PanicCured
11-06-2013, 02:34 AM
It's hard to believe that there was a time in my life where I lived in constant fear and agony, like a time bomb waiting to go off at any moment in vicious panic attacks. The further away from those days I get, the simpler it all becomes for me in hindsight. I still stand by my post "The Quick Guide to Stopping Panic Attacks" as the ultimate technique to retrain the brain to not go into fight or flight. My "Techniques I used" post still is very valid as it is my summary of how I went from panic ridden agoraphobic to healed and everyone should read these 2 posts I wrote that are in the stickies above to get some key ideas of how to go from panic to normal.
But I even see it all as even simpler now. So amazingly simple!
I reached mental and possible physical exhaustion from various stressors, and my nervous system was set to a high state of alert. Little things could trigger the fight or flight response which created a panic attack. When not in a panic attack, there could be general anxiety. Then I began to fear the panic which helped create the panic and there we have the cycle of fear. Then you are in the grips of it fighting a losing battle. Here is where most people lose the plot. They seek out a drug that would dull them to the point where panic or anxiety doesn't get triggered, or seek comfort in their safe person or safe place to comfort them during the anxiety, but do nothing to heal the source, which is nervous system set on high alert.
Because once the nervous system calms down and heals, you do not go off into fight or flight anymore and the cycle breaks. So not only do we ned to calm the panic but also heal the source of the panic which is overactive nervous system.
The beautiful thing, is that even if you do nothing, the body heals naturally on its own. I did lots of modalities to heal that I documented in my Techniques post, but your body is always trying to heal to reach homeostasis anyway. It is great to take the right supplements and various healing modalities to help in this process, as the body may need this. So what people should do is ALLOW the body to heal and ASSIST it to heal.
Think of a knee injury. How can you heal a wounded knee by jogging or doing gymnastics? You would stay off your knee, which would be "allowing" and you would massage, add a heating pad, physical therapy, etc. that would "assist" the knee from healing. Take this same approach with anxiety. The problem with drugs, is like with the knee, imagine the knee injured person just takes a strong opiate painkiller. He may be pain free, but how has it healed his knee in any way at all? It hasn't. Imagine after he takes the drug he goes jogging since it dulled his knee pain. This would actually make his knee worse, despite him feeling better. Just like anxiety, maybe the pain is so bad he needs painkillers but it makes no sense to assume this is his ultimate mode of therapy. Of course, there are side effects and can be highly addicting or even worse but there is a time and a place for meds. But if the guy was smart, he would understand this, and seek out true healing while taking the pain killers, or maybe not take the drugs at all if he can cope without them.
For some reason, many people with anxiety treat it as a life long illness that can't be helped, only managed. I am living proof, as well as many others, that this is not true in any way. Some people may be more anxious than others naturally, but an anxiety disorder is 100% curable. There is nothing special about your anxiety. It has no meaning, no significance, nothing magical and it is not dangerous. Place no importance on it. Don't be ashamed or embarrassed anymore then if you had a common cold. Everybody freaks out at least some time in their life. It's no big deal! I used to go up to strangers in the street, "Help me I'm having a panic attack!" or I most likely told them I was dying, and almost every time people went out of their way to help me. I got a hell of a lot more love from strangers out in the street then hiding in my room in fetal position scared to go outside. I'll never forget the poor kid, at this juice bar when I ordered some juice. My heart was going off in a full blown super panic attack and I'm a grown man, sitting on the floor holding this guy probably 19-20 years old's hand. He was super cool. I look back on it now as not only hilarious, but think of what a great guy he was to do that for me.
Your anxiety and panic is not important and is meaningless! I know that many of you want to make it meaningful, so important that you must build your life around it, but it is nothing more than an overactive nervous system dumping adrenaline into your blood, causing uncomfortable feelings. It is not supernatural or spiritual or Jesus talking to you or a curse or anything! What it is is bullshit!
Calm the panic
Heal the nervous system
Stop doing what is making you sick and start doing what will make you better.
It really just seems so simple to me now.
Make a plan:
How can you stay calm? Supplements, calming teas, meditation, slow calming breathing exercises, regular yoga will keep you calm, nice music, hypnotic CDs, the list goes on and on.
How can you heal the nervous system? Well, pretty much the same as staying calm. Healthy and nourishing diet, exercise, retraining your brain to not go into panic mode so easily by allowing the panic to be meaningless and wash over you, see fears as something to face, not hide from, face your fears and if you have a panic attack so be it, build new habits and productive thought patterns, etc. Live a healthy lifestyle! GET SUN! Vitamin D is crucial! Not so much sun it's harmful, just the right amount where it is healthy.
I know exercise may be hard for some of you to do, but do some form of it almost everyday. When you are anxious you are tense so much of the time. Exercise will help circulate the blood. Do yoga, even if it is the super easy class. Try 3 days a week. Being in that environment is very healing. Walk, and do whatever exercise you can do no matter how light. You can increase intensity little by little.
DO NOT organize your life around your panic and make it a part of your identity. If you have done this, then work on reversing it. You are not your anxiety any more then you are your stuffy nose.
Remember, don't be in such a rush. Be patient as healing takes time, and there will be bumps in the road. Just keep going for it and know you will get there. Little by little is fine. When your nerves are set to such high alert, your body can snap into fight of flight mode from the tiniest thing. Relax, don't add 2nd fear, and let it wash over you. You then teach your brain that when that feeling comes, you do not need to activate anything. Keep doing this until it happens less and less.
Change your thoughts from "How did I get into this crappy mess?" to "What can I do to get totally better?"
THEN DO IT!
But I even see it all as even simpler now. So amazingly simple!
I reached mental and possible physical exhaustion from various stressors, and my nervous system was set to a high state of alert. Little things could trigger the fight or flight response which created a panic attack. When not in a panic attack, there could be general anxiety. Then I began to fear the panic which helped create the panic and there we have the cycle of fear. Then you are in the grips of it fighting a losing battle. Here is where most people lose the plot. They seek out a drug that would dull them to the point where panic or anxiety doesn't get triggered, or seek comfort in their safe person or safe place to comfort them during the anxiety, but do nothing to heal the source, which is nervous system set on high alert.
Because once the nervous system calms down and heals, you do not go off into fight or flight anymore and the cycle breaks. So not only do we ned to calm the panic but also heal the source of the panic which is overactive nervous system.
The beautiful thing, is that even if you do nothing, the body heals naturally on its own. I did lots of modalities to heal that I documented in my Techniques post, but your body is always trying to heal to reach homeostasis anyway. It is great to take the right supplements and various healing modalities to help in this process, as the body may need this. So what people should do is ALLOW the body to heal and ASSIST it to heal.
Think of a knee injury. How can you heal a wounded knee by jogging or doing gymnastics? You would stay off your knee, which would be "allowing" and you would massage, add a heating pad, physical therapy, etc. that would "assist" the knee from healing. Take this same approach with anxiety. The problem with drugs, is like with the knee, imagine the knee injured person just takes a strong opiate painkiller. He may be pain free, but how has it healed his knee in any way at all? It hasn't. Imagine after he takes the drug he goes jogging since it dulled his knee pain. This would actually make his knee worse, despite him feeling better. Just like anxiety, maybe the pain is so bad he needs painkillers but it makes no sense to assume this is his ultimate mode of therapy. Of course, there are side effects and can be highly addicting or even worse but there is a time and a place for meds. But if the guy was smart, he would understand this, and seek out true healing while taking the pain killers, or maybe not take the drugs at all if he can cope without them.
For some reason, many people with anxiety treat it as a life long illness that can't be helped, only managed. I am living proof, as well as many others, that this is not true in any way. Some people may be more anxious than others naturally, but an anxiety disorder is 100% curable. There is nothing special about your anxiety. It has no meaning, no significance, nothing magical and it is not dangerous. Place no importance on it. Don't be ashamed or embarrassed anymore then if you had a common cold. Everybody freaks out at least some time in their life. It's no big deal! I used to go up to strangers in the street, "Help me I'm having a panic attack!" or I most likely told them I was dying, and almost every time people went out of their way to help me. I got a hell of a lot more love from strangers out in the street then hiding in my room in fetal position scared to go outside. I'll never forget the poor kid, at this juice bar when I ordered some juice. My heart was going off in a full blown super panic attack and I'm a grown man, sitting on the floor holding this guy probably 19-20 years old's hand. He was super cool. I look back on it now as not only hilarious, but think of what a great guy he was to do that for me.
Your anxiety and panic is not important and is meaningless! I know that many of you want to make it meaningful, so important that you must build your life around it, but it is nothing more than an overactive nervous system dumping adrenaline into your blood, causing uncomfortable feelings. It is not supernatural or spiritual or Jesus talking to you or a curse or anything! What it is is bullshit!
Calm the panic
Heal the nervous system
Stop doing what is making you sick and start doing what will make you better.
It really just seems so simple to me now.
Make a plan:
How can you stay calm? Supplements, calming teas, meditation, slow calming breathing exercises, regular yoga will keep you calm, nice music, hypnotic CDs, the list goes on and on.
How can you heal the nervous system? Well, pretty much the same as staying calm. Healthy and nourishing diet, exercise, retraining your brain to not go into panic mode so easily by allowing the panic to be meaningless and wash over you, see fears as something to face, not hide from, face your fears and if you have a panic attack so be it, build new habits and productive thought patterns, etc. Live a healthy lifestyle! GET SUN! Vitamin D is crucial! Not so much sun it's harmful, just the right amount where it is healthy.
I know exercise may be hard for some of you to do, but do some form of it almost everyday. When you are anxious you are tense so much of the time. Exercise will help circulate the blood. Do yoga, even if it is the super easy class. Try 3 days a week. Being in that environment is very healing. Walk, and do whatever exercise you can do no matter how light. You can increase intensity little by little.
DO NOT organize your life around your panic and make it a part of your identity. If you have done this, then work on reversing it. You are not your anxiety any more then you are your stuffy nose.
Remember, don't be in such a rush. Be patient as healing takes time, and there will be bumps in the road. Just keep going for it and know you will get there. Little by little is fine. When your nerves are set to such high alert, your body can snap into fight of flight mode from the tiniest thing. Relax, don't add 2nd fear, and let it wash over you. You then teach your brain that when that feeling comes, you do not need to activate anything. Keep doing this until it happens less and less.
Change your thoughts from "How did I get into this crappy mess?" to "What can I do to get totally better?"
THEN DO IT!