Please give me any suggestions/advice/insight

[pinkpears333]

This year I suffered from my first panic attack and it was one of the traumatic experiences of my life. It occurred during a major change in my life-I was under a lot of stress. I wasn't on speaking terms with my parents, supporting myself financially, living in a dorm that I wasn't registered to live in, and I felt so alone. I never experienced this sense of lonliness ever and to make it worse, a major panic attack struck me leaving me feeling more stressed, lost, and frustrated. For the rest of my sophomore year, I went to a therapist and I still struggled with all the uncomfortable feelings of anxiety-the derealization, depression, wondering every moment if you're going to go crazy. My brain was in a constant fog because everything in my life wasn't stable. It was too much to handle.

Fortunately, my anxiety has subsided through the help of a therapist and self help books. My family and I have patched things up and things in my life have settled down. However, a new experience will embark as the new school year starts.

I will be facing new changes once again and I find myself overwhelmed. I have gotten an apartment closer to school but there many responsibilities that come with it. I have to pay the rent, food, and utilities on my own. In addition, I'm a pre-med student with a rigorous course schedule. I always find myself on the go and I feel like everything is moving fast and there is never time to slow down. At work, I feel rushed and I don't have time to rest because I have to go with the flow of the fast paced, work environment. This will also be the same with school. I'm in a competitive major where I strive to do well. I often feel my heart beating really fast and my breathing becomes shallow. I feel dizzy and out of it. I know these are symptoms of anxiety and I have uses the techniques I've learned to cope with it. They do work to an extent. I still worry....what if one day all the stress gets to me and I drop dead or faint or end up having a heart attack or having some sort of psychotic episode? I'm only 20 years old and I've been told that I'm too young to have most of these things happpen to me but I'm still scared. I don't want the anxiety to affect me the way it did last year but the experience was so traumatic that it was hard to let go of. I'm excited about this new change because I know it will be fun and I have a great support system and learn new life lessons but there is this little part of me that is anxious. The part that just stresses out and wants to scream and wishes everything would stop. I want to find peace in the midst of all this stress. I love life and feel positive about it but I just want to slow things down in this whole chaotic experience. I don't want to face every challenge by stressing out all the time and becoming this nervous wreck.

Can anyone just give me some advice? ANYTHING would be great! Thanks!

[aromamed]

I had the same issues when I was in school. Trying to make ends meet on a poor student's "salary", do good in school at the same time and keep myself focused while worrying about whether or not I can afford to eat!

I think you are on the right track though. Seeing a therapist, moving closer to school, etc.

Sorry, I don't really have much advice but i can relate.

[kendem26]

Well I myself only turned 26 and had my first life altering panic attack on the 7th of this month .. one of the things that helps me is the realization that most if not everyone out there, teachers fellow students etc would rally around and try to help me if i passed out or felt ill, i take alprazolam before i teach now and i'm as dynamic as ever .... if those hormones start pumping around your body they can be very difficult to stop i find medication works best for me... i'm also starting to meditate which increases calm alpha waves in the brain which in fact is the best frequency for learning too, "Jeanne Marie Stine - Double your Brain power" and check out psychologytoday dot com for the benefits of meditation:
exercising too helps increase the flow of good feeling hormones (i jog, play basketball and listen to hip hop music on my mp3 : )

When all is said and done you're a young, bright and seemingly good hearted individual who is going to have a great career in medicine and will do a great amount of good in the world, greatness is measured by the obstacles that stop us achieving it, the bigger the hurdle the bigger the accomplishment... This thing can't kill us and we are still going to do all we were put here to do. Send me a msg sometime and let me know how you're getting on.

[dorigen]

PinkPears,

I feel so much for you. Your story reminds me so much of my own!!! I too started with symptoms sophomore year of college. I was at a very competitive school studying a rigorous major, engineering, which was not fun. That year and my junior year were probably the worst years of my life, but the good news is that i'm completely better now.

I'm so glad to hear that you're seeing a therapist. Keep seeing them. If they are not available at school, then find someone else. And, if you think you're not making enough progress with your counselor, again, find someone else.

My best suggestions for this school year are to try to keep to a regular schedule. GET ENOUGH SLEEP (i know this will be hard, but it will help wiht your symptoms), exercise, and eat well. Yes, this is tough with a med student schedule, but your health needs to come first.

Find supportive friends, ditch anyone who makes you feel crappy.

Which self help books have you read so far??? I may have some good suggestions for you, depending on what you've already read.

You can also check out my story.. like i said it's similar to yours. Go to the "loveyouranxiety" link in my profile and click the "about" link. That is my story. Hopefully you feel less alone and more hopeful when you read it.

Best wishes. PM me if you want to talk.

A

[Foxfire]

My advice (for what it's worth) is that it's really important that you not fear a return of your anxiety and panic. I know that it's really difficult especially when you're about to embark upon this huge new year, but fear is what got you into the mess in the first place. If you can just shift your thinking a little bit and think 'it really doesn't matter if my anxiety comes back, I've dealt with it before and I know how to deal with it again' the amount of adrenalin that you're releasing every time you think about all these big things will substantially reduce and chances are it won't come back. It takes dilligence to consciously NOT fear situations but you'll find it makes the whole world of difference to your condition.
Cheers,
Foxfire

[squirt]

Give CBT a try. It's a lot of work at first but it really does pay off.