View Full Version : Hi!
Samanthasarah19
01-02-2008, 07:17 PM
Hi there!
Im 19yrs old and Iv been suffering with frequent panic attacks and anxiety for 3 years now. I get panic attacks very often and they usually happen at night.
I dont sleep very much, if im lucky i will sleep for 4 hrs a night.
My panic attacks are centred around health fears and it drives me crazy.
When i have panic attacks i get extreme shortness of breath, the fear that im going to die and sometimes even vomiting.
The attacks get very bad when i get a cold as im all blocked up and it makes me feel like i realkly cant breathe.
When i try to calm my breathing down or exercise to take my mind off of it, the attack just gets worse.
I have been to the doctor who has offered me beta blockers but i wont take medication as just reading the information leaflet leaves me worrying. Iv heard of cbt but does it work?
Im naturally a very confident and sociable girl and i do not want this to ruin my life. Does anyone know the best way to combat it?
col73
01-03-2008, 05:54 AM
Hi Sam
I know how you feel, so I know what you are going through, Ive suffered from anxiety on and off for 10yrs, I take medication to help me deal with the effects, Ive tried councelling also, even though I know what causes my attacks, its being able to deal with them is what I struggle with.
I see you have added me via msn so I will be able to chat more indepth when we are both on.
speak soon
Col.
setler
01-03-2008, 01:08 PM
Hey there Sam. I am sorry to hear about your situation but am confident that you can start to turn it around.
I am 19 years old also and started suffereing from severe anxiety during my Sophomore year of college. What helped me the most was exercise, as it gave my body the ability to resist anxiety and prevent attacks, and this is generally true in most cases. You said exercise makes it worse for you (and it did for me as well the first couple of times), but once I started a daily exercise routine, things calmed down slightly. Also, daily exercise should help you to get more sleep. It can be a pain in the butt to work out 5-6 days a week, but the choice is yours. I would give it a try for a week or two, if you haven't already.
About cbt, I have never personally gone through it, but my mother has and she said it felt like fast-food therapy. They try to get you to change the way you think in order to process stimuli more appropriately. Myself, I have been in long term therapy and find that much of my anxiety is related to childhood events, so that is my personal recommendation.
Also, try doing some reading. I read a great book called "When Going Through Hell.. Don't Stop!" by a man named Douglas Bloch. It is out of print, but you can order it used. He suffered from severe anxiety and the book is basically a survivor guide to anxiety. Also, you can check out the "Anxiety and Phobia Workbook", which has a lot of information and exercises as well. The more knowledge the better!
I truly hope you find something that works for you :)
jdawgzy
01-04-2008, 02:07 AM
Well, you can't read the leaflet. So many of these side effects are very rare, and happen to people that already have problems. Like high blood pressure, spine injuries(sezure related), etc...The brain during anxiety, is just attracted to all negative thoughts. For example, i remember this one time at Disney, i rode...Mission Space, i believe it's called. Where it's a NASA type simulation. I was physched for the ride and then i heard my brother say, 3 people have died on it, because of heart attacks. Set me off right there and the ride ended up not being enjoyable for me. Going to a doctor and having him check your health status is always a nice thing. You can cancel off a lot of your worry list, knowing how well your health is in some parts. I actually read somewhere, that it's impossible to suffocate with that anxiety symptom(short breaths). That gave me a lot of assurance, when i had the problem. You really just have to accept what's going on. Accept that your breathing is short and just ask it what it's gonna do? You aren't going to die from these short breaths. I would reccommend medicine, it helps me quite a bit. Therpay wasn't really my thing, but we are healed in different ways, so i wish you the best of luck :)
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