed through and have been able to go back to living my life and enjoy it without the use of medince. A few years ago I was on anxiety medicine and when I decided to come off of it, I saw what withdrawl my body went through and do not want to go through that again.
Of course there are times that I feel anxiety, but I know what it is and what to do to calm myself down. I hope that my post can help others to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you can get through anxiety. Just keep at it and know that you are not alone! If anyone wants to talk, I would be more than happy.
Lexie